Teaching

Mark J. Wetzel has served as an invited lecturer for universities, colleges, institutions, and agencies, in K-12 schools, and during professional society meetings over the years.  His primary teaching experiences have been focused on organizing and presenting workshops (commonly 2-3 days in length) for professional biologists. An introduction and listing of past workshops is presented here.


Taxonomic Workshops

Titles, dates, and venues for taxonomic workshops I have organized and presented (and co-organized / co-presented with the invaluable assistance and guidance from numerous colleagues on several occasions) are presented below.  Each has focused on freshwater Annelida, with emphasis on the aquatic Oligochaeta of North America. Numerous colleagues over the last 40 years have provided encouragement, advice, and unselfishly shared their expertise with me – in particular, Ralph O. Brinkhurst, R. Deedee Kathman, Kathryn A. Coates, Steven V. Fend, Donald J. Klemm, William Moser, Stuart R. Gelder, Tarmo Timm, Rüdiger M. Schmelz, Warren U. Brigham, Walter J. Harman, Jack D. Unzicker, Alison R. Brigham, Milton W. Sanderson, Donald W. Webb, and John W. Reynolds. Without their support and enthusiasm for excellence in taxonomy, systematics, and nomenclature, I would not have been able to prepare and present the following workshops. The past and present Executive Committee members of the Society for Freshwater Science (SFS) (formerly, the Midwest Benthological Society (MBS, 1953-1975, then the North American Benthological Society (NABS), 1975-2011] have been extremely supportive of taxonomic training, especially through their underwriting of taxonomic workshops and taxonomy fairs at annual meetings. In 2001, the Society’s Technical Issues Committee established the Taxonomic Certification Subcommittee to develop a certification program for aquatic macroinvertebrate taxonomists throughout North America. This subcommittee met in Annapolis, MD, in mid-January 2003 to establish the mechanics and testing procedures for this certification program. This subcommittee was then elevated to standing committee status (as the NABS Taxonomic Certification Committee to develop the mechanics and procedures for the Society’s Taxonomic Certification Program (TCP) at the 51st annual Society meeting in Athens, GA, in May 2003. Dr. Trefor B. Reynoldson (Acadia University, Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada) was chosen to serve as the TCP coordinator. Trefor retired from this position in December 2008.  Dr. Murray Colbo was chosen as T.B. Reynoldson’s successor to coordinate the TCP; he retired from this position in 2017.  Administration of the SFS TCP was then assumed by Stroud Water Research Center in Pennsylvania.  Please visit the SFS TCP website for additional information, including testing procedures, list of recognized experts, and information regarding submission of identified and verified specimens for use during tests administered through this program.


Taxonomic workshops prepared, conducted By M. J. Wetzel (and in collaboration with others, as noted)

