Dr. Cohen knew that naturalists have enriched our knowledge of diversity, so he wanted to include their stories in his biology curriculum and other presentations and courses. His aim was to teach students not only what scientists did, but how individuals “developed” into scientists. However, at the end of the first year, he realized that his curriculum accounted for 18 scientists in total, with 15 male and 3 female. This disparity led Dr Cohen to undertake a research study to find out more about women naturalists whose contributions had been ignored, overlooked, or unrecognized.
This presentation is based on the findings and experiences from that study (Incorporating Lessons from Women Naturalists to Support Biodiversity Education and Underrepresented Students), as well as the results of one related study, The Pursuit of Meaning – Placing Biodiversity and Biography at the Center of Biology.
ABOUT THE PRESENTER: Presently, Joel I. Cohen is a Visiting Scholar at the Nicholas School for the Environment where his studies focus on biodiversity in the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Park, and its connections to biodiversity and agricultural practices. He is mentored at Duke by Stuart Pimm, Doris Duke Professor of Conservation at Duke University. He has just completed (July 1992) the “Environmental Communication Certificate Program” with the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University.
His PhD is in plant breeding and genetics, awarded through the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Massachusetts, after serving as an agricultural volunteer in Peace Corps. There, he worked as an extension agent in the upland hill environments of Nepal. He has instructed students, from secondary through college, in biology, biodiversity, and soils through the Audubon Naturalist Society at Woodend, Maryland.
His career also includes over 20 years in international agricultural research and support, working for the U.S. Government, then for international non-governmental organizations, advancing modern tools of genetic research, plant breeding, and genetic resource initiatives for national and international gene banking, and implementing other international center initiatives. For eight years of this service, he and his family lived overseas in The Netherlands, where he was hosted as Director of an international bioresearch and policy service.
He has published over 150 peer-reviewed publications, during a career that was strongly service oriented, with many publications directed specifically to the needs of those in the developing world. These publications were co-authored and edited with scientists and participants from Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean.
After completing his international service, Dr. Cohen returned to the United States, and devoted the second half of his career to education, specifically secondary and undergraduate work, and was here greatly influenced by Drs. Wilson and Thomas Lovejoy. Upon their passing, Dr. Cohen has advanced the idea of a Camp 41A to be held on the C&O Canal, in memory of Dr. Lovejoy. He is also currently working on an updated biography of Dr. Calvin Sperling, a chief plant exploration officer, USDA/ARS, who passed away at too early an age from cancer.