Teaching and Research at Marine Stations: Present Priorities, Future Directions

Abstract

SYNOPSIS. A conflict exists at many universities today between the demand to maintain a competitive position as a research institution, contributing to the rapidly advancing scholarship in science, and the need to provide available and sympathetic communication between undergraduate students and the most vigorous faculty. This conflict is especially apparent at marine stations. A marine station is usually geographically and politically isolated from the main campus with its advantage of size and opportunities to obtain and share sophisticated equipment used in today's science. There is also a historical trend of smaller teaching laboratories evolving into larger research-oriented facilities. And, financial support is not as readily available for research and education in natural history and whole animal biology, ideal subjects for study at marine stations, as it is for some other fields. In this presentation I examine the following questions: 1. What is the role of teaching at marine stations today? 2. What are some of the current pressures that conflict with this role? and 3. What are some solutions to these conflicts? I approach these questions from my experience as a teacher and research scientist at a small marine station which has been concerned with undergraduate teaching. I propose that marine field stations of diverse sizes and roles, both teaching and research, can be and should be supported financially and that this support of diversity will return strong health to marine science nationally and internationally.