  1. “The Distribution, Ecology, Systematics, and Taxonomy of Aquatic Annelida in the Midwest.” Presented to scientific staff of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, National Fisheries Contaminant Research Center, Columbia, Missouri; December 1990.
  2. “Aquatic Annelida (Aclitellata and Clitellata) in the Southeast, with emphasis on distribution, ecology, systematics, and taxonomy.” Presented to scientific staff at Duke Power Company, Huntersville, NC; October 1991.
  3. “As the Worm Turns, and In Search of Opportunity: Aquatic Annelida (Aclitellata and Clitellata) in the West.” Presented to biology staff and students at Northern Arizona University, Department of Biological Sciences, Flagstaff; November 1991.
  4. “The Distribution, Ecology, Systematics, and Taxonomy of Aquatic Annelida in the Southeastern United States.” Presented to scientific staff and students of various universities, state agencies, and private consulting firms, hosted by Normandeau Associates, Inc. and Clemson University, in Clemson, SC, 11-13 November 1992.
  5. “Aquatic Oligochaeta occurring in the northeastern United States.” Presented to biology staff and students at Castleton State College, Castleton, VT; October 1993.
  6. “The Distribution, Ecology, Systematics, and Taxonomy of Annelida in North America.” Presented to scientific staff at the National Water Quality Assessment Program, U.S. Geological Survey, Arvada, CO; {Part I – November 1995}.
  7. “The aquatic Annelida of North America: Introduction, general distribution, ecology, taxonomy, and systematics, with emphasis on collection, processing, slide mounting, and identification of specimens.” Presented to scientific staff of the Department of Zoology, Göteborg University, Göteborg, Sweden, April 1996.
  8. “The Distribution, Ecology, Systematics, and Taxonomy of Annelida in North America.” Presented to scientific staff at the National Water Quality Assessment Program, U.S. Geological Survey, Arvada, CO; {Part II – March 1997}.
  9. “The aquatic Annelida of North America: Introduction, general distribution, ecology, taxonomy, and systematics, with emphasis on collection, processing, slide mounting, and identification of specimens occurring in the southeastern United States.” Presented to scientific staff of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Tampa; 2-3 November 1998.
  10. “Introduction to the collection, processing, identification of freshwater Oligochaeta.” Presented to scientific staff of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Missouri Department Conservation, and University of Missouri faculty, staff, and graduate students, at the Enns Museum of Entomology, University of Missouri, Columbia; 6-7 March 2000.
  11. “Taxonomy, Systematics, and Ecology of Aquatic Oligochaeta.” An all-day workshop, underwritten by the Technical Issues Committee of the North American Benthological Society (NABS) and the US Environmental Protection Agency; organized and co-presented by Mark J. Wetzel, R. Deedee Kathman (Aquatic Resources Center, College Grove, TN), Steven V. Fend (US Geological Survey, Menlo Park, CA), and Kathryn A. Coates (Bermuda Biological Station for Research, Inc.), Sunday 28 May 2000, at the 48th Annual Meeting of NABS at Keystone Resort, Colorado. This workshop was underwritten by a non-construction grant from the U.S. EPA, through the North American Benthological Society (NABS) Technical Issues Committee (TIC). Our appreciation is extended to Susan Jackson (U.S. EPA), Susan Davies (Chair, NABS TIC), and Kim Haag (Treasurer, NABS) for their assistance in procurement of funding for this 2000 workshop. These funds also supported the preparation and publication of a workshop workbook (Wetzel et al. 2000). This 2000 workbook is now out of print; it has been superseded by several updated and expanded versions, compiled for use during subsequent workshops, listed below.
  12. Two-day workshop on taxonomy of aquatic Oligochaeta was presented 16-17 March 2005 to bioassessment personnel at Duke Energy facilities, Huntersville, NC.
  13. An introductory course on identification of aquatic Oligochaeta was presented to participants of the 31st meeting of the Carolinas Area Benthologists Workshop, Duke Energy facilities, Huntersville, NC. 18 March 2005.
  14. Three-day workshop on taxonomy, systematics, and ecology of the aquatic Oligochaeta and Branchiobdellidae of North America, with emphasis on the fauna occurring in Florida [co-presented with S.V. Fend and K.A. Coates, S.R. Gelder, and R.D. Kathman]; 21-23 February 2006, at the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) Bureau of Laboratories facility in Tallahassee. This workshop was presented to professional bioassessment personnel employed by /under contract to the FDEP.
  15. Three-day workshop on taxonomy, systematics, and ecology of the aquatic Oligochaeta of North America, with emphasis on the fauna occurring in Florida; 9-11 May 2006, at the University of Florida Department of Entomology and Nematology, Gainesville, FL. This workshop was presented to participants of the annual spring workshop associated with / underwritten by the Florida Association of Benthologists.
  16. “Introduction to the taxonomy, systematics, and ecology of freshwater oligochaetes (Annelida, Clitellata) of North America.” An intensive half-day workshop presented to participants at the annual meeting of the Association of Mid-Atlantic Aquatic Biologists (AMAAB), convened at Cacapon State Park, near Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, Thursday, 3 April 2008.
  17. “Introduction to the taxonomy, systematics, and ecology of freshwater oligochaetes (Annelida, Clitellata) of North America, with emphasis on species occurring in Missouri and adjacent states.” A three-day workshop, sponsored and underwritten by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources Environmental Services Program, and convened in the Agriculture Building on the campus of the University of Missouri – Columbia, 6-8 January 2009.
  18. “Introduction to the taxonomy, systematics, and ecology of freshwater oligochaetes (Annelida, Clitellata) of North America.” A three-day workshop sponsored and underwritten by EcoAnalysts, Inc., and convened at their corporate facilities in Moscow, Idaho, 4-6 March 2009.
  19. “Introduction to the taxonomy, systematics, and ecology of freshwater oligochaetes (Annelida, Clitellata) of North America.” A three-day workshop sponsored and underwritten by Watershed Assessment Associates, convened at their corporate facilities in Schenectady, NY, 17-19 November 2009.
  20. Australian Marine and Freshwater Oligochaete Identification Workshop – Esplanade Hotel, Fremantle, Western Australia, Friday 7 September 2012, organized and presented by Adrian M. Pinder, Christer Erséus, and Mark J. Wetzel, immediately prior to the 12th International Symposium on Aquatic Oligochaeta (convened 10-13 September, same venue).

