Annual Report 2008-2009
J S Turner
ANNUAL REPORT
ENVIRONMENTAL & FOREST BIOLOGY
SUNY College of Environmental Science & Forestry
(1 June 2008-31 May 2009)
Name: J Scott Turner
Summer 2008
Academic Year 2008-2009
I. Instructional Activities
1. Regular course offerings
Course
number
Title
Credhrs
No of students
No of lab
sect
SUMMER:
FALL:
EFB 462
Animal Physiology:
Environmental &
Ecological
3
69
-
EFB 662
Animal Physiology:
Environmental &
Ecological
3
4
-
SPRING:
2. Unscheduled course offerings (e.g., 496, 899, 999)
Course
number
FALL:
SPRING:
Title
Credhrs
No of students
EFB 999
Doctoral Thesis
Research
1
1
EFB 496
Supervised College
Teaching
1
1
EFB 420
Internship
EFB 899
EFB 999
3
1
Masters Thesis
Research
12
1
Doctoral Thesis
Research
1
1
3. Continuing Education and Extension (Short courses, workshops, etc.)
None
4. Guest Lecture Activities
None
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No of lab
sect
-
Annual Report 2008-2009
J S Turner
II. Student Advising and Counseling
A. Number of undergraduates for whom you are the student’s official advisor.
29 (includes EFB and Environmental Science)
B. Graduate students:
Major Professor
Degree
sought
Starting date
(Mo & Yr)
Wendy Park
PhD
Jan 2004
Benjamin
Robedee
MSc
Sep 2008
Name
Degree
completed?
Thesis or dissertation
citation
N/A
No
N/A
Co-Major Professor
Name
Degree
sought
Starting date
(Mo & Yr)
Degree
completed?
Thesis or dissertation
citation
Thesis or dissertation
citation
Member, Steering Committee
Degree
sought
Starting date
(Mo & Yr)
Degree
completed?
Ayesha Prasad
PhD
?
Defended
N/A
Joyce Green
MSc
?
In
progress?
N/A
Kevin
Shoemaker
PhD
?
In progress
N/A
Shannon Dodge
MSc
?
Defended
Name
Chairman or reader on thesis exams, etc.
Name
Myriah Jaworski
Degree
sought
Starting date
(Mo & Yr)
MSc
?
Degree
completed?
Passed
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Thesis or dissertation
citation
N/A
Annual Report 2008-2009
J S Turner
III. Research Completed or Underway
A. Departmental Research (unsupported, boot-legged)
% time spent
Title
B.1. Grant-Supported Research
Title
Amount
Current
year
Award period
National
Geographic
Society
Mound building
termites and the
water economy of
southern African
arid savannas
$19,500
1
August 2008 to
August 2009
0
US Army
Research
Office
Collective
structural defense
of the moundbuilding termites
of the genus
Macrotermes
$300,000
1
June 2008 to May
2011
1
Professional
Development
Award
$750
1
November 2008
0
Source
New York
State/United
University
Professions
Joint LaborManagement
Committee
Graduate
Assistants
supported
B.2. Research Proposals Submitted and Pending
Source
National
Science
Foundation
John C
Templeton
Foundation
Title
Amount
Current
year
PIRE: A termiteinspired center of
excellence in
Namibia
$2,500,000
Pending
5 years
3
$75,000
Pending
2 years
-
Biology’s Second
Law: Evolution,
Purpose and
Desire
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Award period
Graduate
Assistants
supported
Annual Report 2008-2009
J S Turner
National
Geographic
Society
Mound building
termites and the
water economy of
southern African
arid savannas
(renewal)
About
$20,000
Pending
1 year
National
Science
Foundation
The water
economy of the
mound building
termites of
southern African
arid savannas
About
$500,000
Pending
3 years
2
IV. Publications (Full bibliographic citation, i.e., do not use "with Jones," or "Jones, et
al."; please list only publications published, in press, or actually submitted—do not list
manuscripts in preparation).
A. Refereed Publications
J S Turner and R C Soar. 2008. Beyond biomimicry. What termites can tell us
about realizing the living building. Proceedings of the First International
Conference on Industrialized,Integrated, Intelligent Construction. Loughborough
University, 14-16 May 2008.
J S Turner. 2008. Homeostasis, complexity, and the problem of biological
design. Emergence: Complexity and Organization. 10(2).
http://emergence.org/ECO_site/web-content/ECO_10_2.html.
