[Coral-List] corals can eat their zooxanthellae

Wed Aug 30 23:48:18 UTC 2023

Dear Dr. Butler and Dr.Bowden-Kerby
Thank you for the lucid and balanced words. In fact, at various times in
our academic career, we face criticism that deconstructs us. I was at the
University in 1987, very young, just 17 years old. Today, I am an Associate
Professor at a Federal Public University. I am not proud at all. I
conquered my position with learning, dedication, and ignoring everyone who
tried to deconstruct me. All my life, I confronted such niches of power and
the policies that define who can and cannot do Science. I deal with
absolutely negligent institutional policies. "We kill a lion" daily to be
in the laboratory, learn, teach, and produce Science. We went through a
terrible period of denial of Science - four years of an unscrupulous
government. From 2018 to 2021, we monitored planulae in buckets of butter.
We had flooded rooms and wet microscopes. We worked among mold, feeling
sick and unmotivated. And I guided my students through this sad scene.  One
day, I  hope they may feel proud of their trajectory. I had good advisors
supporting me - very gentle and wise ones. I had the privilege of meeting
the names of a great generation of researchers from the Coral Reef Society.
They used to welcome all young students. Sadly, some of these masters have
already left. Fortunately, some are around, working and guiding us. And we
need them!  Today, sarcasm is on the rise, humiliating and
mischaracterizing the work of young researchers (built with a lot of effort
and dignity). The vision of Science as a niche of meritocracy and power
grows frighteningly. The pandemic has brought many lessons. We should have
evolved with so many losses and a world paralyzed for two years! Science is
becoming absurdly elitist and decontextualized. But I'm happy to realize
that the stories are congruent and that young people out there have great
potential to become gentle Masters! Surely, I will try to protect those who
depend on me, but I feel coerced not to participate, not to have a voice,
and to see processes become highly partial and unfair - not once, or
twice... but much more often than desired. Sometimes we try to figure out,
'What is the game we are playing here'? It is hard. Because whoever runs
the game usually has a lot of power. Without a doubt, the world has
changed, but ethics follows the same definition. And we need a better
understanding (and acceptance) of the diversity of the world to promote
good Science.

On Mon, Aug 28, 2023 at 6:17 PM Butler, Caleb via Coral-List <
coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov> wrote:

