Comments on: Ecology for Transformation http://rs.resalliance.org/2006/05/22/ecology-for-transformation/ coping with ecological suprise in a human dominated world Thu, 21 Aug 2008 21:27:46 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Aaron B. Berdanier http://rs.resalliance.org/2006/05/22/ecology-for-transformation/#comment-302 Aaron B. Berdanier Tue, 23 May 2006 11:11:53 +0000 http://blog.resalliance.org/?p=201#comment-302 I really like your emphasis on the "creative synthesis" aspect of scientific transformations. I aggree that this is an area that deserves more attention, especially at the undergraduate level. Students can be taught how to address scientific issues creatively, or they can be taught to examine scientific questions by relying on the models that have been reinforced, perhaps with an unacceptable level of uncertainty for some situations, in the past. This is not to say, of course, that these models are not important for transformations through ecology. I think that as more researchers begin to focus on aspects of policy as an important part of our ecological understanding, there will be a tendancy to view the established models in a different light, and, with the right training, be able to ask the questions that will lead to more appropriate, creative models that are designed with policy and action in mind. Very nice review. Thanks. I really like your emphasis on the “creative synthesis” aspect of scientific transformations. I aggree that this is an area that deserves more attention, especially at the undergraduate level. Students can be taught how to address scientific issues creatively, or they can be taught to examine scientific questions by relying on the models that have been reinforced, perhaps with an unacceptable level of uncertainty for some situations, in the past.

This is not to say, of course, that these models are not important for transformations through ecology. I think that as more researchers begin to focus on aspects of policy as an important part of our ecological understanding, there will be a tendancy to view the established models in a different light, and, with the right training, be able to ask the questions that will lead to more appropriate, creative models that are designed with policy and action in mind.

Very nice review. Thanks.

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