Science and Natural History discussion

Friends, scientists, and geeks, lend me your earbuds. I have come to bury my nose in science books. My name is Dave and I majored in Geology at Ohio State and U of Akron during the 80's but I now work in Information Technologies. While you can argue that computers are scientific, I miss Geology and the other sciences I enjoyed as a student. I thought a group like this would help me stay in touch. I look forward to the discussions to come.

David wrote: "Friends, scientists, and geeks, lend me your earbuds. I have come to bury my nose in science books. My name is Dave and I majored in Geology at Ohio State and U of Akron during the 80's but I now..."

Welcome David! Hope you are enjoying the group so far. It's always great to read about science loves put to one side over time. Glad to hear you want to reconnect with some of your favourites.

Hello there!
I am a student in Upper Secondary School, in Norway, which hopefully in time will become a science teacher of sorts.

I haven't really decided which fields I find to be most interesting, but have read quite bit of astronomy (and lots of others) in the books of Carl Sagan. Also read some Dawkins. Lately it's been short books more focused on one discovery and the history surrounding it, but I'm thinking I want to read about the fundamentals of physics next.

Glad I've found you, this isn't the first place one finds when typing 'Science' into the group search to say the least.

Hi Kristoffer and a warm welcome to the group. I like your topics of choice for reading. Physics is also something that I'm also drawn to.

I hope you're enjoying the summer in Norway. I spent a couple of weeks in your country a number of years ago and thought it was stunning. I didn't see any trolls though. Sad times.

hello I'm Spencer I am an environmental studies student with a concentrate in geology, my main interest with regards to scientific literature are in the fields of ecology and specifically the relationship between biotic and abiotic processes.

Hello, I am Velinka and I love books and science. My undergradute degrees are in Comparative Literature, Spanish and Biology. I had hard time deciding between languages and science, but at the end I realized science is far more challenging and interesting. I decided to get MS in Biomedical Sciences and hopefully one day I will work on my PhD.

I like to read books about anything related to science, but I am especially interested in the evolution and ecology. I have to admit I do not read as much as I would like, since I am very busy with school.

Hello, everyone. My name is Amber and I'm addicted to Science. My undergraduate degrees are in Psychology and Biology (with an emphasis on Cell). I am trying to get into a nice Master's program in either Psychology or Biology. I am currently living in the Washington, D.C. metro area, but I'm originally from Texas.

Although my college education has been geared towards the biological side of Science, I have a true-hearted love for Physics (especially Quantum).

I joined here because I am hoping that I can find like-minded, interesting people with whom I can discuss books of a scientific nature. :)

Hello all! My name is Oné and I am a husband, a father of three and a baldie who also happens to be a University Professor and scientist. I love science! (do I really need to say it?). I recently got the writing bug and I have been writing a blog (mostly about science) for the last year and a half or so. If any of you is interested to read it, I can post the link. Hoping to have nice conversations here!

Greetings from the Pacific Northwest of the United States. I am a retired business owner and earlier Professor of Psychology with an undergraduate background and abiding interest in science. Most recently, I enjoyed reading The Violinist's Thumb and, in this group, anticipate being introduced to a range of science and natural history books and ideas.

Hello fellow science and nature lovers. My name is Kayla from the Canadian West. I did my undergraduate in the field of environmental science and love anything and everything to do with the earth sciences (soil science in particular...(not dirt...soil)). I look forward to some good reads.

Good day! I'm Diana and I'm located in San Francisco, CA. I teach at a public high school and I teach my students AP Biology. I have a background in Entomology but I just love all topics in biology though my weakest would be in microbiology. I truly enjoy reading and I read to keep up with all the changing thoughts in biology. I often comment about the books I read but I'd say most of my friends don't share my passion for the biological sciences and it feels rather lonely being the only one in my circle of friends who read what I read. So I've searched and found this group. Hoorah!

Hello Everyone,
My name is Devinder Dhiman. I am a marine engineer and interested in reading general physics pertaining to creation of universe. I have read 'A Brief History of Time' and 'The Grand Design' by Stephen Hawking. I have also written a book titled 'Lines of Space'. I read fiction books also and wish to join this group.

Hello, I'm Valerie,
I just joined Goodreads and am so excited about finding new books to dive into. I found this group while looking for more books in the natural history area. I work for the National Park Service. My current park is a cultural history park but my passion is really for the natural world, as it turns out the two go hand in hand.
I am looking forward to the book for Jan 2013, Feathers.