A workbook coauthored by Wetzel, Fend, Coates, Kathman, and Gelder, used for the above workshops, is being updated.


Upcoming Workshops

None yet planned.  Additional information will be posted here when dates and venues are under consideration, and with periodic updates as those plans are established.


Taxonomy Fairs

Society for Freshwater Science (SFS) [formerly, Midwest Benthological Society (MBS), 1953–1975, then North American Benthological Society (NABS), 1975–2011].

I have participated in all 21 of the taxonomy fairs held during the annual NABS meetings: 1999 (Duluth, MN), 2000 (Keystone Resort, CO), 2001 (LaCrosse, WI), 2002 (Pittsburgh, PA), 2003 (Athens, GA), 2004 (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada), 2005 (New Orleans, LA), 2006 (Anchorage, AK), 2007 (Columbia, SC), 2008 (Salt Lake City, UT), 2009 (Grand Rapids, MI), 2010 (Santa Fe, NM), 2011 (Providence, RI), 2012 (Louisville, KY), 2013 (Jacksonville, FL), Portland, OR (2014), Milwaukee, WI (2015), and Sacramento, CA (2016), Raleigh, NC (2017), Detroit, MI (2018), and Salt Lake City, UT (2019).  The 68th annual SFS meeting, originally scheduled for June 2020 in Madison, WI, was restructured as a virtual meeting, but did not include a taxonomy fair.  The recently convened 69th annual SFS meeting, 23–27 May 2021, was restructured as a virtual meeting, but did not include a taxonomy fair. The 70th annual SFS meeting convened 16–20 May 2022 at DeVos Place in Grand Rapids, MI – a  Joint Aquatic Sciences Meeting.  Unfortunately, the scheduled taxonomy fair was cancelled because several taxonomic experts were unable to participate.  The 2023 annual SFS meeting will convene in Brisbane, Australia, 3–7 June, as a joint meeting with the Australian and New Zealand Freshwater Science societies; a taxonomy fair has not yet been scheduled for this meeting.  The SFS Technical Issues Committee will soon begin organizing a Taxonomy Fair for the 2024 annual SFS meeting, to convene 2–6 June in Philadelphia, PA, USA.


I have also participated in the Taxonomy Fairs organized by the Florida Association of Aquatic Biologists (FAB) * presented during recent FAB annual meetings (Cedar Key, FL, Dec 2009; Tampa, FL, Nov 2010, Oct 2011; Apalachicola, FL, Nov 2012, and Nov 2013, St. Petersburg College, St. Petersburg, FL, Nov 2014 and Nov 2015, Palatka, FL, Nov 2016, and Gainesville, FL, Nov 2017).
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* formerly the Florida Association of Benthologists (1987–2018)


The picture at the top of this page was taken at Cascade Creek in Yosemite National Park, CA, during a preliminary survey of aquatic oligochaetes in May 2016.


Questions, comments, suggestions, or ideas? Please E-Mail them to me at: mjwetzel{AT}illinois.edu

[ page update: 16Aug2021; 29Mar,19jun2022; 01jan2023; mjw ]