Dispatches From The Field

15 July, 2003 -- Ted Gilliland

If we as ecological scientists are not using the result of our research to benefit the local people and the environment where we work, then we are not justified in being here. That is why I spent the day in the village school showing children the insects that I have collected for my research. Chris Golden, a member of the Fossa Research Team from Harvard University, is responsible for an environmental education project in Andranafantsika, and I came in to show the children my collection on the day they were discussing insects.

When I arrived, I sat in the back of a open-aired, dirty (by American standards), and very under-equipped classroom jam packed full of bright, shinning, smiling students. There were four, maybe five students to a desk that could comfortably seat two. The most amazing part is that these classes fill up with seventy students every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday even though the students are now on their vacation from regular school.

I focus on insects, and I can assure you that the thought of bringing extremely valuable (in terms research significance) and extremely fragile insect specimens into a class full of grabbing, curious youngsters would probably terrify any entomologist. I tried not to worry about it as I walked around the room stopping at each desk, but as I did this, Madagascar and its people surprised me once again. Not even one student grabbed, pushed, squealed, or whined. They were remarkably well behaved, and I can only figure that it is a cultural difference that has come about from living in a tough-love environment. Even if they had squealed and whined, showing the wide eyed students my work still would have been one of the highlights of my summer.

Before we put up world maps in the classroom, the only thing written on the stained plaster walls of the village schoolroom was “Education is the most precious background,” and in my eyes, if we are not contributing to that education with our research, we might as well not even conduct it.