My name is Elizabeth and I'm 24 years old. I work as a teacher in a daycare. I primarily work with toddlers though I have experience with all age groups. Anyway, I have a BA in psychology and I did two minors, one in English with a concentration in literature and the other in Medieval Studies. I am going back to school in August to study education and either microbiology, molecular biology, or anthropology. My ultimate goal is to become a third grade teacher.

I have an interest in biology (this was an interest that I discovered fairly recently, actually), chemistry, and astronomy. My boyfriend, whom I live with, shares my interest in science though he tends to favor physics more than any other area. Anyway, I look forward to making new friends and taking part in book discussions.

-Elizabeth

Hello -- I'm DeLene and I just joined Goodreads a few weeks ago. I'm a science writer and I also love to read science and nature books... though as a new mom, I don't have as much time to read as I used to! For fun, I write book reviews on my personal blog, Wild Muse (http://sciencetrio.wordpress.com/book...). I used to work for the Florida Museum of Natural History as their in-house science writer, while I was in grad school for Interdisciplinary Ecology, and now I freelance. Western North Carolina is my home.

Hello everyone,

I was casting about GoodReads looking for a group that focused on nonfiction when I stumbled on this group. My interests are very broad, but I have longstanding interests in science (with no formal background in it, though I once had a gig editing for a group of toxicologists) and natural history (my particular hobby-horse there is Alfred Russel Wallace). My husband of thirty-seven years is a scientist in a very cross-disciplinary field, and so to some extent his interests have rubbed off on me.

I obtained degrees in history (concentrating on European) and linguistics (applied) ages ago... but at this point, I'm not sure how relevant that is. Over time my reading tastes, like some light-deprived houseplant, have crept toward the window of nonfiction. I was happy to see that several of the books recently discussed here and on the table for future discussion are ones I've enjoyed or that are on my to-read list.

Looking forward to participating in this group. Oh, and I know the topic is closed, but I'm hoping that The Species Seekers will make the cut at some point as I've been meaning to read it.

Thanks, Steve. My linguistics background at this juncture is rather rusty, but I do like a good adventure tale.

Hello again all! I wanted to mention that from time to time I post book reviews in my blog:

baldscientist.wordpress.com

I also post science-related thoughts and musings...

Hello, I live in Leeds, England, have a degree in earth sciences and, on occasion, make natural history and science documentaries.

I'm looking forward to recommendations from the group. The most recent natural history book I've read is the wonderful The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival by John Vaillant which shows how much I need to catch up with. Any suggestions?

I'm looking forward to what the group has to say in its discussion and would be happy to make friends with anyone else interested in science and natural history.

Hello everyone! My name is Karin, and I love reading natural history & science. I'm a biology professor living between Kansas City Missouri & Heredia, Costa Rica. My field of specialization is animal behavior, and I've done most of my work in the tropics. I've been on Goodreads for just over a year, but only recently found this group. Glad to be here!

Hello everyone! My name is Liz, I'm 24. I've been on Goodreads for awhile, but I'm finally getting around to joining some groups. Currently I work as a technician for a retinal specialist, although I hope to go back to school sometime in the near future. I am interested in just about everything, from physics and cosmology to natural history and psychology. I don't have many people in my life I can have discussions with about those kinds of things, which is what motivated me to join this community!

Hello, hello,
Like Liz, I've been on Goodreads a while but haven't joined many groups until now.
I'm from the other great southern land; OK, it's not all that big: New Zealand.
Good science books: what can I say? The pleasure of finding things out. Learning how the world works, how life expanded and changed over the centuries. It's amazing!

Matthew wrote: "Hello, hello,
Like Liz, I've been on Goodreads a while but haven't joined many groups until now.
I'm from the other great southern land; OK, it's not all that big: New Zealand.
Good science books: ..."

Hi, Matthew! (And all the rest I haven't welcomed)
I'll have to echo your sentiments about learning science and science in general. Hopefully we will select some good science books as Group Reads and get some discussions running.

Hi to all. I'm Rise. I'm from the Philippines, specifically from Palawan Biosphere Reserve. My background is in geomatics and environmental management. My work is in the sector of sustainable development. I'm interested in GIS, remote sensing, climate change, and land use planning.

