SS 6
Ecology’s Concepts: How Are They Used and Valued?
Monday, August 10, 2015: 8:00 PM-10:00 PM
303, Baltimore Convention Center
Organizer:
William A. Reiners, University of Wyoming
Co-organizers:
Jeffrey A. Lockwood, University of Wyoming;
Steven D. Prager, CIAT-International Center for Tropical Agriculture; and
Derek S. Reiners, Florida Gulf Coast University
Ecology’s many concepts represent the language and intellectual framework by which we practice our science. But every individual thinks and works within a restricted portion of that framework. In 2014 we surveyed the ESA membership regarding the utility of 130 concepts to their work. These concepts were derived from four leading textbooks on general ecology and were intended to be a minimal, normative set to which all ecologists are likely to have been exposed. The first 30-minutes of this session will be a presentation of results from that survey showing how concept valuations are distributed with respect to age, highest degree earned, gender, mode of employment, and primary domain of inquiry.
In the next 20-minutes, we will ask each of four panelists representing ESA’s broad demographic and perspectival range to comment (5-minutes each) on these results from their points of view. Panelists will be prompted in advance with the results and suggestions as to how they might analyze survey outcomes with respect to their perspectives.
During the last 25-minutes the organizer (Reiners) will solicit ad hoc reactions and questions from the attendees about the survey results, positions taken by the panelists, as well as positions taken by other attendees. This discussion will be supported by a show of agreement or disagreement with positions by a show of colored cards upon request by the organizer. These cards will be provided at the door. We look forward to a lively discussion to help launch our transition into ESA’s second century.
