'Long, thin, and cool as hell' was how parasitologist Thomas Platt described the new genus and species of trematode (Baracktrema obamai) he named in honor of the 44th USA president and his 5th cousin, Barack Obama. The story of Baracktrema was picked up by over 200 news outlets worldwide, providing a fitting swansong to an illustrious career revisited in this part-personal and part-scientific memoir.Platt's road to success was not initially smooth. Faced with a brutal tenure rejection at the start of his career, he was told that 'You are not the type of person we want to invest in for the next 30 years.' After a brief stint in the business world, Platt bounced back in spectacular fashion by embarking on a successful 28-year career at Saint Mary's College in South Bend, Indiana. He traveled extensively in search of new species of parasitic worms, from neighboring Costa Rica to the far-flung reaches of Australia and Malaysia. His love of turtles and their parasites led to the discovery of 30 new species, 11 new genera, and international recognition. He provides perspectives on the places and people encountered along the way, details of interactions with wildlife, as well as interesting and accessible insights into parasite behavior in the external environment and with their hosts.SMALL SCIENCE is an inspiring story of an unexceptional high school student's path through college, graduate school, the academy, and a successful research career in 'small science' — the science of parasites, and the science of work accomplished in the margins, in the time carved out from a heavy teaching load, committee assignments, and mentoring dedicated undergraduate women in the joy of scientific discovery.
Contents:
- Preface
- The Parasite and the President
- Small Science
- In Defense of Parasites
- The Beginning
- Hiram College
- Bowling Green State University
- The University of Alberta
- The University of Richmond
- Saint Mary's College
- Turtle Blood Flukes
- The Worm Where Nothing is Where It's Supposed To Be
- Ten Months Away from Home
- Australian Research
- Student Research
- Costa Rica
- Are You Smarter than a Trematode? I — Cercariae
- Interregnum
- Are You Smarter than a Trematode? II — Adults
- The Art Exhibit
- Heroism in Student Research — Trematode Eggs
- The 30-Year Project
- Malaysia
- Student Research — Finally, A Taxonomic Study
- Publications by TR Platt
- Acknowledgments
- About the Author
Readership: The primary audience will be university faculty and students, especially those in Zoology, Parasitology, Taxonomy, Systematic Biology, Helminthology, Marine Biology, and Ecology. It would also appeal to those interested in Higher Education and Women in Science. Other potential readers are those in the General Public who turn to non-fiction for both pleasure and information and are interested in the workings of higher education and scientific investigation — and are intrigued by the parasites they never want to encounter outside the pages of a book.
Key Features:
- Tells an inspiring story of an unexceptional high school student's path through college, graduate school, the academy, and a successful research career
- Presents a first-hand account of the discovery of Baracktrema obamai and the subsequent press coverage
- Provides fascinating insights into parasite behavior in the external environment and with their hosts, as well as interesting observations of living, working, and traveling in Australia, Malaysia, Costa Rica, and Great Britain
