Monday, September 27, 2010

Where do classics come from?


Quotes from R. McIntosh, "Citation Classics of Ecology"

"A less professional recognition was given to a Scottish landlady who fed J. H. Connell very economically, and stretched out his G. I. Bill funds. [...] Collateral stimuli were attributed by some authors to liquid refreshments ranging from soup to bitters and to the cup that cheers without inebriating, tea."

"Several [Ecological Classics] were explicitly considerations or tests of theory, and some urged the utility of theory as a guide in their research. Paul Dayton, however, among others, had reservations. He commented, 'Ecology often seems dominated by theoretical bandwagons driven by charismatic mathematicians; lost to many is the realization that good ecology rests on a foundation of solid natural history...'"

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Grad students are people...

"Initial premise: Graduate Students are People.

Graduate students can be described by models identifying their many functional and structural roles in research labs, field projects, classrooms, and budgets. However, the most encompassing model of the nature of a graduate student is the humanistic model, encompassing submodels of both physical and psychological well-being. Given this premise, a long list of corollaries can be developed. [...] "

- D. Binkley, 1988. Some advice for graduate advisors. Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America, 69 (1): 10-13.