Parasites

Owls in our back yard

2011-12-16T05:36:00.001-08:00

This audio might not work, but if it does, it's 3-minutes or so of the owls in our back yard early this morning.

Chapter from the Oklahoma book

2011-12-04T05:07:00.000-08:00

This link is to a publication in the online journal ROUGAROU of a chapter from an Oklahoma book I've been working on for a number of years. The fall issue of ROUGAROU can be found at http://english.louisiana.edu/rougarou/currentIssue/index.html

Parasites reported from bluegill sunfish, 1973-1977.

2011-11-30T17:46:00.001-08:00

Answer to the trivia question.

The last Miller Lite at Barry's

2011-11-22T22:29:00.000-08:00

Barry's Bar and Grill, a Lincoln, NE, fixture, is closing for good (assuming no buyer comes along and resurrects it with the classic name). The link is to a couple of commemorative pictures. Thanks to all you parasitologists who have made this particular booth a fountain of excellent ideas!

Exit comments re teaching in the introductory program

2011-11-22T10:13:00.000-08:00

This item is a set of comments passed along to my administration regarding educational and human resource management issues in the introductory Biological Sciences program.

Handouts to accompany the Metaparasitology seminar, Nov. 17, 2011

2011-11-20T07:38:00.001-08:00

This link is to a pdf file of the handouts accompanying the November 17, 2011, Parasitology Seminar entitled "Metaparasitology."

Metaparasitology seminar (audio)

2011-11-17T13:04:00.001-08:00

This link is to the audio portion (*.WMA) of the Metaparasitology seminar given during UNL BIOS915 Parasitology Seminar on November 17, 2011.

Metaparasitology seminar (pdf)

2011-11-17T13:01:00.000-08:00

The pdf version of Metaparasitology, given during UNL Parasitology seminar on November 17, 2011.

Retrospective seminar - the pdf version of *.ppt show

2011-09-30T11:40:00.000-07:00

This link is to the pdf version of the PowerPoint slides that accompany the audio.

Retrospective seminar - audio

2011-09-16T13:06:00.003-07:00

This audio version is a substitute one, recorded after the actual seminar simply because I forgot to push the record button at the time the talk was originally delivered. But the narrative is pretty much the same.

Prologue from DINKLE'S LIFE-A SPIRITUAL BIOGRAPHY

2011-08-05T05:55:00.000-07:00

A former grad student, the one and only recipient of this long buried (like the ghosts in the story!!) manuscript, has demanded that the book go up on line, now that the e-book business is so hot. So here is the prologue. Obviously, raccoons, one in particular, play a pivotal role in this tale of spirits unleashed by someone's curiosity. The whole thing should be up on Smashwords by October, I hope. - JJ

Excerpt from writing project

2011-05-11T23:48:00.000-07:00

Virtually all scientists also agree that there is a fixed amount of water on Earth, and whatever water now exists on the planet simply moves around in its three main forms—liquid, solid, gas—according to a variety of mechanisms. The human body is about 70% water, so quite a bit of water is tied up in human bodies, in fact, about 600,000,000,000 pounds of it, which rounds out to about 72,517,985,612 gallons. Lake Superior is the largest body of fresh water in the United States; its volume is about 12,100 km3, envisioned as a cube 14.3 miles in all dimensions, which equals 31,794,757,632 cubic feet, or 165,332,739,686 gallons, or about two and a half times as much as is currently tied up in living human bodies. Lake Baikal, in southern Siberia, is the largest body of fresh water in the world, with about 23,000 km3, which equals 816,247,000,000,000 cubic feet, or 6,105,530,000,000,000 gallons, or 555,048,000,000,000 people, which scientists estimate is between 5,000 and 6,000 times the carrying capacity of Planet Earth. Obviously there is plenty of fresh water on Earth for the human population. Getting it from Lake Superior or Lake Baikal to where it is needed is quite a different matter.

