"The joy -- and yes, I mean real joy -- that I find in learning and teaching about the living world comes from recognition of the tremendous diversity of life, the complexity of relationships among creatures, and the complexity of interactions between these creatures and their physical environment. My interests in the living world grew strong when I was an 8-year-old delivering morning newspapers. I was out at 5 a.m. each morning -- a time when few other people are about, but when creatures of the night are shutting down for the day and creatures of the day are becoming active. Moths and other insects were still gathered around lights, yet birds were beginning to sing. No doubt I could have finished my paper route much quicker, but I loved those morning excursions and the potential for new discoveries each day.

As a scientist, I teach and use the scientific method -- and know its value in the search for truth. Today I sometimes see the scientific method short-circuited. Some think the most important part of the scientific method is hypothesis testing. Of course hypothesis testing is very important, but the steps before formulation of hypotheses are essential to those hypotheses and sometimes forgotten. To me the most important parts of the scientific method are the very first and very last steps -- the ones that are often forgotten: to observe.

My first goal as a student is to observe. As a teacher it is to get students to observe -- to see the world around them -- to really see it, not just in their peripheral vision. It is this goal that has shaped my philosophy of learning and teaching, and that has brought me to Florida Gulf Coast University.

To accomplish this goal I believe in making use of all of the tools available to me as a student and as a teacher. Books, videos, and computers all help us to understand the world around us and are essential tools of science and teaching today. But the most important tool of all is the opportunity to learn through hands on science -- doing it, rather than reading about it.

My second goal, and perhaps the greatest accessory to learning, is to share what I know and to get students to share what they have learned. We each see things in the light of our personal experiences and by sharing our observations we can gain new insight. I found that although I had a wonderful undergraduate education, I really learned by teaching, by sharing what I knew.

Throughout this statement, I have linked learning and teaching because I consider myself both a student and a teacher. I love the opportunity to continue asking questions and seeking answers and I am a strong subscriber to the idea of life-long learning. I know that I learn a great deal from and through sharing experiences with my students. I also know from this experience that student's learn from one another as they share with one another.

My third goal as a teacher is to take students beyond learning simple facts to the level of understanding and appreciation. In 1958, a rock group known as the "Teddy Bears" had a hit song titled "To Know Him is to Love Him." Some time ago, in the heat of an environmental court case at which I had been asked to testify as an expert witness, I realized that environmental battles can be won in the courtroom, but that the results of such victories are often short-lived. Long-lasting victories don't come by legal mandate, but through understanding and appreciation. Education is the key to long-term victories -- environmental or otherwise. If you know about something -- really know about it -- then you can appreciate it and want to protect it.
For many years now I have taught my biology courses with the philosophy that "To know it is to love it" -- first focusing on the "gee-whiz" things that grab a student's attention, then on the complex interactions among living things and the world around them -- and with us."

 Jerome A. Jackson

Jerome Jackson teaches in the College of Arts and Sciences and has been with FGCU since 1999.

Educational Background:

B.S., Zoology, Iowa State University minors in Botany and Education];
Ph.D., Zoology, University of Kansas

Professional Background:

Florida Gulf Coast University
1999 - present Whitaker Eminent Scholar in Science; Program Director, Whitaker Center for Science, Math, and Technology Education

Mississippi State University
1979 - 1999 Professor, Department of Biological Sciences
1974 - 1979 Associate Professor of Zoology, Department of Zoology
1970 - 1974 Assistant Professor of Zoology, Department of Zoology

Mississippi College, Clinton, Mississippi
1984, 1986, 1989 Instructor (taught Ornithology).

University of Kansas
1968 - 1970 Biologist, Kansas Biological Survey
1966 - 1968 Teaching Assistant, Department of Zoology

West High School, Bakersfield, California
1965-1966 Biology Instructor

Subjects Taught:

Natural History, Ornithology, Mammalogy, Biogeography, Field Zoology for Teachers, Ecology, Natural History of Coastal Environments, Conservation and the Endangered Species Act, Birds and Man, Photographic Techniques in Biology, Nature Writing; Colloquium.

Research Completed:

My publications include 15 books and more than 220 publications in scientific journals and 120 publications in popular magazines.

My major research interests are in (1) the behavioral ecology of birds with special emphases on endangered species, woodpeckers, birds of barrier island and aquatic ecosystems; (2) the history of American ornithology; (3) bird-human interactions and problems, especially those associated with airports and aquaculture.

Sample recent publications:

Jackson, J.A. In press. In search of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C. due out fall 2002]

Jackson, J.A., and H. Ouellet. 2001. Downy Woodpecker Picoides pubescens. The Birds of North America (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds) The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA. In press.

Jackson, J.A. 2001. Niche concepts and woodpecker conservation: understanding why some species are endangered. Proceedings of the International Workshop on Woodpeckers, German Ornithological Society, Berchtesgaden, Germany. In press.

Jackson, J.A. 2001. Understanding bird strike potential: niche concepts, birds, and airports. Pp. 243-253, in Proceedings of Bird Strike 2001, Bird Strike Committee U.S.A., and Bird Strike Committee Canada. Calgary, Alberta.

Jackson, J.A. 2001. Water witch. Wildfowl Carving 17(2):51-64.

Other Accomplishments:

For 13 years I was co host of a weekly nature-oriented television segment called "Southern Outdoors" that aired on CBS.

Since January 2001, I have done a daily radio segment called "With the Wild Things" on public radio. Some of these segments can be heard and scripts read on the web at: WildThings.fgcu.edu

I have been honored for my research and teaching efforts by being elected:
Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science
Fellow, American Ornithologists' Union
Fellow, The Explorer's Club

Since 1968, there has never been a time when I have not served as editor of a professional journal. During that time I have served as editor of:
The Wilson Bulletin, Journal of Field Ornithology, The Mississippi Kite, North American Bird Bander, Inland Bird Banding, Florida Field Naturalist, Regional Editor for American Birds, and Consulting Editor for Birder's World.

Personal Tidbit:

My life is hopelessly linked with nature -- and I love it. Most of my hobbies are in some way linked to my job. But I do have other interests -- even though I often twist them to advantage in my teaching and research. I'm a pilot, I love canoeing, scuba diving, travel, photography, history, art, and poetry.

My wife, Bette, is also a biologist and it's wonderful to be able to share the things we share.