Scholarships for Field Studies in Animal Behavior
Donation protected
Please help support higher education for our critical next generation of professional and amateur naturalists!
My campaign aims to provide $1500 scholarships to help up to 13 promising and socioeconomically diverse students afford my advanced course, Field Studies in the Ecology and Evolution of Animal Behavior, to be taught in the Summer of 2020 at the University of Montana’s Flathead Lake Biological Station (FLBS), a world renowned research and experiential teaching institution.
FLBS Instagram: @umflbs #FLBS2020
Web: FLBS education program web site
My course primarily is designed to prepare biology majors for graduate studies in the evolutionary ecology of animal behavior. I am dedicated in my teaching to nurturing the sorts of professional naturalists and "amateur" nature advocates that have the passion and knowledge to speak out to all humanity, ever more objectively, the exquisitely refined relational lives of animals, plants, and myriad other life forms, which we urgently must understand and communicate to larger populations of humanity.
Although such scientists and enlightened inspired citizen scientists may often remain behind the scenes, their work and insight is essential for the many beautiful and amazing nature films you may enjoy. The research of the people I seek to train forms the basis for everything from the most technical scientific papers and talks, to credible and biophilia-promoting nature shows, the latter produced by outfits like the BBC, Nature, Nova, or National Geographic. I want to make select talented students, and the exquisite highly produced shows that rely on them, to reveal and honor all earth’s creatures. I want to help prepare, especially through my FLBS course, individuals that can provide well-informed and therefore maximally effective and inspiration testimonials that soberly “Speak Wild Creature's Being's Forward,” to humankind. That whole enterprise is a noble, quintessentially human mission. Playing a small part in, educating young minds to substantively partake in this is a lot of what keeps me going as a veteran yet ever-learning naturalist (NOTE #1).
As in years past, my FLBS course welcomes liberal arts and humanities majors wishing to sharpen and deepen their understanding of the natural world. Such students, who I include invite to all my other courses as well, includes future writers, business leaders, artists, and policy makers. We need these people to be touched by the true lives of animals, so they will be in a position to help scientists articulate their life-ways to the largest possible audiences, that is, to a large enough chunk of humankind to make a real difference in our treatment of nature.
The intensive FLBS course will provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the principles and methods of modern animal behavior research. It will deeply ingrain those lessons by constantly giving students experiences in applying what they learn to analyzing the extraordinary intra- and interspecific relationships among diverse species. I work diligently, day and night, with the whole class, project-based sub-groups, and individuals to make sure all this happens.
I am well prepared and inspired to offer such a technical yet visionary course to mature undergraduates and beginning graduate students. I have been active in such teaching and research since 1980, much it based at FLBS (NOTE #2).
BENEFITS
The closer we are to truth, the more likely our and many other miraculous species will survive.
Your donations will help dedicated, promising young people, from more diverse socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds than otherwise would be possible, gain access to a pivotal capstone experience in field biology. Your generosity will be helping students polish off their ecological education programs at a crucial stage of their academic development, namely, one in which they must to become meticulous knowledge creators rather than passive knowledge consumers.
Most students also benefit from the kind of experiential academic capstone my course provides, because it helps them digest and integrate key concepts from their many classroom-based undergraduate courses; this can magnify the scientific value of, and render more personally sustaining and meaningful, all their previous academic work. This course is a life-changing experience for many of my students.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY IS AN UNDER-APPRECIATED SUB-DISCIPLINE OF CONSERVATION BIOLOGY
Building a scientific understanding of animal behavior in natural environments, one of the greatest challenges in all the sub-disciplines of environmental biology, expands our knowledge about how animals strive for survival and reproduction, and the features of their environments that give them a fighting chance of enjoying some success in doing so. Thus, the study of animal behavior is a branch of conservation biology. If one does not understand what animals are up to in nature, and they are ALWAYS up to something of importance to their survival and reproduction (wow!), then you cannot understand their hierarchy of needs, Ultimately, each of these are vital to their survival and reproduction. So, any animal’s behaviors can tell you what they are after, what they urgently require, and their dynamic hierarchy of needs.
THE NEED
We need highly educated naturalists in our modern populations, including ones who understand behavioral ecology and the specific evolutionary forces that have shaped the behavior of diverse animal species (NOTE #3).
Unfortunately, students with proven potential in higher education often lack necessary funds to pursue excellence in their final preparations for professional life. Advanced experiential courses like the one I am offering are becoming uncommon and difficult to afford. The Biological Station offers competitive scholarships to all summer session students, but they do not cover all costs for anywhere near all students, especially those taking a longer class such as the one I offer. To take my class at FLBS costs $3780 for the 4-week core class, and another $1600 for the 2-week extension, a total of $5380; that includes mandatory room and board. In addition, my students must travel, sacrifice summer salaries, and pay for books and incidental expenses (e.g., at least minimal outdoor all weather gear).
