 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
I finished grading the projects, and I'll hand them back during the first part of class tomorrow. We'll probably spend 15-20 minutes discussing them. There are some interesting issues that arose, and some interesting differences in perspective. We could have quite a lively discussion.
I haven't finished writing my notes for tomorrow's lecture yet, but I've posted what I have -- on the off chance that you care to look at them between now and when I finish them. If you do look at them, don't print them yet. If you print them at all, you'll want to wait until they're complete.
I'm down to the last five papers. With any luck at all, I'll finishe them tonight. Of course, I still have to write my notes for tomorrow's lecture, so don't expect them to show up until after 10:00pm tonight (or maybe early tomorrow morning).
Just a friendly reminder, term projects are due at 5:00pm on Friday, December 9. That's a week from Friday.
I've had a couple of questions about what happens if you turn in a term project late. If you ask around, you'll find out that at least one person has turned in a paper late every time I've taught this course. I already know of at least one person this year who won't be able to meet the deadline.
But I don't recommend missing the deadline if you can help it.
Everyone who gets their final project to me by 5:00pm Friday, December 9 will receive a letter grade in the course. Those who turn papers in after that will receive an incomplete. And, I warn you, with the pressure of this semester behind me, it might take me several months to get around to converting that incomplete to a letter grade.
You have been warned!
I've posted notes and readings for Monday's lecture.
I hope you've had a good Thanksgiving break. I have to confess that I haven't spent as much time grading as I should have, so I may not have papers to hand back on Monday. I'll do my best tomorrow, but don't be surprised if I fall short. Sorry about that.
In the assignment I mention three questions that you could address. Given that you have no more than 5 pages, you may choose to focus your answer on only one of those three questions -- in fact, that's probably a good idea. If you decide to focus your paper on only one of the three questions, though, please make it very clear in your introductory paragraph which of the three you have decided to focus on.
Notes for this morning's lecture are (finally) posted. I haven't suggested any additional reading, but if you're interested, I can find some. All you have to do is ask.
I just finished grading all Project #2 papers.
If you'd like to pick up your paper before Monday, just drop by my office (BioPharm 305A). If you're coming from a distance, it wouldn't hurt to call first to see if I'm in. I'm in and out of my office a lot.
If you'd like to know your score, but can wait until Monday to get your paper back, e-mail me.
I've added a link to the Prendergast article on the Nature website. Unfortunately, you'll have to pay for full text access, if yoiu want to read the whole thing. But at least this way you can read the original abstract.
I had more and longer interruptions today than I was expecting, so I haven't finished grading yet. I'll be in early tomorrow and grading until a few minutes before lecture, but chances are that I'm not going to be quite done. So don't count on getting your papers back in lecture tomorrow.
To make up for it, though, I will post a message as soon as I've finished grading. You're welcome to stop by my office in BioPharm and pick up your paper after the notice is posted... Or you can wait until next Monday.
As most of you know, I agreed to become Acting Head of the department last July. Since then there have been a lot of demands on my time that have kept me from getting papers back to you as soon as I would have liked. Sorry about that.
I've posted notes on the Massachusetts BioMap project, which I expect to discuss towards the end of tomorrow's lecture. I haven't suggested and specific readings. (Don't everyone cheer at once!)
I have some good news and some bad news. I'll let you decide which is which.
I've posted the assignment for Project #3. You'll find everything you need there to evaluate an interesting large-scale conservation plan in the wheat belt of southwestern Australia.
I may not have all of the papers for Project #2 graded by Monday. I plan to spend all day tomorrow working on them (especially if it rains and I can't get outside to get leaves off my lawn), but that may not be enough to finish. I'll do my best, but it may be Wednesday before I'm able to hand them back. Sorry
Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
The notes on reserve design are now posted. If we have a good discussion on re-wilding, as I hope we will, we will definitely not get all the way through these notes on Monday. Even if our re-wilding discussion isn't so good, we probably won't get all the way through these notes until Wednesday.
But since the notes are posted now, that means I can spend my weekend grading and getting Project #3 ready to hand out on Monday. Have a nice weekend!
I've just posted the readings on reserve design. I expect to have the notes posted later this afternoon (or evening). The re-wilding paper (Donlan et al.) that we were discussing at the end of class on Wednesday raises some very challengin questions. Please read it carefully before Monday. I'd like to spend some time discussing it before we begin a more conventional discussion of reserve design.
Oh, I hope to have the assignment for Project #3 posted by late Sunday. Remeber that it is not due until Friday, 18 November at 5:00pm. I'll be out of town from 15 November until late afternoon on the 18th, so you can either slide your paper under my office door (BioPharm 305A) or put it in my mailbox on the 3rd floor of Torrey.
Notes and suggested readings are now posted. If at all possible, I'd like you to take a look at the Donlan et al. paper on re-wilding. They propose a very provocative idea. I think we could have a very profitable discussion about whether it is practical and whether it posits a desirable goal if it is practical.
No notes for tomorrow (yet), but I just ran across a paper that is quite interesting in Ecology Letters. Balmford and Bond argue that “changes currently underway are for the most part negative, anthropogenic in origin, ominously large and accelerating.” Read the paper for details.
Creative Commons
License.