We use water for many reasons, most or all of which are at least indirectly associated with the building of human tissues: agriculture, manufacturing, generation of electricity, medicine, etc. Agriculture, however, is the big user of water, which means that we are spending lots of water, indeed some estimates are up to 70% of available freshwater, to grow food. Thus we are consuming most of the planet’s available water simply to store water, in the form of cytoplasm, in ourselves. For example, it takes approximately 1000 tons of water (~240,000 gallons) to produce a ton of rice, about 450 tons of water (~107,900 gallons) to produce a ton of corn, and 1360 tons of water (~326,098 gallons) to produce a ton of soybeans. Water requirements for wheat are a little more difficult to calculate, mainly because wheat is grown quite differently than corn or rice, but a rough estimate is over 2000 tons of water (~526,000 gallons) per ton of wheat. Don’t bet the farm that these figures are anything other than approximations; I had to do quite a bit of conversion (gallons or bushels to pounds, etc.), but they are based on a wealth of readily available information. Some figures were given in metric tons (=1.1 US tons), so the weight estimates may be off a little bit if my sources did not indicate whether the unit was metric or US standard. For sources, see Internet sites listed in the References chapter, or simply do your own Google™ search, calculator and notepad in hand.

In 2009, world corn production was estimated at 817,110,509 million Mt (metric tons), rice at 678,688,289 Mt, wheat at 681,915,838 Mt, and soybeans at 210,900,000 Mt (again, see figures in agricultural information web sites in the References). Thus Homo sapiens used 1.96 x 1020 gallons of water, or about 32,000 times the volume of Lake Baikal, to produce the 2009 world corn crop. Given that Lake Baikal has enough water to make about 5,500 times the human carrying capacity for Planet Earth, these figures mean that in 2009, our species used water equivalent to 176,000,000 times the human carrying capacity for Earth, just to grow corn. Similar calculations for rice, wheat, and soybeans produce equally startling results. And, of course, we have not even considered all the other crop plants currently used by H. sapiens, including those with edible roots and leaves.

The Final Lecture

2011-04-30T08:27:00.000-07:00

This pdf file contains PowerPoint images from the last regularly scheduled lecture of my University of Nebraska career. The course is BIOS 103 (Organismic Biology), a majors' course with 248 students. The first page of this file is a survey that was passed out on the Wednesday before that lecture, asking for their preferences of topics. The vote was decidedly in favor of the topic presented: how students have changed over the past 44 years. - JJ

The Final Lecture

2011-04-30T08:21:00.000-07:00

This *WMA file contains audio of the last scheduled lecture of my career at UNL. The course is BIOS 103 (Organismic Biology), 248 students, which I'll post some comments on later.

Shell quiz #2

2011-04-03T09:18:00.000-07:00

This link is to pictures of shells being used by the Organismic Biology class (BIOS 103) this semester at UNL. This pdf file is the second one assembled from pictures taken in class on 040111. We have most of them identified, but if you want to try your hand, feel free. Post generic names by page number and file name.

Shell quiz #1

2011-04-03T09:15:00.000-07:00

This link is to pictures of shells being used by the Organismic Biology class (BIOS 103) this semester at UNL. This pdf file is the first one assembled. There is a second one, also available via a link from this blog. We have most of them identified, but if you want to try your hand, feel free. Post generic names by page number and file name.

Bugbears

2011-03-25T14:05:00.000-07:00

I'm cleaning out the lab, after 44 years, of all things that might be important for whatever reason. This link leads to the text from a crumbling piece of paper. The typed quote was originally posted (= taped to a chemical shelf) in 1967 by a grad student. F. M. Cornford is worth a search on Google.

Studying, character, success, and value (Part II - Character)

2011-02-16T07:38:00.000-08:00

Recently a former BIOS 101 student, still in school at UNL, asked me to comment on the intertwining of studying and character. Given who the student was, I sort of assumed this was a writing assignment, perhaps based on experiences not only in my class, but also in some other class being taken currently. Then she followed with a similar assignment: to deal with success and value. I fired back a paragraph, but it was obviously not enough, so I decided to take the assignment seriously. Here is the second installment (Part II: Character).

Studying, Character, Success, and Value (Part I: Studying)

2011-02-10T14:01:00.000-08:00

Recently a former BIOS 101 student, still in school at UNL, asked me to comment on the intertwining of studying and character. Given who the student was, I sort of assumed this was a writing assignment, perhaps based on experiences not only in my class, but also in some other class being taken currently. I fired back a paragraph, but it was obviously not enough, so I decided to take the assignment seriously. Here is the first installment (Part I: Studying).

