Why American Marine Stations?:The Teaching Argument

Abstract

SYNOPSIS: Traditionally, historians have stressed the influence of European laboratories on the development of American marine stations. While there is some justification for this interpretation, more attention must be directed at the original teaching imperative for marine studies. Several marine stations emerged in the 1870s with no direct influence from Europe and with a complete commitment to the education of secondary school teachers. Later in the century and early in the twentieth century this same pattern was repeated at several locations on both the east coast and the west coast. All of these institutions were designed to present a new pedagogical approach for biology in the United States. Originally as adjuncts to natural history museums and societies and then as important innovations to teach laboratory methods in American colleges and universities, marine biology stations developed research options only secondary to their primary educational orientation.