HOW YOUR DONATIONS WILL BE UTILIZED
No donations will be used to financially benefit the instructor, Dr. Paul J. Watson, or pay any kind of administrative costs.
If our funding goal is not reached, all available money will be distributed equally among Summer 2020 students to provide the maximum scholarship amount for each student.
If we exceed our campaign goal, the University of Montana Foundation will retain leftover funds for use next summer of 2021, hopefully enabling us to then offer larger scholarships, after another 2021 funding campaign.
FINALLY
As things stand, the moment is grave for many species and the ecosystems they comprise. We need to keep a population of highly trained organismal biologists and properly educated and biophilic leaders in our societies to spearhead essential efforts to guide and inspire humanity to preserve and revive natural systems in effective and efficient, evidence-based ways. It is not an exaggeration to say that this is crucial to our own continued civilized existence.
For a compelling read on the situation, and the urgency to change our course, I suggest “The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History,” by Elizabeth Kolbert (Henry Holt, 2014). As Dan Kois and Laura Miller put it recently, writing for Slate magazine, “No book has made the reality of how humans are endangering the future not only of their planet but of their species more clear to readers than this beautifully written, perfectly reported, passionately argued model of explanatory science journalism.”
Need I point out that Kolbert needed to read scientific papers and talk to many scientists to write her influential book? Helping to bring such professionals into existence is my most fulfilling professional activity. I know there are many good causes out there that deserve support. But never has the need been greater for fresh young scientists and other societal leaders who are prepared to elucidate to humanity the staggering beauty and complexity of the lives of animals, and details of their ecological requirements for survival and reproduction. Such knowledge enriches us beyond many people’s comprehension. And it is central to humanity’s survival.
Please, help me support worthy and inspired students wishing to become professional evolutionary behavioral ecologists. Help me launch students heading into diverse societal roles with a substantive understanding of the beauty and interconnection of all organisms. Your contribution will be helping mature, dedicated students become part of (1) humanity’s sorely needed next generation of professional behavioral ecologists, and (2) diverse future business and political leaders - all sorts of societal leaders - well-educated concerning the natural history and ecology of wild creatures.
Links below will tell you more about my background, this course, as well as the overall superb summer teaching program and extraordinary learning environment provided by FLBS.
You can download a course syllabus and fliers from these sites, or contact me for these via email. Please, do not hesitate to contact me.
Thank you so much for considering my campaign.
Sincerely,
Dr. Paul J. Watson , Adjunct Associate Professor, Department of Biology, University of New Mexico
Faculty Affiliate & Instructor, University of Montana Flathead Lake Biological Station
Email: [email redacted]
Instagram: @drpjwatson
Web: http://biology.unm.edu/pwatson/pjw_cv.htm
New web site in beta testing: drpjwatson.org
NOTES
#1. It may strike some as ironic, but it is the deeper understanding of the true nature of wild creatures, these hard won “Views from the Real World,” that are key in evoking the level of awe, and the deeply personal sense of physical and emotional embeddedness in nature, which we must develop to be better stewards of nature, ultimately, to become a substantially more biophilic and sustainable species.
At a certain point, enough holistic knowledge about an animal through the naturalistic study of its environmentally responsive and exquisitely integrated behaviors, begins to engage not only the head but the heart, the whole person. One begins to feel related to that creature. That sense of relatedness, based on objective understanding of other life forms and ourselves, is what may get us successfully through our troubled "technological adolescence."
#2. I have been privileged, twice, to help teach a Field Course in Animal Behavior at Cornell University when I was a doctoral student. I have successfully taught the FLBS animal behavior course for which I seek student scholarships about seven times since 1992. In other years, since 1980, my teaching has been in the form of introducing many undergraduate and graduate research assistants and collaborators to field studies in the process of doing my own research. My academic background is strong , and much of it is tied to work at FLBS and explorations of surrounding areas of Northwestern Montana. As formal credentials, I earned two BA’s from the University of Montana, one in Zoology and the other in Botany (1981). My doctorate in biology, wit a major in evolutionary behavioral ecology, is from The Section of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University (1988). My main thesis research site was on the grounds of FLBS. I had 3-years of NSF-funded postdocs at The University of New Mexico and Oxford University, UK.
#3. You may wonder how the evolutionary component of our studies enters in. Well, for example, to sustain and revive ecosystems we may not only need to understand their past or current ecology and manage them accordingly. Those ancestral ecological systems often are gone or, let’s face it, doomed. We often shall need to figure out how to manage remaining communities of organisms for “maximum adaptive evolutionary potential.” There is a growing literature on this rather new approach to ecosystem management. Again, there is a strong link between animal behavior research and conservation biology.