BIOS 101 - Final Report

2011-01-23T22:53:00.000-08:00

Attached is my final report, not only for BIOS 101 during the fall semester, 2010, but also for all time (that was my last ever time in that course, after 44 years). Feel free to pass it around. - JJ

The RUTE Data Set - 2010 (audio file)

2010-12-03T10:10:00.000-08:00

This link is to the audio (as *.wma) file that goes with the *.pdf (= PowerPoint) part of the December 2, 2010, parasitology seminar on the RUTE (Research for Undergraduates in Theoretical Ecology) parasitology project conducted during the summer of 2010 at the Cedar Point Biological Station. - JJ

The RUTE Data Set - 2010 (pdf of PowerPoint)

2010-12-03T10:05:00.000-08:00

This link is to the pdf version of the December 2, 2010, parasitology seminar in which we talked about the 2010 summer RUTE (Research for Undergraduates in Theoretical Ecology) projects in parasitology at the Cedar Point Biological Station. - JJ

Memo to BIOS 101 students re their recent exam

2010-11-18T11:33:00.000-08:00

We had our third BIOS 101 exam this week. As a result, I sent them all a letter. Note item (2) in particular. - JJ

Comments to BIOS 101 students about their Friday writings.

2010-10-25T19:10:00.000-07:00

Collective feedback, after the first eight weeks of the semester, to my 251 BIOS 101 students about their extemporaneous Friday writings and follow-up self-assessments. I wish you could all read these papers; they're the rough equivalent of a 251-person focus group that meets every Friday for four hours.

Comments to my BIOS 101 students about grades

2010-10-21T06:11:00.000-07:00

This link is to a letter that I sent out to my 251 General Biology students this morning.

Henry A. Giroux | When Generosity Hurts: Bill Gates, Public School Teachers and the Politics of Humiliation

2010-10-05T18:28:00.000-07:00

Forward from Truthout. - JJ

Education

2010-10-05T04:48:00.000-07:00

Read on through the article to see where our local Tea Party members get their education.

Thora's bot bly

2010-09-24T03:26:00.001-07:00

YouTube video of Matt and Melissa Bolek's dog Thora, and the bunny she snapped at Cedar Point Biological Station during the summer, 2010. The bunny had a couple of really wonderful Cuterebra larvae coming out of its neck.

Chapter 7 from Bernice and John

2010-09-14T07:39:00.001-07:00

This link is to one of the chapters from a book I'm working on entitled Bernice and John: Finally Meeting Your Parents Who Died a Long Time Ago. I don't know why I decided to post this chapter, except that automobiles and petroleum have been on my mind lately, probably because of a summer spent commuting to and from Cedar Point Biological Station, 286 miles from home. Comments are welcome.

Glenn Beck's and Rush Limbaugh's America

2010-09-09T08:52:00.000-07:00

This link is to a Truthout column by Henry A. Giroux. It's must reading. It's also time for real hatred and stupidity to be called by their true names and for someone in this country, some rational, semi-secular, intelligent, well-educated, person to find the words to counter the Becks and Limbaughs who seem so capable to reaching directly into our deepest fears - fears typically overcome by education - and spurring us to actions that history will judge harshly (e.g., those of Hitler and Nazi Germany, actions also stemming from racism, stupidity and hatred)

TUSKERS - link to Amazon

2010-08-02T21:45:00.000-07:00

This is a link to the trade paperback of TUSKERS, the OU vs. NEBR football game in the year 2090. Trust me; this one is a cult piece!! - JJ

American Society of Parasitologists program

2010-06-30T08:46:00.000-07:00

This pdf file is a copy of the program from the recent meetings of ASP. Circled names are Cedar Point Biological Station alums who either took classes in parasitology, or did research in parasitology at CPBS, or did both. Most are faculty members at various institutions around the country where they are carrying on the grand tradition of parasitology established in the 1890s by H. B. Ward. Thanks, folks!!

American Society of Parasitologists Teachers' Workshop-2010 (pdf)

2010-06-27T09:52:00.001-07:00

This link is to a *.pdf version of the PowerPoint show that accompanied the audio presentation at a teachers' workshop held in conjunction with the 2010 American Society of Parasitologists meeting in Colorado Springs.

