Saturday, November 28, 2009

Squirrel spinner toy

This link is to a pdf file containing detailed plans for the squirrel spinner toy seen on YouTube. Enjoy.

YouTube link is, I believe: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUDPP4CmP20

JJ

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Pieces of the Plains

Pieces of the Plains: Memories and Predictions from the Heart of America, my new book published by J&L Lee Publishers, is due out the first week of December. The link above is to an excerpt from the foreword. Pieces can be ordered from Lee Booksellers, 5500 So. 56th, Lincoln, NE 68516 for $21.95 + $3.00 mailing; Lincoln residents add $1.54 sales tax; Nebraska residents outside Lincoln at $1.21 sales tax.

Friday, August 28, 2009

Scientific names chosen by BIOS 101 students

This semester, in BIOS 101, I asked my students to actually go to the library, handle primary literature (bound journals) in biology, select a paper from the year they were born, select a scientific name from that paper, then photocopy the paper as material for their extemporaneous Friday writings this semester. The name is their organism for the semester, and they will spend the rest of their lives (at least the next 15 weeks) using that name in various ways. This is the first time in UNL history in which well over a hundred freshmen have gone to the library, actually handled real paper publications, primary literature, during their first few days at the university.

Friday, August 21, 2009

UNL Media clip

For some reason the Facebook link didn't seem to work. Try this one. - JJ

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Field Parasitology overall evaluation, 2009

I try to give all my courses an overall evaluation, from the instructor's perspective, at the end of the semester or summer session. Here is the one from the Field Parasitology class, 2009.

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Cedar Point literary and historical talk (audio)

This file is the audio version of the August 5 presentation, which is probably my last formal presentation at the Cedar Point Biological Station. - JJ

Cedar Point literary and historical talk

This link is to the pdf part of what is probably my last formal presentation at the Cedar Point Biological Station. E-mail if you want some gossip (although very well substantiated). - JJ

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Bessey Hall of Fame ceremony comments

Comments delivered at the induction of Charles Bessey into the Nebraska Hall of Fame. See also the Wikipedia entries.

Thursday, June 11, 2009

The Ginkgo - Order from Amazon

Click on the title above to order THE GINKGO: AN INTELLECTUAL AND VISIONARY COMING-OF-AGE from Amazon.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

The Ginkgo - a synopsis

This link is to a synopsis of my forthcoming book: THE GINKGO: AN INTELLECTUAL AND VISIONARY COMING-OF-AGE. THE GINKGO should be available from Amazon, Kindle, and CreateSpace within a couple of weeks. Page proofs have been returned electronically. Excerpts from THE GINKGO appeared in the Fall, 2008, issue of Isotope-A Journal of Literary Nature and Science Writing.

Monday, April 27, 2009

Cultural Transmission and Evolution (audio; BIOS 385)

Last week's lecture on Cultural Transmission and Evolution of infective ideas (BIOS 385, Parasitology), the audio (as *.WMA file)

Cultural Transmission and Evolution (pdf; BIOS 385)

The last week's lecture on Cultural Transmission and Evolution of infective ideas (pdf version of the ppt show)

Friday, April 24, 2009

Student papers presented at SWAP-09

These abstracts are of the student papers presented from our lab at the annual regional parasitology meetings at Lake Texoma, Oklahoma, April 16-18, 2009. The Southwestern Association of Parasitologists (SWAP) meets in April every year and there is student paper competition. Mohammed Vhora, a student from our lab, won the undergrad competition this year.

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Health care in Kansas

Kathleen Sebelius, governor of Kansas, is Obama's choice for national health care czar. Read this one and weep. Or be totally amazed. Or disgusted.

Saturday, April 4, 2009

Chapter 5 from Intelligent Designer

This essay is from a book I'm working on entitled INTELLIGENT DESIGNER: EVOLUTION FOR ELECTED OFFICIALS and addresses the issue of why God made tapeworms.