J S Turner, R M Soar, E Marais, G Shihepo. In press. Insolation and
morphogenesis of the mound of Macrotermes michaelseni. Cimbebasia Memoirs
(in press)
J S Turner. In press. Water dynamics of mound building and repair for
Macrotermes michaelseni. Cimbebasia Memoirs (in press)
J S Turner, W L Park, E Marais, A Mudengi, M Vinte. In press. Observations on
water, soil movements and mound reconstruction in Macrotermes michaelseni
colonies in northern Namibia. Cimbebasia Memoirs (in press)
J S Turner and E Marais. In press. The annual variation of temperature in the
mound and nest of Macrotermes michaelseni in northern Namibia. Cimbebasia
Memoirs (in press)
J S Turner. In press. Observations on annual variation of moisture in the mound
and nest of Macrotermes michaelseni in northern Namibia. Cimbebasia Memoirs
(in press)
J S Turner. In press. (Japanese language edition) The Tinkerer’s Accomplice.
How Design Emerges from Life Itself. Seidosha. (expected publication March
2009)
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Annual Report 2008-2009
J S Turner
J S Turner. In press. Agents of biological design. Why are living things wellcrafted for the things they do? Proceedings of the Retrospective Symposium on the
Wistar Conference on Mathematical Challenges to the Neodarwinian
Interpretation of Evolution. Discovery Institute.
B. Non-refereed Publications
J S Turner. 2008. Signs of design. The Best American Spiritual Writing of 2008.
Jimmy Carter and Philip Zaleski (ed). Houghton-Mifflin, New York.
J S Turner. 2008. Termites. Friend or Foe? Pamphlet for the series Spotlight on
Agriculture. Ministry of Agriculture. Republic of Namibia. In press.
C. Papers presented at Scientific Meetings (give title, date, occasion, and location):
Extended Organisms. Presented at the European Science Foundation Workshop
on the Future of the Extended Phenotype. Copenhage, Denmark. 2-5 November
2008.
D. Public service presentations (lectures, seminars, etc. to and for the public; give
group or occasion, date(s), and attendance):
The Air Conditioned Termite Mound Revisited. Cheetah Conservation Fund,
Otjiwarongo, Namibia. 22 May 2009. About 30 people attended.
Beyond biomimicry: What termites can tell us about realizing the living building.
Namibia Institute of Architecture, Windhoek, Namibia. 31 May 2009.
V. Public Service
A. Funded Service:
1. Government Agencies
None
2. Industrial and Commercial Groups
None
B. Unfunded Service to Governmental Agencies, Public Interest Groups, etc.
Member. Science Advisory Board. Nidiant Corporation.
Moderator. OCM Boces Science Decathlon.
VI. Professional Development
A. Professional Honors and Awards (for teaching, research, outreach, etc.):
None
B. Professional Organizations:
1. Activities in Professional Organizations (Offices held, service as chairman,
member, participant or consultant)
None
2. Professional Society Membership
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Annual Report 2008-2009
J S Turner
Sigma Xi
3. Other Professional Activities:
a. Editorial activity
None
b. Reviewer
Journal(s)
No of manuscripts
University of Arizona Press (book)
1
University of California Press (book)
1
Journal of Zoology (London)
2
Physiological and Biochemical Zoology
1
Ecography
1
Ecological Entomology
1
Agency
No of proposals
US-Israel Binational Science Foundation
1
John D and Catherine T MacArthur
Foundation
1
National Geographic Society
1
c. Participation (workshops, symposia, etc)
Name of workshop, etc
Date
Place
European Science
Foundation Workshop on
the The Future of the
Extended Phenotype.