Hi everyone ..
I'm Je-an.
I love reading, especially reading the books in my field .. By the I am a sophomore student taking up Bachelor of Science in Biology that's why I wanted to discover and learned everything on it. Thanks God and especially to the admin because this group was created ..
God bless =)

I have been involved in geoscience education initiatives for over 25 years with youth, the general public, and a learning institute for retired people in Colorado Springs. I contributed chapters to 3 books: Field Trips in the Southern Rocky Mountains, USA, Field Guide 5, The Paleontology of the Upper Eocene Florissant Formation, Colorado, and The World’s Greatest Gold Camp: An Introduction to the History of the Cripple Creek and Victor Mining District. I teach one or two graduate classes on geoscience courses for the Colorado School of Mines in the Special Programs and Continuing Education (SPACE) department. I love to ski, fly fish, hike, and spending time with my wife. I maintain a blog on my work at this URL:
http://coloradoearthscience.blogspot....

Hi everyone, My name is Paul. I have been a member for a while, and have participated in a few of the group reads, but realised that I had not introduced myself.
I live in Dorset very near the coast in the UK. I am a voracious reader of all sorts of books, primarily non fiction but I am reading more fiction these days. I trained in electronics and mechanical engineering, and I am married to a scientist, who now teaches chemistry. Feel free to add me as a friend.

Hi. I'm Jane. I'm retired from working at a university press where I was contracts and subsidiary rights manager. I belong to a face-to-face women's book club here in Athens, GA, and we read very eclecticly. I don't have a science background (majored in anthropology--mostly social & cultural), but I love to read and am very interested in reading more science and natural history. The books I've seen mentioned in this group seem fascinating!

Hello all,

I am a young curious, named Sajjad, from Iran, Tehran. I study physics and usually like to know more in physics, astronomy, environment, history and more!
I found the group by searching and I wish to enjoy it.
:)

Hi everyone,
I'm Kara. I'm working on a PhD in evolutionary biology, and while I'm fairly up to date on the research literature, I'm woefully behind on books written about science. My particular field is evolutionary biomechanics--mostly of fishes. I'm looking forward to diving in with everyone!

Hi I'm retired from software requirements analysis. My background is economic geography, my passions are too many. Theoretical astrophysics, genetics, neuroscience, cognitive zoology, materials science, systems and organizational theory and better living through phyto-chemistry all ring my chimes. Looking forward to good questions and outrageous assertions.

Hello, I'm Magda. I study biology in Prague, Czech republic and currently I focus on evolutionary parasitology (parasite-host coevolution). I'm fond especially of parasitology, however biology in general truly fascinates me. One of the things I love the most are the evenings I spend in the lecture room with a cup of hot tea, surrounded by the people as fanatical as me, listening to what's new in biology and discussing it :)
I'm also interested in classical literature (especially Greco-Roman classics and Italian renaissance), however since I went to university my "literature time" means mainly textbooks and Web of Science.
I see the group reads discussions aren't very live here, which I think is a pity because with so many members experienced in so many fields they might be fun and very interesting (maybe also helpful for some of us). I can't join January read as this is the month of exams but I'm looking forward to joining you in February :)

Hi everyone, I'm Matt. Currently living in New Jersey and working in New York as a webmaster for a nonprofit. Looking forward to joining the group read in February.

Magdalena wrote: "Hello, I'm Magda. I study biology in Prague, Czech republic and currently I focus on evolutionary parasitology (parasite-host coevolution). I'm fond especially of parasitology, however biology in g..."

Hi Magda, I noticed the low participation too. I poured a cup of coffee and made two posts today to stir the pot on the January book we are reading. We shall see what happens!

Matt wrote: "Hi everyone, I'm Matt. Currently living in New Jersey and working in New York as a webmaster for a nonprofit. Looking forward to joining the group read in February."

Hello Matt. This is a good group and they select very good books to read. You will enjoy it. I live in Colorado and I am surrounded by science. An active gold mine is 30 minutes down the road. I live next to the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument and there are topaz and other gems in the area. I am an hour away from Garden Park where Cope and Marsh hunted dinosaurs in the 1870s.

Steven wrote: "Matt wrote: "Hi everyone, I'm Matt. Currently living in New Jersey and working in New York as a webmaster for a nonprofit. Looking forward to joining the group read in February."

Hello Matt. This ..."