My campaign aims to provide $1500 scholarships to help up to 13 promising and socioeconomically diverse students afford my advanced course, Field Studies in the Ecology and Evolution of Animal Behavior, to be taught in the Summer of 2020 at the University of Montana’s Flathead Lake Biological Station (FLBS), a world renowned research and experiential teaching institution.
FLBS Instagram: @umflbs #FLBS2020
Web: FLBS education program web site
My course primarily is designed to prepare biology majors for graduate studies in the evolutionary ecology of animal behavior. I am dedicated in my teaching to nurturing the sorts of professional naturalists and "amateur" nature advocates that have the passion and knowledge to speak out to all humanity, ever more objectively, the exquisitely refined relational lives of animals, plants, and myriad other life forms, which we urgently must understand and communicate to larger populations of humanity.
Although such scientists and enlightened inspired citizen scientists may often remain behind the scenes, their work and insight is essential for the many beautiful and amazing nature films you may enjoy. The research of the people I seek to train forms the basis for everything from the most technical scientific papers and talks, to credible and biophilia-promoting nature shows, the latter produced by outfits like the BBC, Nature, Nova, or National Geographic. I want to make select talented students, and the exquisite highly produced shows that rely on them, to reveal and honor all earth’s creatures. I want to help prepare, especially through my FLBS course, individuals that can provide well-informed and therefore maximally effective and inspiration testimonials that soberly “Speak Wild Creature's Being's Forward,” to humankind. That whole enterprise is a noble, quintessentially human mission. Playing a small part in, educating young minds to substantively partake in this is a lot of what keeps me going as a veteran yet ever-learning naturalist (NOTE #1).
As in years past, my FLBS course welcomes liberal arts and humanities majors wishing to sharpen and deepen their understanding of the natural world. Such students, who I include invite to all my other courses as well, includes future writers, business leaders, artists, and policy makers. We need these people to be touched by the true lives of animals, so they will be in a position to help scientists articulate their life-ways to the largest possible audiences, that is, to a large enough chunk of humankind to make a real difference in our treatment of nature.
The intensive FLBS course will provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the principles and methods of modern animal behavior research. It will deeply ingrain those lessons by constantly giving students experiences in applying what they learn to analyzing the extraordinary intra- and interspecific relationships among diverse species. I work diligently, day and night, with the whole class, project-based sub-groups, and individuals to make sure all this happens.
I am well prepared and inspired to offer such a technical yet visionary course to mature undergraduates and beginning graduate students. I have been active in such teaching and research since 1980, much it based at FLBS (NOTE #2).
BENEFITSThe closer we are to truth, the more likely our and many other miraculous species will survive.
Your donations will help dedicated, promising young people, from more diverse socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds than otherwise would be possible, gain access to a pivotal capstone experience in field biology. Your generosity will be helping students polish off their ecological education programs at a crucial stage of their academic development, namely, one in which they must to become meticulous knowledge creators rather than passive knowledge consumers.
Most students also benefit from the kind of experiential academic capstone my course provides, because it helps them digest and integrate key concepts from their many classroom-based undergraduate courses; this can magnify the scientific value of, and render more personally sustaining and meaningful, all their previous academic work. This course is a life-changing experience for many of my students.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY IS AN UNDER-APPRECIATED SUB-DISCIPLINE OF CONSERVATION BIOLOGY
Building a scientific understanding of animal behavior in natural environments, one of the greatest challenges in all the sub-disciplines of environmental biology, expands our knowledge about how animals strive for survival and reproduction, and the features of their environments that give them a fighting chance of enjoying some success in doing so. Thus, the study of animal behavior is a branch of conservation biology. If one does not understand what animals are up to in nature, and they are ALWAYS up to something of importance to their survival and reproduction (wow!), then you cannot understand their hierarchy of needs, Ultimately, each of these are vital to their survival and reproduction. So, any animal’s behaviors can tell you what they are after, what they urgently require, and their dynamic hierarchy of needs.
THE NEED
We need highly educated naturalists in our modern populations, including ones who understand behavioral ecology and the specific evolutionary forces that have shaped the behavior of diverse animal species (NOTE #3).
Unfortunately, students with proven potential in higher education often lack necessary funds to pursue excellence in their final preparations for professional life. Advanced experiential courses like the one I am offering are becoming uncommon and difficult to afford. The Biological Station offers competitive scholarships to all summer session students, but they do not cover all costs for anywhere near all students, especially those taking a longer class such as the one I offer. To take my class at FLBS costs $3780 for the 4-week core class, and another $1600 for the 2-week extension, a total of $5380; that includes mandatory room and board. In addition, my students must travel, sacrifice summer salaries, and pay for books and incidental expenses (e.g., at least minimal outdoor all weather gear).
