CAREER TRENDS IN MAMMALOGY

A survey of individual members of The American Society of Mammalogists (ASM) was conducted in 1990 to quantify emerging career trends and ed ucational needs in the field of mammalogy. Results were compared with a similar questionnaire of ASM members in 1978 and indicated that the number of female mammalogists, though still relatively low, has more t han doubled during the past decade. However, representation among Afri can-Americans and Hispanics has remained low. Results showed greater i ncrease in the interdisciplinary nature of employment among mammalogis ts compared to the actual interdisciplinary training received by indiv iduals during their academic career. There also has been an increased emphasis on research as the primary responsibility of mammalogists in their current positions. This has been accompanied by a decreased emph asis on teaching. The survey also showed a shift to older age classes, indicating lack of recruitment of graduate students into mammalogy.