Thanks, Steven. Sounds like you live in a great area :) ...looking forward to reading the books with yourself and the rest of the group.

Hello Everyone,

I was delighted to see Richard Dawkins' book up for a group read. It's one I haven't read, but I'll get to it soon as possible.

I am a landscape and vegetation ecologist with growing interests in wildlife. For plants and animals, the news hasn't been good lately, and I've become concerned with nature conservation.

I started an online nature advocacy newspaper (http://scoop.it/t/ecoscifi), and I've been writing blog posts that describe issues in nature conservation.

I have a question (it isn't a new question, but I am curious about your answers): How important is it for scientists to explain and promote their work to non-scientists? I am very interested in your opinions.

Thank you so much for your ideas.

Garry

Garry - Oh my goodness....I think it is mandatory and imperative that scientists explain and promote their work to the public. Absolutely. And it's a major tick-off to me that our Canadian federal government has been shutting down scientists and closing up shop and redirecting funds to non-scientific sources. I find that not only appalling, a breach of trust, and "outright silly" but it also doesn't bode well for knowing what it happening to the ecology and the environment. I'm totally opposed to such tactics and encourage you to keep talking through your blog.

Hi everyone :)

I´m a 30 year old engineer from Mexico City. While I´m not a scientist, I have a lot of love and interest for science and it´s impact on human life.

I´m pretty new to GR. I mostly read fantasy & science fiction but I do like to include a couple science / non-fiction books every now and then. My favorite non-fiction books include A Short History of Nearly Everything and pretty much anything by Carl Sagan.

Welcome to the group Paolo. We read a wide variety of books.--Steve

Hi I'm Brooke. I'm relatively new to reading science books although I've been interested in science for as long as I can remember. I'm pretty young in comparison to most of you guys, seeing as I only finished high school last year. I will be studying Biomedical Science next year, but for now I'm having a year off (not entirely, I'm doing some university lab experience) in lovely New Zealand.
I'm looking forward to learning new things with this group. Feel free to add me if we have similar reading tastes!

Hi, everyone, I am new to the group. Full disclosure: I am an author and nature writer, with a BS in Conservation and Natural Resources and MFA in writing and about ten published books. I was a back-to-the-lander in the 1980s when we thought being rural and hiking a lot in the wilderness was on the cutting edge of environmental activism. I still live in the country and hike a lot in the wilderness but realize that the way to protect our natural world (from us) is to work for green cities and live in them. I've just finished reading Countdown by Alan Weisman, about over-population (a much more fun and interesting book than that sounds) and wonder if books like that could be part of this group, too. I'm a scientific pantheist, which means I think the universe with all its properties and laws is an organic whole worthy of our gratitude and reverence. Life is good in the world of scientific pantheism, and I am fortunate to live and write in a place where I can see javalinas and bobcats and sandhill cranes. My best to you all.

Greetings Sharman, I am glad you joined our group. I am sure you sill make many contributions. You live in a great state--I try to visit New Mexico as often as I can.

Hi everyone! I am also new to this group. I am an Undergrad student from India, studying the final year of my Biotechnology course. A book freak, would read up any nonfiction at hand. Based on what i read, i frame activity sessions for freshmen in college to help them appreciate science even better. I freak out at how shortsighted, narrow minded human activities affect global phenomena like whether, ecology etc. I always get involved with any activity that seeks to promote or lay foundations to the idea of sustainable development. Am working on towards becoming a Citizen Scientist. That's pretty much me.
My reading preferences stretch across the dimensions of nonfiction literature, mostly in life science.
Feel free to send me recommendations brothers and sisters!

Vish, there are so many opportunities in citizen science! Go to the site SciStarter for programs mostly in the US but many of them could be started anywhere...

Thanks a lot Sharman!

Welcome to the group, Sharman and Vish :)

People, if you know of, or happen to come across any 'work from home' Science writing Internship opportunities kindly post.

I am the scientist/author of The Speed of Light and on book tour. Last stop was Texas A&M in College Station. Next is the North Houston Astronomy Club meeting September 26. The book is now available on Amazon, Kindle, and other stores!

Hi everybody, I am Jan from Germany. I studied humanities (film, theatre, TV, literature and philosophy) and I am very interested in anthropology, biology, history, sociology, art and the impact of science on society and our future as human beings. I eventually engaged in politics. And I am a writer.