immediately before, during, or after major professional society meetings.
This scheduling takes advantage of opportunities when a large group of
individuals would already be together. Many agencies sponsor training
workshops. For example, the National Conservation Training Center, under
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, has
developed a week-long course titled “Introduction to Natural Resource
Modeling.” It is designed to familiarize nonmodelers with the process,
benefits, and limits of resource modeling.
Participation in the modeling process is one of the most effective
methods for educating both modelers and nonmodelers.Agencies and other
management organizations should encourage broad participation in modeling projects, allowing modelers to improve their communication skills and
allowing nonmodelers to familiarize themselves with the process. Inviting
scientists to work on case-study projects with university classes can provide
an enlightening experience for all participants. Students learn by working
with scientists in the field, and scientists are often challenged to rethink and
reorganize their knowledge base so they can present it to an audience that
does not have the full, prior knowledge that they do.
14.4 Training Students
Optimally, student education should develop a balance of skills in analysis,
synthesis, and communication structured around a participatory, problemfocused, collaborative learning experience. Modeling can play a key role in
this learning process. Students should be well trained in applying models to
link biological processes and management needs. Unfortunately, the incorporation of mathematical and conceptual modeling in undergraduate and
graduate student training in this field remains limited.
14.4.1 Synthesis and Creative Problem Solving
Most university science programs emphasize analysis, the ability to break
down a problem into its component parts and understand how each part
functions. Students should augment a solid grounding in analytical techniques with courses, research, and workshops that develop the strategies
and tactics required to achieve synthesis: the ability to put the pieces back
together in a creative way to solve problems. Synthesis complements analysis and is an essential element of any transdisciplinary program, particularly
one that addresses important, global environmental problems (Pickett
1999). Yet, training in synthetic skills is too often neglected in university
science curricula, as is training in effective communication. Scientists must
be able to share their knowledge across disciplines to strengthen their own
understanding, interact with stakeholders to integrate local knowledge and
concerns into their models, and communicate their results to policymakers
14. Educational Investments
273
This scheduling takes advantage of opportunities when a large group of
individuals would already be together. Many agencies sponsor training
workshops. For example, the National Conservation Training Center, under
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, has
developed a week-long course titled “Introduction to Natural Resource
Modeling.” It is designed to familiarize nonmodelers with the process,
benefits, and limits of resource modeling.
Participation in the modeling process is one of the most effective
methods for educating both modelers and nonmodelers.Agencies and other
management organizations should encourage broad participation in modeling projects, allowing modelers to improve their communication skills and
allowing nonmodelers to familiarize themselves with the process. Inviting
scientists to work on case-study projects with university classes can provide
an enlightening experience for all participants. Students learn by working
with scientists in the field, and scientists are often challenged to rethink and
reorganize their knowledge base so they can present it to an audience that
does not have the full, prior knowledge that they do.
14.4 Training Students
Optimally, student education should develop a balance of skills in analysis,
synthesis, and communication structured around a participatory, problemfocused, collaborative learning experience. Modeling can play a key role in
this learning process. Students should be well trained in applying models to
link biological processes and management needs. Unfortunately, the incorporation of mathematical and conceptual modeling in undergraduate and
graduate student training in this field remains limited.
14.4.1 Synthesis and Creative Problem Solving
Most university science programs emphasize analysis, the ability to break
down a problem into its component parts and understand how each part
functions. Students should augment a solid grounding in analytical techniques with courses, research, and workshops that develop the strategies
and tactics required to achieve synthesis: the ability to put the pieces back
together in a creative way to solve problems. Synthesis complements analysis and is an essential element of any transdisciplinary program, particularly
one that addresses important, global environmental problems (Pickett
1999). Yet, training in synthetic skills is too often neglected in university
science curricula, as is training in effective communication. Scientists must
be able to share their knowledge across disciplines to strengthen their own
understanding, interact with stakeholders to integrate local knowledge and
concerns into their models, and communicate their results to policymakers
14. Educational Investments
273