American Society of Parasitologists Teachers' Workshop-2010 (audio)

2010-06-27T09:49:00.000-07:00

This link is to the audio (*.WMA) portion of my presentation at the Teachers' Workshop held in conjunction with the 2010 American Society of Parasitologists meeting in Colorado Springs.

TUSKERS - a synopsis

2010-06-07T06:28:00.000-07:00

It’s game day on November 25, 2090, and football as you’ve never imagined it, between Nebraska and Oklahoma. Nebraska has not lost a game in ten years, but must win this last one against OU to complete the perfect decade. Both teams bring secret weapons—in the form of unique players—to the stadium. An obscenely-wealthy, foul-mouthed genius chemical engineer named Arly Hockrood, who holds the patent on corn slime, Nebraska’s most important agricultural product, is an evil force, using all his resources to help Oklahoma win. The origin of Hockrood’s disdain for Nebraska is explained as backstory. The other main characters include Marvin, Hockrood’s valet, chauffeur, and helicopter pilot; Archie, the woolly mammoth Nebraska mascot; Jack Alexander, one of Hockrood’s corn slime salesmen and ardent football fan; Suzi Alexander, Jack’s wife, a highly intelligent woman who, as a child, loved mammoths and now studies Archie continuously (learning about football as a by-product!); Nancy Robbins, one of Jack’s former girlfriends and now the mother of Charlie Robbins, the finest tuba player in the Nebraska Marching Band; West Edmond Wilcox, the Oklahoma coach, Billy Boy Peebles, the Nebraska coach and his staff—“Slammin’” Sam Bangham (defensive coordinator) and Mort Flint (academic adviser)—and various players, especially Tyreese “The Fleece” Henderson, the greatest cornerback in the history of college football and, of course, a uniquely talented OU backfield.
TUSKERS not only is science fiction, it also is hilarious satire, exploring the American obsession with football as a national sport as the world experiences global climate change, political turmoil, and accelerating technological advance. In the end, the book is not so much about sport as it is about our preoccupation with sport as a displacement behavior in a world that is changing so rapidly we cannot control it.

Open Letter to the National Republican Party

2010-02-24T19:27:00.000-08:00

I'm sick of receiving fake census forms from the National Republican Party. Click on the link above for my open letter to the GOP. Feel free to forward and distribute this letter to your heart's content.

Conversations between God and Satan

2010-02-23T14:13:00.000-08:00

The full title is: CONVERSATIONS BETWEEN GOD AND SATAN HELD DURING OCTOBER, 2004, AT THE CRESCENT MOON COFFEE HOUSE IN LINCOLN, NEBRASKA, USA, EARTH, MILKY WAY. Cover painting is by Wendy Jane Bantam. God invites Satan to coffee to discuss why people all over the universe are killing one another in His name. After two weeks of daily Big Talk, they decide to meet again in two thousand years. Stay tuned.

Why are politicians so scientifically illiterate?

2010-01-25T23:27:00.000-08:00

Why are politicians so scientifically illiterate? And, why does the press give politicians a pass on science, or even on the matter of evidence (climate change, evolution, etc.)? I'd like to start a discussion of this topic, with some serious suggestions to the press regarding the right questions to ask of those seeking public office. Should we start with Sarah Palin and BIOS 101? The link is to a chapter from my book Pieces of the Plains: Memories and Predictions from the Heart of America (J&L Lee, Lincoln, NE, 2009), and I believe it outlines the issues reasonably well.

Podcast of Parasitology lectures

2010-01-20T05:00:00.000-08:00

If you're having trouble getting to sleep, here is the URL to subscribe to my parasitology lectures in BIOS 385 at UNL:

http://my.unl.edu/webapps/lobj-podcast-bb60/feed/BIOS385150.20102/podcast.xml

It's supposed to work for everyone.

JJ

Thorny-headed worms from 9/11

2010-01-14T08:15:00.000-08:00

See my Facebook page for a photo album of thorny-headed worms, collected on 9/11/2001, and discovered this week in a block of ice.

Final Report on BIOS 101_09 to the faculty

2010-01-09T06:11:00.000-08:00

This report is one delivered to some of our University of Nebraska faculty members regarding my large lecture section BIOS 101 from the fall semester, 2009. It's obviously somewhat of a political document, but it's also fairly informative regarding the first year, first semester, college student experience. - JJ

Squirrel spinner toy

2009-11-28T11:40:00.001-08:00

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

Pieces of the Plains

2009-11-14T06:01:00.001-08:00

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.