2-5 November
2008
Copenhagen,
Denmark
New York State Energy
Research and
Development Agency
Biomimicry Workshop
(New York Academy of
Sciences)
17 November
2008
New York, NY
C. Further Education/Re-training Undertaken, Leaves, Workshops, etc.
None
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Annual Report 2008-2009
J S Turner
D. Foreign Travel (where, when, what purpose)
Where
When
What purpose
Namibia
11 Aug-24 Aug 2008
Preparatory work for National
Geographic Society research
project on Macrotermes
biology in northern Namibia
Copenhagen,
Denmark
2-5 November 2008
To speak at and participate in
a European Science
Foundation Workshop on the
Future of the Extended
Phenotype
Nottingham, UK
6-10 November 2008
Planning meeting with project
partners on US Army
Research Office grant on
swarm cognition
Namibia
10 Dec-24 Dec 2008
Initiate experimental work for
National Geographic Society
research project on
Macrotermes biology in
northern Namibia
Namibia
16 Feb-23 Mar 2009
Ongoing work for National
Geographic and US Army
Research Office projects on
Macrotermes biology in
northern Namibia
Namibia
10 May-5 Jun 2009
Ongoing work for National
Geographic and US Army
Research Office projects on
Macrotermes biology in
northern Namibia
VII. Administrative and Service Responsibilities
A. Department-Level:
None
B. College-Level:
Served as a teaching evaluator for the promotion of Dr Kelley Donaghy to
Associate Professor.
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Annual Report 2008-2009
J S Turner
C. University Wide:
SU Senator.
Senate Committee on Appointments and Promotions
VIII. Summary Of Significant Activities And Accomplishments During This Reporting
Period, Especially Those Most Noteworthy And Relative To The College’s And
Department’s Mission. One paragraph on each of the following would be most helpful: this past
year, what have you done for our students, department/college, and self professionally? NOTE: The
information in this section (along with the supporting specific information elsewhere in this report)
should be your strongest case for being considered for a discretionary raise, which I’ll continue to
award based on your contributions to the department and college this reporting period.
I would say the most significant thing related both to our students and to the
College and Department was the approval of a new course to be taught by me,
EFB 200 Physics of Life, which will be offered for the first time in Fall 2009.
Bringing the teaching of physics back to ESF from SU has been something I have
been proposing for nearly 15 years, beginning with my service on Provost Tully’s
(now defunct) task force on physics and mathematics education at ESF. For
various reasons over the past 15 years, this idea has failed to gain traction. Last
year’s crisis in accessory instruction opened the way for this recommendation
finally to be adopted.
I expect the impact of this course to be significant, for two reasons.
One is the direct effect on ESF’s budget for accessory instruction. As of the end of
Spring 2009, roughly 82 students were enrolled in EFB 200. That has freed
roughly 330 accessory instruction credit hours that would have gone to support
students taking PHY 101 at SU (roughly $240,000) and freed those credit hours
and monies to support the original, and more desirable, intent of accessory
instruction: to enrich educational opportunities for ESF students. I expect these
savings to grow with the Fall 2009 matriculation.
Second, I intend to use this course as a vehicle for innovative delivery of course
materials to students. Over the Spring 2009 semester, I began to compile a variety
of video, audio and slide-show productions with the help of Christopher Baycura
in ITS. The aim is to have a variety of instructional materials available to students
both through the internet and through alternate electronic portals, such as iTunes,
YouTube and cell phones. I hope this course will be the test bed for similar
developments in a other courses offered at ESF.
On a personal professional level, I have launched two new research initiatives.
One, funded by the National Geographic Society, is concerned with water balance
issues for the mound building termites I study in Namibia. This has opened up a
new range of research questions, which I expect to be the subject of a larger
proposal to be submitted to the NSF in July. The other is a collaborative project in
swarm intelligence of termites, in partnership with the Neuroscience Department
at Nottingham University, and funded by the Neural and Cognitive Sciences
section of the US Army Research Office. We have completed our first year of
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Annual Report 2008-2009
J S Turner
field work on this project. This required a very heavy travel year, with four trips to
Namibia.
This past year has been a good publicity year. Africa Geographic has done a
feature article on us for their electronic magazine, with an article in their print
edition to come out some time in the near future. A crew from Discovery Channel
interviewed me in October for a special on animal architecture. I do not know the
broadcast date for this program. National Geographic magazine is doing an article
on our research, for which they commissioned the award-winning author Lisa
Margonelli (Oil on the Brain) for the text and the renowned insect photographer
Mark Moffett for the photos. I hosted both Lisa and Mark on our field site this
year.They expect the article to appear early in 2010. The Financial Times of
London is also doing a story on our work, to come out in the next few weeks.
In November 2008, I was one of the invited speakers at a European Science
Foundation workshop on the future of the extended phenotype concept in
evolution. I shared that honor with such luminaries as Richard Dawkins, Marcus
Feldman, and other leading evolutionary biologists.
