Variation Among Student Chapters of The Wildlife Society

ABSTRACT Student Chapters of The Wildlife Society serve the parent organization as a source of new members while promoting professional development among aspiring wildlife biologists. However, little is known about the operation of the Student Chapters across North America. I conducted an online survey between March and May 2006 to learn about variation among chapters and to define successful chapters with a quantifiable, objective parameter (e.g., the active members or budgets). I sent chapter advisors and student officers the online survey via e-mail. Of 92 Student Chapters known to the parent Society in 2005, 66 active and one inactive chapters responded. Activities, sizes, and budgets varied greatly among chapters. Additionally, perceived values of membership by survey participants matched the parent Society's goals. No clear definition of a successful chapter (e.g., those with the most money or members) emerged, but chapters faced some evident problems including apathy from students and advisors as well as a lack of support from the parent Society. Based upon the survey, I recommend Student Chapters have strong projects and activities as well as consider collaborating with other professional organizations. I recommend the parent Society continue to expand student programs and incorporate students into the Society.     

Opening remarks,SIVB 2001 Congress: Opportunities and Challenges in Plant Biotechnology

Summary US Senator Christopher Bond joined Dr. Roger Beachy at the podium during the SIVB 2001 Congress Plenary Session on Opportunities and Challenges in Plant Biotechnology to Benefit Health and Sustainability, on June 17, 2001 in St. Louis, MO. Senator Bond presented an advocate's view regarding the benefits of plant biotechnology development. The strengths of the biotechnology regulatory system were extolled. The opportunities of this new technology to produce more and nutritionally superior food, additional plant-based medicines and vaccines, plant-based renewable sources of energy, and renewable industrial products were outlined. The benefits to the environment by adopting plant biotechnological innovations were discussed. Developing public policy regarding this new technology should be based on facts, science and reason.     

The cost-effectiveness of health education in improving knowledge and awareness about intestinal parasites in rural Bangladesh

The impact of regular health education in improving knowledge, attitude and practices in the control of intestinal parasites was examined in four rural areas of Bangladesh; two areas received health education and the other two areas were controls. By the end of the 18-month study households receiving health education showed highly significant improvements in knowledge, water and sanitation facilities and personal hygiene compared with households in the control areas. Improving knowledge by 1% cost between US dollars 0.75 and 0.82 per household, while a 1% improvement in personal hygiene cost between US dollars 1.10 and 1.32 per household and water and sanitation between US dollars 1.39 and 1.52 per household.     

Social interaction is a catalyst for adult human learning in online contexts

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纪录片在遗传学教学中的应用

文章从教学实践出发, 对记录片在遗传学教学中的应用进行探讨, 阐述了在遗传学课程中应用科学记录片辅助教学的优势和存在的主要问题, 并对存在的问题进行分析, 提出相应的改进措施, 以便充分发挥科学记录片在教学中的优势和作用, 提高教学质量。     

加拿大农业生物技术年报

加拿大生物技术作物的种植面积预计2011年将达到800万hm2,比2010年的690万hm2有所增加。生物技术作物主要包括油菜籽、玉米、大豆,最近还新进增加一部分甜菜的种植。加拿大目前是几个已经批准种植复合性状作物,或是将三种性状复合在一种作物上的国家之一。在动物方面,加拿大监管机构有可能在2012年下发关于克隆作物或产物在加拿大新型食物应用方面的法案。     

干细胞治疗：从研发到应用

干细胞治疗的应用既离不开基础研究的发展和技术的不断进步,也离不开科技政策的支持、生产工艺的进步、临床研究的发展,以及企业对干细胞相关产品的开发。本文从管理政策、生产技术、临床研究、产品开发等多个角度,就与干细胞治疗相关的研究现状和前景进行评述。     

Cultivating participatory policy processes for genetic resources policy: lessons from the Genetic Resources Policy Initiative (GRPI) project

The purpose of the paper is to draw lessons and document experiences from the Genetic Resources Policy Initiative (GRPI) project, a project which has been underway in six countries and two sub-regions during the last 5 years. Its focus has been to experiment an approach to participatory policy processes, coined by the project, called the multi-stakeholder, multi-disciplinary and multi-sector or in short the 3M. This approach, which was demand-driven due to the nature of the policy problems being examined, aims to create a platform to address competing interests inherent in genetic resources issues from multiple perspectives. It is meant to enable different stakeholders to balance issues they diverge and/or converge upon in genetic resources management, thereby harmonizing trade-offs, objectives and strategies. Experiences from the project in applying the 3M in Egypt, Nepal, Vietnam Peru and Zambia highlight several lessons in participatory policy processes. The experiences show that the success or otherwise of participatory policy making processes is dependent on various factors that have to do with stakeholder capacities, process orientation, shared understanding versus vested interests and institutional functions. They highlight that the most effective approach to stakeholder engagement in policy processes is to construct them around an actively engaged ‘process leader’ that possesses, or has the potential to champion the process by mobilising the required cognitive knowledge and institutional engagement. They further suggest that since genetic resources policy issues are cross-cutting, they will demand a more holistic approach with a clear identification of impact pathways through which policy changes can be expected to influence the outcome variables. Since policy making processes are perpetual, the question of sustaining project ideas and recommendations beyond the life of a project has to be part of the planning exercise in any participatory genetic resources policy research and formulation.