Interviewed by
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Born | January 3, 1940, Princeton, Indiana |
Position | Odum Professor of Ecology, Institute of Ecology, University of Georgia |
| Biography |
Graduated from Oakland City University in 1961 with a B.S. in biology. He earned his Ph.D. in zoology at the University of Georgia in 1967. An assistant professor of biology at Drake University from 1967 to 1968, Barrett then transferred to Miami University and for the next 26 years served as an associate professor of zoology, deputy director of the Institute of Environmental Sciences, coordinator of environmental education, codirector of the Ecology Research Center, and professor of the ecology program. He became the director of the University of Georgia's Institute of Ecology in 1994, concurrent with accepting a professor of ecology position. From 1987 to 1989, and again from 1997 to 1999, he served as a member of the board of directors for the American Institute of Biological Sciences and was on the board of directors, from 1994 to 1996, for the Association of Ecosystem Research Centers. He has been a member of committees with the National Research Council and American Institute of Biological Sciences, as well as serving as chair and cochair of international meetings and symposia for the International Association for Ecology, International Association for Landscape Ecology, and the American Institute of Biological Sciences. Currently, Barrett is a member of the E.P. Odum Award Committee for Excellence in Ecology Education. His honors include a certificate for outstanding service from the National Academy of Sciences, and the most outstanding teacher award in 1971 at Miami University. He was elected fellow in 1977 by the Ohio Academy of Science and elected fellow in 1990 by the Association for the Advancement of Science. He has also received a certificate for outstanding service from 1993 to 1996 as a member of an ecological committee at the National Academy of Sciences and also received a presidential citation award in 2000 for his role in leadership to the biological sciences by the American Institute of Biological Sciences. |
| Research interests |
Barrett's research interests include stress effects (e.g., pesticides, fertilizer, municipal sludge, or fire) on ecosystem dynamics; mammalian population dynamics; applied ecology; agroecosystem ecology; restoration ecology; landscape ecology; ecological humanpower, education, and research trends. |
How would you describe yourself?
Busy and industrious, but I believe in teamwork, the sharing of ideas, rather than competition.
What first inspired you to go into your field?
Being raised close to the earth (in southern Indiana) as part of nature, and loving plants and animals at an early age.
Why do you think you've advanced well in your career?
I have an outgoing personality, but people sense my interest in cooperative teamwork to reach goals.
What do you enjoy about your work?
I enjoy the teaching, research, and administration. Research is especially fun, and I enjoy interacting with students while teaching.
What do you dislike about your research field?
Political factors within universities. I think we still have too many people fighting for territories within departments when we ought to be doing inter-, transdisciplinary research and teaching. In other words, there are too many people fighting for scarce resources.
Are there aspects you would change?
We need to develop programs where researchers who would like to work in a narrow area of one discipline would be able to do so and be rewarded. At the same time, those who wish to work across departmental lines and have joint appointments should be encouraged and be able to do that. Also, those who want to work on teams of interdisciplinary research should be permitted to do so and be rewarded.
What was your first scientific experiment?
I performed research for my master's degree thesis, later published in American Midland Naturalist as a paper titled "Effects of Dimethoate on Small Mammal Populations." (Dimethoate is an insecticide.)
What were the results of your first experiment?
Very interesting. We found that house mice decreased in numbers after spraying, while prairie voles increased and deer mice remained at the same density level. Density of insects declined greatly after spraying, but no evidence was found to indicate that the insecticide caused direct mortality in any of the mammal species or had any additional effect on that habitat.
How did the experience increase your maturity as a scientist?
It encouraged me to move forward and receive my Ph.D. at the University of Georgia under the guidance of Eugene P. Odum.
What was your high-school science teacher like?
He was a smart math teacher, yet he also knew biology.
Did that inspire you?
Yes, the field trips and getting out into nature inspired me.
What is your proudest achievement?
I've had 27 of my undergraduate students publish or coauthor papers in major journals.
What would be your advice to a younger scientist?
To follow a career she or he is happy with, so that you'll grow with your field and evolve with it. I've told people many times that it's better to be enriched than to be rich.
In what areas do you think you need advice yourself?
To remember there are many difficult challenges to hurdle.
What would you be if not a scientist?
I'd have been a professional basketball player.
Why?
Being from southern Indiana, the culture was suited to being interested in basketball and sports.
Which scientist from history would you like to meet?
A.J. Tansley, a British ecologist, who came up with the concept of ecosystems in 1935.
What would you ask him?
The thought process by which he recognized an ecosystem.
Which living scientist do you most admire?
Eugene Odum, a pioneering ecologist who has been my mentor and is still part of the Institute of Ecology at the University of Georgia.
What has been the greatest scientific discovery this past century?
The discovery of DNA.
Why that?
I think this model has opened up the field of molecular biology.
What will be the great discoveries of this century?
The spinoffs of radiation for science and health ranks at the top of upcoming advances and discoveries.
What research goals do scientists need to set themselves?
To understand their own goals and focus, but be clear about how these interact with other areas of science and be able to communicate these interactions.
How has the Internet influenced what you do, other than in providing email?
I don't use the Internet that much, but email has been extremely helpful.
Daniel Edelstein, a science writer and naturalist, lives in Maryland on a lake at the edge of a forest 35 miles west of Washington, D.C.
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