From the President’s Desk:

 

            Dr. David Bass, Executive Secretary-Treasurer of Oklahoma Academy of Science suggested that I introduce myself in this first column and say something about my background. I give this history in grateful acknowledgement of my mentors. In 1974, I was a young woman from a small school in Texas with an eye toward becoming a professional plant taxonomist. My undergraduate mentor, Dr. Jack W. Stanford, was the last Ph.D. student of Dr. U.T. Waterfall at Oklahoma State University. Jack convinced me to apply to the graduate programs in botany at both the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University. Ultimately, I received my M.S. in Botany from OSU, and my Ph.D. in Botany from OU. I had the privilege of working with two of the state’s foremost botanists, Dr. Ronald J. Tyrl and Dr. James R. Estes. To all three of my mentors, I owe a great debt of gratitude. From these mentors, I learned to think critically, precisely, and creatively. They all also instilled a love of nature in me and showed me that teaching is an honorable profession.  They took me in the field and I gave my first presentation at an OAS technical meeting that was held at the University of Tulsa. Thus began a lifelong relationship with the flora of Oklahoma and many botanists, most of whom are or were professors, dedicated to understanding and preserving the plants and ecosystems of Oklahoma. Additionally, most have spent many hours in volunteer service to the public in an effort to educate non-botanists about the beauty and complexity of the natural world.

            Since I earned my Ph.D. in 1980, I have spent my entire career as a college professor trying to train students to think critically and to understand science. I have had the privilege of mentoring many fine scholars, including winners of national competitions and many successful medical professionals. Those students have made it worthwhile to be a science educator. In part, mentoring became a part of my life because I had extraordinary individuals who played that role for me. Their example led me to try and pass this training on to others.

            I have seen colleagues in Oklahoma over the course of their careers working diligently to train and mentor students. I have also observed a decline in scientific and general literacy, which is a huge block to scientific progress in our society. I appreciate those who have persevered in their mentoring activities in light of declining funds, increasingly sparse intellectual support from the general public, and a climate where civil discourse is no longer the norm. Because of these obstacles, science is at a crossroads. Pseudoscience is pervasive, and the methods of science are no longer generally understood or accepted by many in our society. If you have not read the late Dr. Carl Sagan’s book, The Demon-Haunted World, I strongly urge you to do so. It will force you to think about science in our world today. Dr. Sagan wrote this book in 1995 and for these eleven years, I have contemplated with increasing concern the state of science and scientific literacy in the United States. In April of last year, The Christian Science Monitor wrote an article entitled Pulling the Plug on Science, in which they enumerated all of the major budget cuts to various scientific enterprises. We are no longer a country who values science as a way of living and understanding the world.

            It is in the light of our scientific reality that I ask you to once again consider your role in the education of young scientists. I hope that you will be willing to become a mentor to someone who wants to pursue a career in science and make a difference in the world. Those of us at small universities typically have mentorship of individual students as part of our mission. We have small classes and day-to-day interaction with our students, but we do not necessarily have all of the state-of-the-art equipment of large research institutions. Colleagues at the major research institutions are often not as involved in the mentoring enterprise because the focus is on funding and publication.  Of course many professors at the large universities are mentors, but very often the focus is more toward generating data, as opposed to training scientists. It seems to me that we could all be better served to form collaborative and cooperative partnerships among the various scientific entities in the state. This would mean greater involvement by all scientists in the state.

            Oklahoma Academy of Science is largely served by an aging group of scientists, who have propelled the academy for decades.  Their dedication has ensured that OAS is active and financially strong and viable. It is now time to start recruiting future leaders for the academy. It is my hope that we can increase the membership of the academy in the next few years and that OAS will foster new mentors for future scientists. We need scientists from both the small and large institutions to be active in the enterprise of science education in Oklahoma.  Field trips, sponsoring research projects, and presentations can all be fostered within the framework of OAS. Many of us started here. The academy and our state can only become stronger with greater commitment by all, whether we are primarily involved in teaching or primarily involved in research.  Please help us recruit a new generation of scientists for OAS.

 

Susan C. Barber, OAS President

 

sbarber@okcu.edu