HOW YOUR DONATIONS WILL BE UTILIZED
No donations will be used to financially benefit the instructor, Dr. Paul J. Watson, or pay any kind of administrative costs.
If our funding goal is not reached, all available money will be distributed equally among Summer 2020 students to provide the maximum scholarship amount for each student.
If we exceed our campaign goal, the University of Montana Foundation will retain leftover funds for use next summer of 2021, hopefully enabling us to then offer larger scholarships, after another 2021 funding campaign.
FINALLY
As things stand, the moment is grave for many species and the ecosystems they comprise. We need to keep a population of highly trained organismal biologists and properly educated and biophilic leaders in our societies to spearhead essential efforts to guide and inspire humanity to preserve and revive natural systems in effective and efficient, evidence-based ways. It is not an exaggeration to say that this is crucial to our own continued civilized existence.
For a compelling read on the situation, and the urgency to change our course, I suggest “The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History,” by Elizabeth Kolbert (Henry Holt, 2014). As Dan Kois and Laura Miller put it recently, writing for Slate magazine, “No book has made the reality of how humans are endangering the future not only of their planet but of their species more clear to readers than this beautifully written, perfectly reported, passionately argued model of explanatory science journalism.”
Need I point out that Kolbert needed to read scientific papers and talk to many scientists to write her influential book? Helping to bring such professionals into existence is my most fulfilling professional activity. I know there are many good causes out there that deserve support. But never has the need been greater for fresh young scientists and other societal leaders who are prepared to elucidate to humanity the staggering beauty and complexity of the lives of animals, and details of their ecological requirements for survival and reproduction. Such knowledge enriches us beyond many people’s comprehension. And it is central to humanity’s survival.
Please, help me support worthy and inspired students wishing to become professional evolutionary behavioral ecologists. Help me launch students heading into diverse societal roles with a substantive understanding of the beauty and interconnection of all organisms. Your contribution will be helping mature, dedicated students become part of (1) humanity’s sorely needed next generation of professional behavioral ecologists, and (2) diverse future business and political leaders - all sorts of societal leaders - well-educated concerning the natural history and ecology of wild creatures.
Links below will tell you more about my background, this course, as well as the overall superb summer teaching program and extraordinary learning environment provided by FLBS.
You can download a course syllabus and fliers from these sites, or contact me for these via email. Please, do not hesitate to contact me.
Thank you so much for considering my campaign.
Sincerely,
Dr. Paul J. Watson , Adjunct Associate Professor, Department of Biology, University of New Mexico
Faculty Affiliate & Instructor, University of Montana Flathead Lake Biological Station
Email: [email redacted]
Instagram: @drpjwatson
Web: http://biology.unm.edu/pwatson/pjw_cv.htm
New web site in beta testing: drpjwatson.org
NOTES
#1. It may strike some as ironic, but it is the deeper understanding of the true nature of wild creatures, these hard won “Views from the Real World,” that are key in evoking the level of awe, and the deeply personal sense of physical and emotional embeddedness in nature, which we must develop to be better stewards of nature, ultimately, to become a substantially more biophilic and sustainable species.
At a certain point, enough holistic knowledge about an animal through the naturalistic study of its environmentally responsive and exquisitely integrated behaviors, begins to engage not only the head but the heart, the whole person. One begins to feel related to that creature. That sense of relatedness, based on objective understanding of other life forms and ourselves, is what may get us successfully through our troubled "technological adolescence."
#2. I have been privileged, twice, to help teach a Field Course in Animal Behavior at Cornell University when I was a doctoral student. I have successfully taught the FLBS animal behavior course for which I seek student scholarships about seven times since 1992. In other years, since 1980, my teaching has been in the form of introducing many undergraduate and graduate research assistants and collaborators to field studies in the process of doing my own research. My academic background is strong , and much of it is tied to work at FLBS and explorations of surrounding areas of Northwestern Montana. As formal credentials, I earned two BA’s from the University of Montana, one in Zoology and the other in Botany (1981). My doctorate in biology, wit a major in evolutionary behavioral ecology, is from The Section of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University (1988). My main thesis research site was on the grounds of FLBS. I had 3-years of NSF-funded postdocs at The University of New Mexico and Oxford University, UK.
#3. You may wonder how the evolutionary component of our studies enters in. Well, for example, to sustain and revive ecosystems we may not only need to understand their past or current ecology and manage them accordingly. Those ancestral ecological systems often are gone or, let’s face it, doomed. We often shall need to figure out how to manage remaining communities of organisms for “maximum adaptive evolutionary potential.” There is a growing literature on this rather new approach to ecosystem management. Again, there is a strong link between animal behavior research and conservation biology.
Organizer
Dr. Paul J. Watson
Organizer
Albuquerque, NM