Saturday, March 28, 2009

Garstang's Doggerel in the Context of Natural Selection: Telling the Impossible Stories (pdf)

This link is to the PowerPoint show (as pdf) of a symposium talk given in Lincoln, NE, on March 28, 2009. The symposium was a relatively large one dedicated to the celebration of Darwin's 200th birthday.

Garstang's Doggerel in the Context of Natural Selection: Telling the Impossible Stories (audio)

This link is to the audio of a symposium talk given in Lincoln, NE, on March 28, 2009. The symposium was a relatively large one dedicated to the celebration of Darwin's 200th birthday.

Monday, March 23, 2009

More Sandhill Crane music

A second audio file of crane music from 2001. This, and the other audio file, are the sound track of a small video I'm putting together for YouTube.

Crane Music Audio

Crane music recorded March 16, 2001, along a dirt road south of the Platte River between Wood River and Kearney, NE. Use your headphones.

Saturday, March 7, 2009

"What If" parasite population structure "game."

For those interested in the relationships between prevalence, mean abundance, and mean intensity in parasite populations, this link provides a "what if" spreadsheet and automatic calculations for use in teaching and in messing with your own data sets. Read the sheet named "Rules" first.

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Three Really Stupid Ideas About Parasitism (*.wma)

This link is to the audio portion of the March 5, 2009, Parasitology Seminar entitled "Three Really Stupid Ideas About Parasitism" delivered in the Manter Laboratory of Parasitology, University of Nebraska State Museum. - JJ

Three Really Stupid Ideas About Parasitism (*.pdf)

This link is to the *.pdf version of the PowerPoint show that went with the March 5, 2009, Parasitology Seminar. There is a separate link to the audio that goes with the *.pdf. - JJ

Friday, February 6, 2009

Grandeur, Moran, and Palin: An Image of America (audio)

This link is to the audio track that goes with the February 5, 2009, presentation to The Club in Lincoln, NE.

Grandeur, Moran, and Palin: An Image of America (*.pdf)

This is the PowerPoint show that accompanies the audio presentation for Feb. 5, 2009, to The Club. - JJ

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Videos of invertebrates

This link is to my YouTube page with videos of various parasites and invertebrates. The parasites were taped at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Cedar Point Biological Station in western Nebraska over a several year period. The other invertebrates were filmed during Invertebrate Zoology lab at UNL. Some of these are REALLY GOOD!! - JJ

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Parasitology in med school

As Secretary-Treasurer of the American Society of Parasitologists (ASP), I get calls regularly from people who have done a Google search for "parasite," found the ASP web site (http://asp.unl.edu), found my phone number, and called for help. In every case, these folks are convinced they are infected with a parasite. I am not a medical doctor, so usually about the only thing I can do is give them the name, phone number, and e-mail of some local parasitologists, and recommend contacting the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene via links on the ASMTH web site. From listening to these callers, however, I'm convinced they are ill, although sometimes they're calling from as far away as UK or Australia (yes, that's happened). The question in my mind is always: What in the hell is wrong with their primary care physician? Why can't the caller's local health care professionals perform the service they are supposed to be providing for society? Is it because at whatever undergraduate college these people went to, the professional advisers said "it's okay to major in sociology because the med school wants well-rounded people who can talk to patients" instead of "hey, it's a global motile community; get your hands (and mind) on as many different kinds of organisms as you can, as early as you can, and as often as you can, because if your nation persists in military adventure, you might have to actually diagnose a case of leishmaniasis or identify a mosquito"?

Saturday, January 3, 2009

Essay on the Death of a Beetle

I was cleaning out my office at school and found this essay, obviously written for an Organismic Biology class (BIOS 103) a few years ago. It seemed like the kind of thing that could (should?) go on a blog. Comments welcome. - JJ

Friday, January 2, 2009

Summary comments re BIOS 101

Every semester I try to give my classes some collective feedback on the teaching experience. This document is the one for the fall, 2008, BIOS 101 (General Biology) course. - JJ