Fw:

[Prof. Dov Por]

-----Original Message-----
From: Prof. Dov Por <dovpor at netvision.net.il>
To: taxacom at usobi.com <taxacom at usobi.com>
Date: 04 October 1999 15:48


>Dear Taxacomers,
>I am commenting on  the announcement of a position for  an insect
>systematist, by Ebbe Nielsen from CSIRO.
>
>This is a situation which repeats itself again and again : An institute or
>department with many aging and retired taxonomists , decides  after many
>years to open a position, looking for an "outstanding systematist who can
>demonstrate leadership in modern systematics, etc.,etc. ".  Do anybody
>really think that there are  outstanding  taxonomists , (not more than 40
>years old since  nobody will hire an elder one )   on the  market
somewhere,
>looking for employment ?
>This type of people does not exist anymore. Such job announcements ,as a
>rule,  go unanswerded and this is the end of the story . I experienced this
>at my own university  over and over again. In  the end the new position is
>closed or   at best , filled-in by a brilliant  young molecular biologist
>who  declares to have some interest in  "modern"  systematics, but despises
>the "descriptive" people.
>Instead of waiting till all your institute  reaches the average age of 60 ,
>it would be much better to find funds for doctorial and post-doctorial
>students  who will step into the positions opened up by their retiring
>teachers.
>No outstanding taxonomist emerges like Athena, fully armed from the head of
>Zeus. There is no spontaneous generation of taxonomists.
>Dov Por
>Visit the web site of the XVIIIth International Congress of Zoology
>(www.ims.usm.edu/~musweb/icz_xviii/icz_home.html )  and come to Athens
where
>these subjects will be discussed
>
>