Dave
Miller
Program Director
Contact info
Office:
Merry Lea
Phone: (260) 799-5869
E-mail: davejm@goshen.edu
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Dave
Miller Contact info Office:
Merry Lea |
Did
you know? Some species of birds are what is known as determinate egg layers. This means they will always lay a fixed number of eggs. If you remove an egg before they begin to incubate, they will continue laying until they achieve this number. Mallard ducks have been known to lay 100 eggs in the attempt to complete their clutch. Flickers will lay as many as 70 eggs. |
Education B.A. Eastern Mennonite College, 1964 M.S., University of Delaware, 1972 Ph.D., Michigan State University, 1977 How I became an entomologist I was always interested in spiritual things, even as a child. I was also interested in the natural world. Only as I began to study natural history as an adult did I realize that these two passions are interconnected. During college, I majored in Bible and philosophy, but I also took a zoology course and became fascinated by the incredible diversity of the insect world. Later I decided to pursue entomology. Ideas that matter to me I believe that all creatures and all ecosystems have inherent value, independent of their utility to the human race—even mosquitoes. Because they are created by God, loved by God and are part of a good system, they are good. The more we learn to love God, the more we love what God loves. The classes I teach and how I teach them I teach Ornithology and Entomology on alternating years. I also teach a week-long graduate course designed for elementary educators: Ecology for Teachers. More than anything else, I hope that my students will recognize that the natural world is an integral part of their lives and it is all one piece, not a fragment. I view teaching as a cooperative effort between the students and the teacher. I see my students as peers—not necessarily in knowledge, but as curious adults who are serious about learning what I have to share. If I can’t answer a question a student asks, I admit it and then go find the answer to the questions. My favorite part of teaching is being with students in the field or in the laboratory, looking at specimens. I also love sharing the occasional “Ain’t it neat!” parts of the natural world with them. I have my students write their own exams. After each session, I have them submit three test questions. A week before the exam, I give the class a list of all the questions they submitted and perhaps several of my own to fill in the gaps. I then choose the exam from these questions. This takes some of the stress out of learning. What students say "This is the type of course teachers should love because it was so experiential." "I appreciated that we spent so much time outdoors observing." “Loved the class and I learned a ton. I came out with a whole new respect for insects.” My
role in Merry Lea’s new graduate program in Environmental Education Selected
Publications |