I too have been amazed at the fact that invertebrate zoology is no longer a
required course at universities offering specializations in Marine Biology. I
received my undergraduate and my masters at the University of South Florida,
and I was among the last group of undergraduate zoology majors that were
required to take invertebrate zoology. It has made all the difference since.
With that said, I have to echo Dr. Stan Rice's sentiments. In order to get
new students excited about invertebrate zoology we must engage them on a more
personal level, and teach them to be integrative biologists. Combining
molecular concepts with knowledge of the amazing world of invertebrates is an
exciting field of study. I was encouraged early on to embrace both the
classic invertebrate zoology teachings and to use newer more powerful
techniques (sequences, microsatellites, etc.) to enhance our understanding of
invertebrates. I guess what I'm trying to say is rather than cast blame on
other fields for detracting from studies of invertebrates, we need to find
alternative ways of drawing students to this now elective course. I for one
think an exciting course in the Molecular Ecology of Invertebrates is a great
idea. Aloha -Ken
Ken Hayes
Dept. of Zoology
University of Hawaii at Manoa
2538 McCarthy Mall
Honolulu, HI 96822
Phone: (808) 956-6581
Fax: (808) 956-2647
Email: khayes at hawaii.edu
Homepage: http://www2.hawaii.edu/~khayes/
*****************************
"I believe there exists, and I feel within me, an
instinct for truth, or knowledge or discovery, of something of the same nature
as the instinct of virtue, and that our having such an instinct is reason
enough for scientific researches without any practical results ever ensuing
from them."-Charles Darwin
-- ANNELIDA LIST
Discuss = <annelida at net.bio.net> = talk to all members
Server = <biosci-server at net.bio.net> = un/subscribes
Archives = http://www.bio.net/hypermail/annelida/
Resources = http://www.annelida.net/
--