Scientific names chosen by BIOS 101 students

2009-08-28T00:55:00.000-07:00

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.

UNL Media clip

2009-08-21T13:26:00.000-07:00

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

Field Parasitology overall evaluation, 2009

2009-08-09T12:52:00.000-07:00

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.

Cedar Point literary and historical talk (audio)

2009-08-05T20:41:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-05T20:39:00.000-07:00

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

Bessey Hall of Fame ceremony comments

2009-06-27T06:03:00.000-07:00

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

The Ginkgo - Order from Amazon

2009-06-11T03:30:00.000-07:00

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

The Ginkgo - a synopsis

2009-05-21T04:56:00.000-07:00

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.

Cultural Transmission and Evolution (audio; BIOS 385)

2009-04-27T09:54:00.001-07:00

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)

2009-04-27T09:52:00.000-07:00

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

Student papers presented at SWAP-09

2009-04-24T11:45:00.000-07:00

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.

Health care in Kansas

2009-04-08T15:15:00.000-07:00

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.

Chapter 5 from Intelligent Designer

2009-04-04T06:45:00.000-07:00

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.

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

2009-03-28T10:51:00.000-07:00

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)

2009-03-28T10:48:00.000-07:00

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.

More Sandhill Crane music

2009-03-23T17:21:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-23T17:15:00.000-07:00

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

"What If" parasite population structure "game."

2009-03-07T11:54:00.000-08:00

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.

Three Really Stupid Ideas About Parasitism (*.wma)

2009-03-05T13:49:00.000-08:00

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)

2009-03-05T13:47:00.000-08:00

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

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

2009-02-06T04:30:00.000-08:00

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)

2009-02-06T04:26:00.000-08:00

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

Videos of invertebrates

2009-02-03T17:44:00.000-08:00

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

Parasitology in med school

2009-01-11T15:27:00.000-08:00

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"?

Essay on the Death of a Beetle

2009-01-03T05:46:00.000-08:00

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

Summary comments re BIOS 101

2009-01-02T05:37:00.000-08:00

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

Life without American cars?

2008-11-29T03:36:00.000-08:00

This link is to CJ's Pitch column on the potential of life without American car companies. Enjoy. - JJ

Presentations on teaching and research at Notre Dame, November 20, 2008

2008-11-22T04:32:00.000-08:00

Here is a link to the PowerPoint shows and audio files of the two presentations made at Notre Dame on November 20, 2008. The two presentations are:

(1) Evolution of Parasite Life Cycles: Marshes, Metaphors, and Models (mainly about the trematode life cycle work of Matt Bolek and Scott Snyder, although also considering the early Fundulus zebrinus research and some recent modeling of complex life cycles.

(2) What We Teach, What They Learn, and Why Anyone Should Care (mainly about the teaching of freshman biology).

--JJ

Commentary on "Fringe" (Fox) episode involving parasites.

2008-11-13T07:05:00.000-08:00

This link is to a story by Kate Schweitzer, from Popular Mechanics, about the science behind a "Fringe" episode.

Various presentations about parasites and other stuff

2008-10-25T05:38:00.000-07:00

This link is to an increasing number of presentations, including PowerPoints, pdfs, and audio (*.wma format). The Cedar Point Biological Station recruiting show (*.ppt and *.wma) are up there for downloading if anyone wants them. The pictures from the CPBS show are of Field Parasitology class in multiple years.

Freshman biology feedback in general

2008-10-21T18:32:00.000-07:00

After posting that commentary on student writing for a single week, I decided to put up all the feedback that I've given students over the past seven weeks. Does this feedback seem to help? Maybe.

Feedback to non-majors BIOS 101 (~200 students)

2008-10-19T12:18:00.000-07:00

Every Friday, in BIOS 101 (approx. 200 students, mostly freshmen), we do an extemporaneous writing. After those pages are recorded, they have a week to re-do them and generate a page of self-assessment. On October 3, 2008, the prompt was: Based on your knowledge and experience in biology so far, answer the question: Do any of the current candidates for president or vice president understand the importance of scientific research? Answer the question “yes” and defend your answer, then answer the question “no” and defend that answer. After reading their self-assessments, I sent them some feedback (the link); it's been edited slightly.

