Regarding “One year later, a quiet rematch” (Monday, Sept. 21, 2009):
When you are the eighth best University on the planet, your view of others, from such a lofty position, is bound to be a tad snobbish.
You report that cadets “physically and verbally harassed” Princeton University Band members on a pre-approved march.
Do you actually think a retired USMC colonel would even imagine that a troop of fools with toilet seats around their necks would march across a solemn parade deck that honors 150 years of The Citadel military dead? There is a time and place for everything. Military cadets down here defend their honor — a dying breed.
Hannah Valdez ’11 sums it up quite well when she says “It’s kind of a different world.” She and your writer must be honor graduates of Hubris 101.
Semper fi ...
Maj. Charles Cordite
Biology should really be a walk in the park
Regarding “Integrated science pays off for graduates” (Monday, Oct. 12, 2009):
I enjoyed Monday’s integrated science article, but I take exception to Dr. Botstein’s claim that “The days of sort of naturalistic walking around and looking at flowers are long gone.” Sure, cutting-edge biology no longer means traveling to unknown lands and collecting specimens. But after spending my summer “walking around and looking at flowers” for significant, current scientific research, I refuse to see botany as an outdated pursuit.
I worked on a botany field crew this summer for a huge long-term forestry experiment investigating the ecological consequences of alternatives to clear-cutting in the Pacific Northwest. I quickly had to learn more than 60 plant species, as we revisited permanent transects and filled data sheets with species codes and ground-cover estimates. The study’s early findings on changes in species composition have already influenced how ecologists understand key concepts like edge effects. Analysis of this summer’s data will continue to inform the decisions foresters make to preserve resources and biodiversity.
I understand why an experiment that relies on consulting field guides to differentiate species by phenotype would seem hopelessly outdated to one trained in genomics and quantitative biology. But until we develop a handheld gene-sequencer that identifies plants on the spot, or a way to count species in a forest without stepping outside, the application of natural history knowledge is still essential for probing the workings of the forests, oceans, deserts and grasslands that cover this earth. The serious biologists of the 21st century must still include some who know how to walk around and look at flowers.
Madelon Case ’12
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