OPS 3
Current Perspectives On The History Of Ecology

Wednesday, August 7, 2013: 4:30 PM-6:30 PM
Exhibit Hall B, Minneapolis Convention Center
Organizer:
Daniel S. Song, University of Pennsylvania
Everyone in ecology and its related fields has, at one point, learned something about the history of ecology. This can be through examining how one’s own field came to fruition, analyzing the sources of competing hypotheses, or reading through a biography of a seminal figure in a given field. Although researchers are in a state of perpetual learning, students still in school that have professional research aspirations hold a special place in their respective fields. To inspire their own work, students often start by looking into the past to examine what has or has not been done. While in school, student research is still developing and is malleable. The direction of a student’s work can change rapidly, within a day or after reading just one thought provoking publication. Students are always thinking about how they arrived at their current circumstances as well as projecting their future prospects. This collection of posters presents different historical aspects of ecology that has inspired research. This is a presentation of mainly student perspectives on several key aspects of the field, including ways in which social movements are reflect in various fields and students’ reflections on the present impact of key figures in ecology. In addition to examining pioneering figures, the posters also highlight how societal norms, such as gender roles, impacted ecology over time.
 Effects of environmental advocacy on the study of ecology
Lee H. Dietterich, University of Pennsylvania
 Getting freaky with fungi: A historical perspective on the emergence of mycology
Sydney I. Glassman, University of California, Berkeley; Roo Vandegrift, University of Oregon
 Women and their role in ecology
Aurora MacRae-Crerar, University of Pennsylvania, PIRE Mongolia Project
 History of ecology education in the K-12 system
Chad Fox, William Penn High School