U of Iowa and the botanical museum

[Robin Leech]

Ken,
I am surprised that so few have made comments on this issue - something that
as curators and users of specimens will affect all of us.  I wonder what a
molecular holotype looks like, eh?
Robin

----- Original Message -----
From: "Ken Kinman" <kinman2 at YAHOO.COM>
To: <TAXACOM at LISTSERV.NHM.KU.EDU>
Sent: Sunday, April 11, 2004 7:59 PM
Subject: Re: U of Iowa and the botanical museum


> Dear All,
>      I think Robin has hit the nail right on the head.  The University of
Iowa is "burning bridges" that it may well regret in the long run.  But the
blame must be shared by those in Washington D.C. whose funding practices
encourage this kind of thing.
>                ----- Ken Kinman
>
> *******************************************************
> Date:  Tue, 6 Apr 2004 22:35:53 -0600
> Robin Leech wrote:
> Good evening one and all,
> I have analyzed all the material sent out to us on TAXACOM
> regarding the U of Iowa administration's attempt to move all the botanical
museum specimens from the U of Iowa to Iowa State University.
> I have also looked at the legal documents prepared on behalf of the
defense that were created in order to stop the move.  If you read these,
then I think you will all come to the same conclusion I have: that the main
thrust behind all this action is to convert the U of Iowa's biology
department into a molecular biology department.  This is where the big money
and big names are at present and for the near future.  If the move is
successful, it will convert the U of Iowa's biology department from a
biology department of excellence to a molecular biology department of
excellence.
> But, molecular biology cannot survive for long without
> supportive holistic biology, but I do not think that this is realized yet.
And the students certainly will lose without a good background in biology.
I will bet that most, if not all, of the molecular biologists at the U of
Iowa either came through a real biology department, and took courses
emphasizing physiology and/or biochemistry.  Thus, they themselves took a
lot of general biology courses, but, their students sure will not.
> Robin Leech