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I was "raised in the woods" in the Pennsylvania mountains, and my earliest interest was in the plants around me. My grandmother, who had studied botany, taught me all the names and loaned me her ancient botany books from around the turn of the (20th) century. In college (College of Wooster, OH), I first wanted to major in English literature, then considered Speech/Theatre before coming back to Biology. I was very fortunate in falling under the influence of Andy Weaver, along with a tight group of other students who reinforced one anothers' interests in Biology. Andy is a wonderful teacher and mentor who has made himself expert on several arthropod groups (spiders, centipedes, copepods, water mites) largely by self-study. His enthusiasm was communicable and a good percentage of our little group become professional biologists. Andy also solidified my desire to teach, as well as to do research. Later, in graduate school at Harvard, Herb Levi provided additional gentle guidance. Herb is a wonderfully generous man who also happens to have done more to advance the study of spiders than almost anybody in the last century. But he let me do a thesis on millipeds! Finally about 20 years ago I met Ian Rolfe, then curator at the Royal Museum of Scotland. Ian turned me on to fossils, made sure I met all the right people, including my frequent collaborator, Paul Selden, and generally promoted my career as a paleontologist. Now I am always looking for ways to return that favor by helping graduate students and new paleontologists find exciting projects. Although our college doesn't have a graduate program, this has given me the chance to interact with some really brilliant young professionals. What would you recommend for students wanting to pursue a similar career? First, I'd strongly suggest that they find a small, private liberal-arts college with a good Biology Department. The individual attention they will get will provide them with a huge head-start. Most small colleges also get students into research as quickly as possible. My friends and I had great advantages in graduate school by having already done what were at that time Masters-level research projects. Secondly, be sure that you always follow your own enthusiasms -- don't pick a problem to work on because it is "hot" even though it does not interest or excite you. You'll do best if what you are researching is compelling to you. Thirdly, stay as broad as you can in your education as long as you can; if you avoid early specialization you will be better positioned to take advantage of opportunities as they arise. What do you like best about your profession? On the research side, I like best the aspect of discovery that looking for new species, new fossils, and new evolutionary links brings. After more than 35 years and more than 200 new species, it is as fresh as ever! In teaching, I like introducing students to Biology--teaching our first course for freshmen. I find great rewards in seeing the amazing world of life anew through their eyes and in helping them to understand their observations. What web sites and references would you recommend for viewers interested in your work that was featured in The Shape of Life series? Because of my clumsy web-browser, it's difficult to copy urls into a message. We have such efficient search engines available today, that students can find a wealth of sites just by searching on the names of the kinds of animals that interest them. So I'll pass on this one. |
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