Survey of Human Resource in Ecology

最近的报告指出，可能缺乏合格的科学家和技术人员是确保能够进行基础生态研究的一个主要问题。这项研究对解决当前的环境问题具有重要意义。科学界和政策制定界都不了解美国训练有素的生态学家的人口统计数据。没有文件说明雇用的生态学家的人数和他们的专业领域。教育工作者、政府机构和研究机构需要知道下一代科学家需要接受什么培训。美国生态学会公共事务办公室将开发、发布和分发一份评估生态人力资源的调查报告。这项研究的目标是确定过去30年来获得的研究生生态学学位的模式；确定生态学家的种族和性别构成(这一信息将与整个劳动力的人口构成进行比较)；根据问题领域(例如。有多少科学家接受过培训以研究全球变化的生态复杂性)；并分析目前生态学家的就业模式。由此产生的人力资源调查将为生态学家、其他科学家、联邦和州机构、教育工作者和研究机构在制定目标和设计未来十年的计划方面提供指导。

Recent reports have identified the potential lack of qualified scientists and technicians as a major concern in ensuring that basic ecological research can be undertaken. This research is of primary importance in addressing current environmental issues. Neither the scientific nor the policy-making communities know the demographics of trained ecologists in the United States. There is no document identifying the number of ecologists employed and their areas of specialization. Educators, government agencies and research institutions need to know what training is required for the next generation of scientists. The Ecological Society of America, Public Affairs Office, will develop, publish, and distribute a survey assessing the human resources in ecology. The objectives of the study are to determine the pattern of graduate ecology degrees earned over the past 30 years; determine ethnicity and gender composition of ecologists (This information would be compared to the demographic composition of the work force as a whole); catalog the nation's environmental science capabilities according to problem area (eg. how many scientists are trained to study the ecological complexity of global change); and analyze current employment patterns of ecologists. The resulting human resource survey would provide direction to ecologists, other scientists, federal and state agencies, educators, and research institution in setting goals and designing programs over the next decade.