A critique I wrote last year for The Christian Century on Intelligent Design theory
and the scientific response to it was selected for inclusion in an anthology, Best
American Spiritual Writing of 2008. Although there was nothing particularly
spiritual about the essay, it was nice to be included with luminary writers like
John Updike and others.
I continued to offer my major course, EFB 462 Animal PhysiologyEnvironmental
& Ecological. Enrollment in this course was up substantially from the previous
year.
For Spring 2009, I offered my intensive 12 credit research experience in Namibia.
It did not attract sufficient attention to run. Most of my “teaching” efforts in
Spring 2009 were devoted to preparing materials for the upcoming Physics of Life
course.
Ben Robedee completed his field work in Namibia for his Master’s degree and is
making good progress toward his degree. Ms Wendy Park is returning to campus
to complete her degree.
I am currently serving as ESF’s Senator to the SU Senate. This involves
committee service on the Senate Committee on Appointments and Promotions.
I continue as an active member of the degree program in Environmental Science.
I continue to serve as on the science advisory boardsfor Nidiant Corporation (an
architecture/design firm that was inspired by the ideas in my first book, The
Extended Organism.)
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Annual Report 2008-2009
J S Turner
IX. A. Future Plans, Ambitions, And Potential Contributions
for your own professional development and the enhancement of the program in environmental and
forest biology (brief summary)
The major new development will be the actual offering of EFB 200 Physics of
Life.
I have continued to flesh out my third book as a proposal to the John C Templeton
Foundation to fund a long-overdue sabbatical at Cambridge University. I expect to
know the status of that application before the end of June. If successful, I would
take sabbatical leave in Spring 2010 to return to campus in Fall 2010. The
proposal will provide support for writing this book. My ambition is for this book
to be published by a major commercial publisher. The second year of Templeton
funding would also support the development of a proposal for a documentary
project on new insights into evolutionary biology. To these ends, I have retained
the services of a literary agent, and have begun discussions with various
production companies for the production of this documentary.
I expect the special edition of the journal Cimbebasia will be released in 2010. =
Our work on termite nest water balance is opening up some interesting new
research thrusts, which will be the subject of a large proposal to the National
Science Foundation, to be submitted in July.
It has long been my ambition to turn the research farm where I work, the
Omatjenne Agricultural Research Station, into a world center of tropical research.
I have pending a pre-proposal to the National Science Foundation Partners in
International Research and Education (PIRE). I am awaiting word on whether a
full proposal will be invited. This would be a 5 year, $2,500,000 project.
Dr Rupert Soar are patenting a new concept for wind-powered ventilation of
buildings, based upon the insights that have come from our work on termite
mound structure and function. I have tried to secure funding for demonstration-ofconcept work from some local sources, including CARTI and ESF’s seed grant
program, but without success. We are doing some joint presentations in
September at an event in London, Pestival, where we hope to build partnerships
with architectural firms and venture capitalists to fund this work.
I have been invited to various workshops and other events in Europe this fall. I am
also one of the speakers at a SUNY Conversations in the Disciplines event, this
one of social cooperation and competition, to be held at Cornell in October.
I will continue to serve as SU Senator, and hope to see the formalization of the
Environmental Science program.
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J S Turner
VIII. B. Projected Activities for Next Year
1. Summer 2009:
a. Courses to be offered
none
Preparation for upcoming offering of EFB 200 Physics of Life
b. Proposed research activity:
Prepare for upcoming research
Continue to work on a new book
Continue to seek research funding
Prepare the special edition of Cimbebasia.
c. University, professional society and public service
SU Senator (and attendant committee service)
Scientific Advisory Board, Nidiant Corporation
2. Fall semester 2008
a. Course to be offered
EFB 200 – Physics of Life
EFB 462 - Animal Physiology - Ecological & Environmental
EFB 662 - Animal Physiology - Ecological & Environmental
b. Proposed research activity
Writing
Prepare for upcoming research in Namibia.
Continue to seek research funding
c. University, professional society and public service
SU Senator (and attendant committee service)
Scientific Advisory Board, Nidiant Corporation
3. Spring semester 2009:
a. Courses to be offered
Sabbatical (subject to funding)
b. Proposed research activity
Field research in Namibia
Write book
c. University, professional society and public service
Sabbatical (subject to funding)
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