Monday, March 23, 2009

Where's Amy?


Several folks have asked, “How’s Slovakia?”…. well, I really wouldn’t know. But I am learning about Slovenia (in red in the map above).

For those of you out there (like myself at first) who know nothing about Slovenia (and confuse it with Slovakia) here’s just a bit of information:

Slovenia is a nation of just over 2 million people bordered by Italy, Austria, Croatia, and Hungary. It is only approximately 7,800 square miles, about the size of New Jersey. Despite its small size, Slovenia is incredibly diverse: snow-capped mountains and alpine rivers in the north, rolling plains full of hops-producing fields to the east, and the beautiful Mediterranean coast on the west. By law, Slovenia must be kept at least 56% forested. The rest is dotted with about 83 square miles of vineyards – which accounts the all the great inexpensive wines available!

Slovenia was the first of the former Yugoslav Republics to declare its independence. In 1990, 88% of Slovenia’s population voted for independence, and on June 25, 1991, the Republic of Slovenia declared its independence. A nearly bloodless 10-day war with Yugoslavia followed, until Yugoslav forces withdrew. Slovenia has been a member of the UN since May 1992, and officially a member of NATO in 1994

Slovene is the official language, but many people understand English, German, Serbo-Croatian, Italian, and Hungarian. Ljubljana (pronounced: Loo – bli – ana) is the capital with approximately 300,000 people. We have visited the capital twice now and both times are delighted to find ourselves in such a charming historical city. Maribor (where we are living) is in the Northeastern part of the country and is the second largest city.

Maribor is an interesting old city. Parts are extremely modern and developed and some parts seem to be a step back in time. The history is rich and long here – apparently continuous human settlement since the bronze age (1600 B.C.). The square near our apartment has witnessed speeches by Adoph Hitler (Maribor was part of the southern expansion of the Axis invasion) and two popes. Old cobbled streets and pedestrian walkways lined with plenty of outdoor cafes and markets create a very appealing atmosphere. We are really enjoying exploring this interesting town. Maribor boasts the oldest grape vine in the world (400 years old and still produces grapes for wine) and a wine cellar that runs under much of the city.

Let me know if you have any questions about Slovenia – we are trying to learn all that we can.

Friday, March 20, 2009

Antlions, oh my...

Antlion adult collected by Dušan Devetak.

The larvae of most antlion species (Neuroptera: Myrmeleontidae) are sand-dwelling insects, but only a few of them construct conical pits in dry, loose sand to capture prey. While antlion larvae feed on a variety of arthropods, ants usually constitute the majority of prey items. The pit is an efficient trap, with slopes steep enough to guide the prey to the antlions waiting mandibles, and shallow enough to avoid the likelihood of avalanches. The larvae have large mandibles with which to grab the prey when they fall into the pit. The adults of antlions are short-lived relative to the larvae and are lacey-winged with long antennae and abdomen.

Playing in the sandbox...

Dr. Devetak working in the lab.

Picture of our experimental set-up

The research that I am conducting with Dušan Devetak at the University of Maribor involves investigating the substrate in which antlion larvae choose to build their pits. We are particularly interested in the relationship between the proportions of particle sizes of the substrate the larvae are naturally found relative to what they choose in the lab if given a range of choices. There are two species of antlion that live in the hills around Maribor. In April we will go collect both species and introduce them to “cakes” that we create with eight choices of substrate (sand) particle size. We will compare the larvae choice with samples from pits created in their natural habitat. We will also look at pit-building decisions in the presence of competition. This study will be repeated with a North American antlion, Myrmeleon immaculatus, that I will send to Dušan from Maine this summer. Right now we are running trials with 12 antlion larvae that Dušan brought back from Yemen this winter. Dušan and I are always joking that we are like children playing in the sandbox!

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Dober Dan...

Last night I was exhausted. The Slovene language swirls around me all day – I sit in my office and listen to people discuss, shout (excitement, anger?), shriek and giggle. My brain processes these sounds and listens for words it understands (prosim (please/excuse me), Hvala (thank you), Dober Dan (hello/good day) plus few others..). Slovene is a difficult language. I feel incredibly illiterate in the face of these people who speak English, German, Slovene, Italian and often French. It is good to be in the minority, to be in a different culture and place – but at times I miss understanding the conversations that go on about me…

The faculty here are excellent. They all conduct interesting research and are highly published. I attended a diploma defense – which is essentially a senior thesis defense. The young woman had cataloged the neuropterans in the collection and mapped the range of each family. She seemed fairly knowledgeable when grilled by the 3-person committee. Her study was impressively hard bound and formally signed by everyone on the committee. The best part was that her mother brought bread, meat, cheese and wine for everyone for after the defense (it was 10:00 in the morning). I lectured right after the defense feeling fine! This event inspires me to work with my Unity colleagues to improve our thesis program – we could use more consistency in quality and type of project, and, most importantly, we could really use a nice party afterwards to celebrate!

Monday, March 9, 2009

First Day of Teaching!


Thursday morning I taught my first course to Slovenian students. There were about 45 students in the class, most of whom are similar to our sophomore biology majors. The students speak very good English, although they seem very shy. I am hoping to get to know them, but the system here seems to discourage much interaction between students and faculty (faculty eat separately, and even have their own bathrooms). The students said that they have never seen a syllabus with course objectives, and they have never been required to discuss anything. Typically courses are delivered as lectures, and the students take exams during the summer and fall on that material. They can attempt to pass the exam up to five times. My colleagues here tell me that students rarely go to lecture….. we’ll see.

I decided to push my students a bit and require them to read some simple journal articles, write a summary and then be prepared to discuss their thoughts on the paper in class. When I announced that they would be required to do this three times during the semester – I could see some panic on their faces. I quickly assured them that they would work in groups and that I would not put anyone on the spot. It will be interesting to see if they open up to a type of pedagogy that they are not used to. I will report on how it goes.

Sunday, March 1, 2009

Getting Ready

It has been an honor to receive a Fulbright Lecture Award. I am excited to cross the Atlantic and work with colleagues and students in Slovenia at the University of Maribor this spring. The semester begins this week and I am busy getting ready for my new teaching adventure!

The State Department would like to make sure I clearly state: “this is not an official Department of State website, and the views and information presented are my own and do not represent the Fulbright Program or the Department of State.”

I intend for this blog to be a way to communicate to the Unity College community (and others) about my experience with students and faculty in Slovenia. I look forward to your comments and questions!


Here is one of the very picturesque squares (trgs) in the center of Maribor.