Interviewed by
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Born | September 17, 1914, Chapel Hill, North Carolina |
Position | Distinguished Professor, Callaway Professor Emeritus, and Director Emeritus, Institute of Ecology, University of Georgia |
| Biography |
Graduated with an A.B. in 1934 and A.M. in 1936 from the University of North Carolina. Received his Ph.D. in 1939 from the University of Illinois. Hired as a zoology professor in 1940 at the University of Georgia, Odum took a broad view of the environment as he pioneered ecosystem ecology as a new "integrative science." His pathbreaking book, Fundamentals of Ecology, which came out in 1953 (and for 10 years was the only textbook available worldwide on ecosystem ecology), influenced an entire generation of ecologists. For this reason, Odum is often called the "father of modern ecosystem ecology." In 1961, he established the university's Institute of Ecology. He also helped initiate the Marine Institute at Sapelo Island and the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, which the university has operated on contract with the U.S. Department of Energy since 1951. Odum served as a professor until his retirement in 1984, but still serves the institute as director emeritus. He has received three international awards: the Crafoord Prize from the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in 1987; the French prize from the Institute de la Vie in 1975; and the "Tyler Ecology Award," which was presented to Odum by President Jimmy Carter in ceremonies at the White House in 1977. He was elected a member of the National Academy of Sciences in 1970. He has received numerous other awards, including Georgia's Scientist of the Year in 1968 and Educator of the Year in 1982 (by the National Wildlife Federation). He was elected member of the American Academy of the Arts and Sciences in 1975. Besides three editions of Fundamental of Ecology, he is the author of two other textbooks, Basic Ecology and Ecology. His latest book, Ecological Vignettes: Ecological Approach to Dealing With Human Predicaments, includes simple charts and cartoons for general audiences to learn more about the environment. Odum has also authored or coauthored more than 200 papers in scientific journals, as well as publishing numerous articles and essays. |
How would you describe yourself?
I'm an avid ecologist and environmentalist.
What first inspired you to go into your field?
In the small town where I grew up, you could step out your door and be in the woods. So I got interested in birds as a kid. I was inspired to identify them and to study their songs and calls. Then, after I learned all the birds, I wondered about the environment in which they lived. The ecology of the bigger picture intrigued me.
Why do you think you've advanced well in your career?
I've been able to see the unified, whole perspective of systems, rather than merely the parts. I've looked at the big questions by putting together all the pieces of the puzzle.
What do you enjoy about your work?
It's not only exciting to explore the world. It's good to have a feeling of contributing a little bit to the world by being an educator.
What do you dislike about your research field?
Funding currently is difficult. One of the hardest aspects is writing proposals to receive research money.
Are there aspects you would change?
I wouldn't change anything.
What was your first scientific experiment?
Studying the ecology of a plot of land after it was fertilized, thereby noticing changes.
What were the results of your first experiment?
Good.
How did the experience increase your maturity as a scientist?
It taught me that to verify if something was true, you had to make a good test. I learned that I could not just accept theory, but had to test it.
What was your high-school science teacher like?
I had one physics teacher who taught a very tough course.
Did that inspire you?
Yes, in the sense that I learned that nothing comes easy.
What is your proudest achievement?
My published books, including The Fundamentals of Ecology, which originally did not have a market because long ago there were no courses for ecology. Things have changed, of course, and my book is still used.
What would be your advice to a younger scientist?
Whatever you enjoy doing, go ahead and do it. Do what inspires you.
In what areas do you think you need advice yourself?
To be hard-working and to accept challenges.
What would you be if not a scientist?
A plumber.
Why?
I was shy when I was younger, and I liked to see how things worked together and connected together - sort of like ecology and noticing how things interact.
Which scientist from history would you like to meet?
Aldo Leopold, the ecologist and writer.
What would you ask him?
I'd ask him why he didn't publish more books, including a book that was strictly devoted to the land ethic and developing this theme more than his initial thoughts in The Sand County Almanac.
Which living scientist do you most admire?
Lynn Margulis, a professor at the University of Massachusetts.
What has been the greatest scientific discovery this past century?
The structure of DNA.
Why that?
It opened up new opportunities for many fields of inquiry, as well as opening up many new questions relating to how far we want to "play God," so to speak.
What will be the great discoveries of this century?
How we can develop a renewable fuel source that will become part of our energy program.
What research goals do scientists need to set themselves?
To be focused and to persevere.
How has the Internet influenced what you do, other than in providing email?
I haven't used the Internet very much, but a book that I'm working on may be published online and marketed through this medium.
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.
Gary W. Barrett Sir Ghillean Prance Fernando Retuerto PrietoAllan JordanMatteo di Tommaso Gene E. Likens