From natural history to solution science – Thinking of our discipline as a right of passage

Natural History, the oldest natural science, both unites us, and reminds us of why we are here.  Many of us started with a desire to understand the world and do work that will “make a difference”.  And so we become Ecologists.  But the right of passage in academia can become an end in itself, and our disciplinary incentives rarely align with the needs of society.  Natural history allows us to reach out beyond our disciplines, and that capacity is critical if we are going to use our disciplinary tools to craft solutions to the complex, wicked problems of today.