> Thank you Dr. Bowden-Kerby, well said. As a student in the field working
> on my PhD, it can be intimidating to participate in such a widely
> distributed listserv that many well established researchers participate in
> and read.
>
>
> Dr. Szmant, I echo your sentiments about understanding the literature and
> caution for sensational messaging. However, our field needs to focus on
> developing a culture of conveying critism in a constructive way. As I’m
> sure you know, the field is growing rapidly with more and more information
> entering the field, and yes, those of us entering the field need to go back
> to historically important literature, but we also must keep up with the
> accelerating amount of information coming from other institutions. I think
> we all need to reflect on ways to reward and evaluate one’s due diligence,
> scholarship, and creativity in ways other than paper counting. I have heard
> other PIs, from this field and others, echo these sentiments throughout my
> doctoral program.
>
>
> Furthermore, it is nice that you have a wonderful book collection, but
> textbook prices have increased substantially through the years, to the
> point that we students are having to apply for grants just to buy a single
> book sometimes (nor does timing align with free time between jobs,
> projects, etc)! Yes, we have access to libraries and digital collections
> (if our institution is able to pay for it), but I am sure you can agree
> that does not compare to the privilege of having your own copies.
>
>
> Instead of publicly attacking researchers for a lack of understanding or
> knowledge on the literature, we should be approaching this through a lens
> of constructive criticism, empathy, and what we can do about it. Many
> people in our field have made great efforts in writing reviews about
> previous literature, coming together to create helpful documents to direct
> the future of the field, or putting in the work to overcome barriers that
> may be present in understanding the literature, whether that be access,
> time, or even language barriers. One great example is “Concerning the
> cohabitation of animals and algae – an English translation of K. Brandt’s
> 1881 presentation “Ueber das Zusammenleben von Thieren und Algen” by Dr.
> Thomas Krueger (2017).  I think we can agree these documents are wonderful
> and should be celebrated! But let us not forget that it is normal for us to
> make mistakes, we are only human, and we can work better on our
> communication skills to come across as caring individuals that want to
> improve the science without breaking the scientist. We must create a
> welcoming environment for others that are entering the field, interested in
> the field, or still learning about it.
>
> Best to all,
> Caleb Butler
> --
> Caleb C. Butler<http://calebcbutler.com/>
> Ecology Ph.D. Candidate | LaJeunesse Lab
> NSF Graduate Research Fellow
> Biology Department
> The Pennsylvania State University
> he/they
>
>
> ________________________________
>
> Dear Alina,
>
> The fact is that many on the list are educators, field workers, managers,
> and technicians, should be understood.  Also, many of us have families and
> full time jobs, with very little free time.  Even for the professional
> scientists, it is impossible to keep up with all aspects of our field:
> cellular biology, biochemistry, immunology and coral diseases, genetics of
> host and symbionts, ecology, taxonomy, geology, etc.   So while I highly
> respect all of your contributions to the field, and I understand that this
> judgemental/ belittling/ competitive trait is a cultural thing dominant in
> the USA and in some ways expected, others in the field provide better
> models for what I think we should be striving for, as far as respect for
> mental and professional diversity, with the aim of working together with
> more unity of purpose. Many just think what you wrote- few write it, so
> thanks for being honest.
>
> Yor post provides a perfect talking point for something that has troubled
> me for decades.  It is an example of why so many are insecure about asking
> questions on the list and in conferences etc- it is for fear of being
> judged, belittled, and ridiculed.  My academic experience was frankly
> horrific- not because of the course material, which was amazing, but
> because I was often judged for being mentally divergent and being a
> Baha'i.  Your reply brings all of that back. But to the young people out
> there who feel intimidated or somehow different- it is my mental divergence
> (dyslexia and mild autism) but that and persistence have been my greatest
> strengths over the long run, because it has allowed me to connect the dots
> of the various facts that are not well linked by others or in the
> literature. My being so impacted by the unkindness of our academic culture
> also forced me into much kinder and more respectful cultures like what I
> experienced in Puerto Rico for my PhD (Muchas Gracias mis amigos!), and
> then for my life's work in the Pacific Islands (Vinka, Korba, Talofa,
> Sulang, Kinisou, Kalagan, Tankyu).
>
> Attitudes in academia do matter, especially when dished out those well
> accomplished and highly respected. It is sad that sensitive people and
> those from gentler cultures are faced with a system that is starkly
> judgemental and unkind, on top of being filled with immense pressures.
> While some may be able to deal with this, some of us can't, but it does not
> have to be this way.  How many amazing talents have dropped out of academia
> due to this?  We have so much that needs to be transformed in our world,
> not just the energy production and economic systems, but also social and
> educational systems.
>
> We need all hands on deck, we need everyone reading this to become part of
> the solution. Never think you are lesser than others, nor exalt ourselves
> over others.  And if you are mentally divergent- I advise you to stop
> trying to become like others and to find your super powers!  The world
> needs superheroes right now!
>
> Loving regards to all,
>
> Austin
>
>
> Austin Bowden-Kerby, PhD
> Corals for Conservation
> P.O. Box 4649 Samabula, Fiji Islands
>
> https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.corals4conservation.org%2F&data=05%7C01%7Cccb5308%40psu.edu%7Cddd4a0643f19485f0a0808dba71efbe4%7C7cf48d453ddb4389a9c1c115526eb52e%7C0%7C0%7C638287523738823900%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=R%2FirkeV6opDwsd0Aa1%2F7U7dJbTSl1%2FQMHgiJSQ1IKjw%3D&reserved=0
> <https://www.corals4conservation.org/>
> Publication on C4C's coral-focused climate change adaptation strategies:
>
> https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mdpi.com%2F2673-1924%2F4%2F1%2F2%2Fpdf&data=05%7C01%7Cccb5308%40psu.edu%7Cddd4a0643f19485f0a0808dba71efbe4%7C7cf48d453ddb4389a9c1c115526eb52e%7C0%7C0%7C638287523738823900%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=DsK9CJJCwSelchddWXCj4nuG%2BW0u%2FOblCOptbV5UJUU%3D&reserved=0
> <https://www.mdpi.com/2673-1924/4/1/2/pdf>
> Film on our "Reefs of Hope" coral restoration for climate change adaptation
> strategies:
> https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DBG0lqKciXAA&data=05%7C01%7Cccb5308%40psu.edu%7Cddd4a0643f19485f0a0808dba71efbe4%7C7cf48d453ddb4389a9c1c115526eb52e%7C0%7C0%7C638287523738823900%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=2%2F4PHiwYgDMKLTqIShvfoyRo0Oj4ZGVGBp3cr1WID4E%3D&reserved=0
> <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BG0lqKciXAA>
>
> https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.globalgiving.org%2Fprojects%2Femergency-response-to-massive-coral-bleaching%2F&data=05%7C01%7Cccb5308%40psu.edu%7Cddd4a0643f19485f0a0808dba71efbe4%7C7cf48d453ddb4389a9c1c115526eb52e%7C0%7C0%7C638287523738823900%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=ArkkLyWGIVLsHcMzSlKULW1WzRirhq6AhwuiwXnBpqA%3D&reserved=0
> <
> https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/emergency-response-to-massive-coral-bleaching/
> >
> <
> https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.globalgiving.org%2Fprojects%2Femergency-response-to-massive-coral-bleaching%2F&data=05%7C01%7Cccb5308%40psu.edu%7Cddd4a0643f19485f0a0808dba71efbe4%7C7cf48d453ddb4389a9c1c115526eb52e%7C0%7C0%7C638287523738823900%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=ArkkLyWGIVLsHcMzSlKULW1WzRirhq6AhwuiwXnBpqA%3D&reserved=0
> <
> https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/emergency-response-to-massive-coral-bleaching/
> >>
>
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