Gerald D. Schmidt Memorial Lecture, 091908, CPBS

2008-09-22T08:58:00.001-07:00

Field Parasitology lab manual

2008-08-28T04:09:00.000-07:00

FOUNDATIONS OF PARASITOLOGY

2008-08-20T18:21:00.001-07:00

Textbook cover copy

2008-08-20T11:06:00.000-07:00

FOUNDATIONS OF PARASITOLOGY cover art suggests the diversity of parasitic organisms, the historical significance of parasitic diseases, and the often-complicated relationships involving parasites. Snails are first intermediate hosts for virtually all trematodes, whose life cycles are dependent on intact food webs and other ecological interactions. Biomphalaria glabrata, the cover’s central figure, is a New World snail vector for schistosomiasis, one of humanity’s major parasitic afflictions, and one that also is linked closely to agricultural practices. As is the case with many parasites, an understanding of the role played by intermediate hosts such as B. glabrata is crucial to any control efforts. The bedbug, Cimex hemipterus, represents a pest whose global importance is increasing, probably due to insecticide resistance, thus reminding us that many, and some believe most, parasites have the potential for evolving defenses against compounds traditionally used to control them. The beautiful Giardia agilis, from amphibians, reminds us that our own parasites, e.g., Giardia duodenalis, often are part of a larger spectrum of related species. The aspidobothrean Cotylaspsis insignis appears highly magnified, but faint in the background, almost as if important but remembered from a distant past. Such imagery is valid; the bibliography of those who’ve worked on aspidobothreans reads almost like a historical record of parasitology. Finally, the sunfish, a common denizen of fresh waters, is both intermediate and definitive host for dozens of parasites, a reminder that parasitism is the most common way of life: every free-living species that has been studied extensively has been shown to be infected, usually with multiple other species.

Parasitological symbolism

2008-08-19T12:50:00.000-07:00

I just finished writing the copy for the back cover of the new (8th) edition of FOUNDATIONS OF PARASITOLOGY. The 7th edition had a number of parasites and vectors assembled into a rather artistic montage, and so does the 8th edition, although with different organisms. The cover copy dealt with the symbolism of those parasites: what they brought to mind when I saw them. This experience makes me wonder what other parasites might be used in a similar fashion, and of course the answer is: all of them. Obviously some would be a stretch, in the sense that a whole lot of history, economics, sociology, and human-to-human interactions might not come immediately to mind when you see a picture of them, but others (Xenopsylla cheopis, for example) would release a flood of such material from a well educated parasitologist. I'd be interested in your contributions! - JJ

Flea correspondence

2008-07-14T08:09:00.001-07:00

Here is the text of an interesting e-mail I received, along with the reply (sender's name deleted):

xxxx@xxxx.xxx wrote:

Dr. Janovy,

I am trying to find out the answer to a question posed. Does a flea have a heart? Of the anatomy of a flea sites that I went to, none located a heart. What say you? Thank you.

Sincerely,

Ms. S_____

Ms. S___ -

Yes, all arthropods have hearts, although not in the sense that we usually think of as a "heart." Arthropods have an open circulatory system, so that the heart is actually a contractile tube lying in the dorsal haemocoel, above the gut, and [in insects] extending through the thorax and much of the abdomen.

The question of whether fleas have a heart in the metaphorical sense, e.g. whether they feel any sympathy for the dogs, cats, rats, mice, and people they bite, is an open question, but my guess is that the answer is "no." Parasites, if they have any capacity at all for opinions, feelings, or attitudes, probably tend to look at us rather neutrally, as food, rather than victims.

Take care.

JJ
John Janovy, Jr.
http://bsweb.unl.edu/labs/janovy

2008-07-11T17:14:00.001-07:00

2008-07-11T17:13:00.000-07:00

2008-07-11T16:52:00.001-07:00

Terry and Scott -

I'm still trying to figure out how to get the figures up; it will (WILL!) happen, I promise! - JJ

Let's Talk Parasites

2008-07-08T14:30:00.000-07:00

Among all the conversations I've had with various people, perhaps the most interesting ones are about parasites--real parasites, social parasites, imaginary parasites, metaphorical parasites, and memes that act like parasites. So feel free to join this conversation!!