Re: Paleo21 - Avocational paleontologists

From
Date
Mike brings up another issue:

We need to have a good identification for APs.  Amateur, avocational,
non-funded RP, etc., is not really good enough.  These words do not
sufficiently well define a person's interests or capabilities for the
professional community to make an informed judgement.  So, they carry an
implication that "amateur" is someone who doesn't really know his/her
stuff.  We all know that is not always true, but how can we know without a
lot of effort?

Three thoughts come to mind:  1.  Recognize that there is a gradient in
interest and competence and provide different names.    2.  Serious APs
could join a professional society and simply call themselves
paleontologists.  That would be fine by me, especially if they published or
made their materials available to the scientific community.  In this way,
they would indeed be professionals in all respects except a job.  But, as
pointed out, that could be any one of us at any time.  In other words, join
the scientific community--it is not limited to those with degrees of a
particular kind, but is open to anyone doing paleontological science.  3.
For those willing to go thru a training program like that at Denver Nat.
Hist. Mus, a special name could be designated (forgot what DNHM calls them
when they are finished).

Somebody out there must have better ideas than this!

Jere

Jere H. Lipps
Professor, Department of Integrative Biology
Director, Museum of Paleontology
University of California
Berkeley, California 94720 USA

Voice:  510-642-9006.  Fax:  510-642-1822.
Internet:  jlipps@ucmp1.berkeley.edu
WWW:  http://ucmp1.berkeley.edu/jlipps/jlipps.html