Natural History's Place in Science and Society

Tewksbury, Joshua J.; Anderson, John; Bakker, Jonathan D.; Billo, Timothy J.; Dunwiddie, Peter W.; Groom, Martha J.; Hampton, Stephanie E.; Herman, Steve; Levey, Douglas J.; Machnicki, Noelle J.; Rio, Carlos Martı́nez del; Power, Mary E.; Rowell, Kirsten; Salomon, Anne K.; Stacey, Liam; Trombulak, Stephen C.; Wheeler, Terry A.

doi:10.1093/biosci/biu032

Cited by 254 publications

(228 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…In order to face these challenges, and determine the best possible paths of action, we need to understand the processes that shape the both the living and non-living parts of the natural world. As Tewksbury et al (2014) powerfully argue, in order to make sense of changes to the Earth's ecosystems, we need a knowledge of organisms living now and in the geological past. We need to know what they are, where they live, what they eat, how they mate and how they die.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Case for Natural History

King

Achiam

2017

Sci & Educ

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Case for Natural History

King

Achiam

2017

Sci & Educ

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“…Today's young people have been identified as having a "nature deficit" (Louv 2008, Tewksbury et al 2014, and NHCs can serve a vital role in introducing students to natural systems and critical global issues related to them. Access to collections plays a pivotal role in inspiring thoughtful, hypothesis-driven ideas related to biodiversity and environmental challenges, as well as the associated emerging socioeconomic and public health challenges of the 21st century.…”

Section: Student Scientistsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We need an engaged, scientifically literate society if we can ever hope to address the emerging societal concerns over issues like climate change, reduced resources, and emerging diseases (Lavoie 2013, McFadden et al 2007, Tewksbury et al 2014. Citizens with greater scientific literacy can more effectively follow scientific advancements, discriminate between facts and fallacy, and make informed decisions that impact their daily lives.…”

Section: Scientific Literacymentioning

confidence: 99%

Natural History Collections: Teaching about Biodiversity Across Time, Space, and Digital Platforms

Monfils

Powers

Marshall

et al. 2017

Southeastern Naturalist

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-Natural history collections offer unique physical and virtual opportunities for formal and informal progressive learning. Collections are unique data in that they each represent a biological record at a single place and time that cannot be obtained by any other method. Collections-based experiences lead to an increased understanding of and substantive interaction with the living world. Global biological diversity and changes in that diversity are directly tracked through specimens in collections, regardless of whether changes are ancient or recent. We discuss how collections, specimens, and the data associated with them, can be critical components linking nature and scientific inquiry. Specimens are the basic tools for educating students and interested citizens through direct or virtual contact with the diversity of collections. Such interactions include instruction in a formal classroom setting, volunteering to gather and curate collections, and informal presentations at coffee shops. We emphasize how the recent surge in specimen-based digitization initiatives has resulted in unprecedented access to a wealth of biodiversity information and how this availability vastly expands the reach of natural history collections. The emergence of online databases enables scientists and the public to utilize the specimens and associated data contained in natural history collections to address global, regional, and local issues related to biodiversity in a way that was unachievable a decade ago.

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“…The strongest 'despeciation' of biology occurred in the 1960s to 1980s. Within a 40-year period in the United States, textbook content related to natural history decreased from two pages of every three to just one page; related PhDs fell from two in five to one in five (even as the total number in biology tripled); and the median number of courses on natural history required for a biology bachelor's degree dropped from two to zero 6 .…”

Section: Core Valuesmentioning

confidence: 99%