Natural History in the 21st Century: A Student Symposium held in December 26-30, 2000.

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Funding is requested to support a student-organized symposium to be held at the next annual meeting (December 26-30, 2000) of the Western Society of Naturalists. The symposium, which is entitled "Natural History in the 21st Century", will explore the role of natural history in modern biology. The proposed speakers represent diverse fields, ranging from evolutionary biology and ecology to molecular biology; some work in terrestrial systems and some in marine systems. The common thread uniting these scientists from different disciplines is the important role that an understanding of the natural history of the systems they study has played in the discoveries they have made. Therefore, unlike most symposia at ecology or evolutionary biology meetings that focus on specific topics within a field, this symposium seeks to cut across diverse biological fields to discuss an issue relevant to all of them: the role that natural history can play in research. At a time when the explosion of high-tech laboratory approaches and of sophisticated statistical designs capture our attention, it is important to re-examine what role, if any, natural history should play in a variety of biological disciplines. The purpose of the symposium is not only to explore this important and timely topic, but also to provide students with the valuable experience of organizing and running their own symposium and participating in the governance of a scientific society.