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 Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2005 4:32 am
When you're in college, how do you focus your study on a specific animal to become recognized as an expert or whatever in that animal? Like, some are recognized as experts on wolves, others on various birds, others on big cats, etc. Actually, I guess I'm specifically pointing this question at Lucy Fugus, as she's doing exactly what I want to do--focus on bats 4laugh . I love bats and wanted to become a bat biologist, but I don't know how to make that my recognized study. How'd you do it, Lucy? I'd love some input, and anything you have to share ^.^
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Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2005 8:44 am
Since there's no such thing as a degree program just for a specific animal, it doesn't really matter what your degree is called as long as it deals with large organisms rather than microorganisms or molecular stuff. Major in something like Ecology, Organismal Biology, Wildlife Biology, etc. General Biology is fine, too. You may be wondering what level of education you need. It has been my experience that for biology majors, an associate's (2 years) doesn't mean anything, a bachelor's (4 years) will get you a job as someone's assistant where you will be doing all the grunt work that no one else wants to do, a master's (6 years) will get you a teaching position at a high school or community college or a government job (Forest Service, Fish and Wildlife, USGS, Department of Natural Resources, etc) where you will be able to do research and help in conservation efforts, and a PhD (8 or more years) will get you a teaching position at a univeristy where you can do your own research and hire students to help. Most "experts" are PhD's at universities, but there are many "experts" with only a Master's degree that work for the government. Here are some suggestions on how to specialize:
1. Find a school with a professor that specializes in that animal. Do a lit search or ask around to find out professors currently studying the animal you're interested in. If you don't have access to a journal database at a library, google scholar works. For example, type in "bats" into the search box and read through the titles of the articles that come up. If a topic interests you, write down the author and what school he or she is associated with. Many articles will have email addresses for that professor. If they don't, google the university and look up the professor's email from the university's website. Once you have the email address, send an email to the professor to see if they are looking for students to either work on current projects or start new projects. Include in the email, who you are and why you are interested in them. Be sure to proof read your email before sending it because you want to make a good first impression and sound intelligent. You may also want to attach a resume or something that lists your education and what jobs (including volunteer positions) you have had that may be relevant (they don't really care if you worked at McDonalds). If you don't get a response right away, that's ok. They're busy. Just be patient. If you have waited several weeks, it is ok to send a polite reminder, but don't badger them about it.
2. READ! Most experts are experts because they read about the animal as much as or even more than conducting actual research. Focus your reading on peer-reviewed journal articles (Journal of Mammalogy, Journal of Experimental Biology, Bat Research News, Acta Chiropterologica, American Midland Naturalist, etc) or textbooks. This is where the science is, not National Geographic. Information in the popular magazines like National Geographic has been digested too much to be trusted (it's too far from the source of the information). General Biology textbooks won't have much about a specific animal, but nonfiction books like Bat Ecology, Bat Biology and Conservation, etc will be full of trustworthy information.
3. Learn about your animal every chance you get. If you have a term paper due, find a way to tie bats into it. Most of the papers and presentations I've given for my classes have had something to do with bats. This does 2 things. It forces you to find time to read about bats and it allows you to educate other people about them.
4. Sign up for a mass email listserve that is related to your animal. For bats, sign up for BATLINE. This allows you to chat with other bat enthusiasts, keep an eye out for job ads or professors looking for students, and share ideas with others. I'm signed up for BATLINE but I don't talk much on it. I just read the conversations, and I can say that I have learned quite a bit just by doing that. I also used BATLINE to find my professor (I sent an email to everyone asking if anyone knew of a professor studying bats).
5. Volunteer for field work or participate in a workshop related to bats. I helped a museum researcher map quano in a cave and I participated in one of Bat Conservation International's (BCI) bat management workshops before I started my Master's program. Yes, these workshops cost a lot of money, but if you can afford it, it will give you an idea of whether or not you want to pay even more money to study bats in college. It will also look good on a resume and help you get into a degree program.
6. Subscribe to magazines and journals. I currently donate to BCI and the Organization for Bat Conservation (OBC) and get their newsletters and magazines. I also subscribe to the Journal of Mammalogy and Bat Research News. You can subscribe to these things by going to their websites.
7. Visit websites like BCI and OBC to get an idea of the current issues related to bats. By doing this you will be more likely to answer questions that people may have about bats. I'm constantly correcting myths like "bats fly in your hair," "bats are blind," "bats are rabid," "bats are just flying mice," etc. The more you talk about bats to people, the more you are able to educate the general public and the more confident in your own knowledge you will become.
8. If there is a question you can't answer, don't just say "I don't know" and leave it at that. Look it up. This is the basic process of learning and you'll be amazed how much you will learn by doing this.
That's about all I can come up with right now. If you have more questions, please ask. Feel free to PM me.
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Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2005 8:49 am
To subcribe to BATLINE, send an email to:
listserv@unmvma.umn.edu
with the message:
subscribe batline yourfirstname yourlastname
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Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2005 8:55 am
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Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2005 4:24 pm
I heart you now. my main caracter in my story is a bat demon and I'm getting bat wing tattoos. they've been my favorite animal for a long time now.
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Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2005 4:55 pm
Glad to hear it. It's so hard to find people who actually appreciate bats.
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