As part of a National Science Foundation PEET project, several Boston University undergraduates produced a short video on the challenges of learning taxonomy. The students were non-majors who had completed at least one year of general biology and who had participated for several years in the PEET project "Monographic Studies in the Cladoniaceae." In their own words, the students outline the goals of taxonomic work. They conclude that taxonomy provides us with much more than names, citing the appreciation of the natural world that comes from a focused species-level study. Ironically, the opportunities outlined in the student video might have been part of any field biology course in the not-too distant past. For these students, however, the experiences were supported through a major NSF initiative. Several questions arise. Can we re-introduce general field biology for non-majors? Can we justify teaching students the beauty and scientific interest of non-human organisms? How can we provide prospective biology students with a rigorous basis in science without the competitive "noise" of premeds? How can we encourage non-majors to participate in the scientific endeavors of their professors? How can we get students and professors to be scientific (and teaching) innovators? How can we guide students to synthesize scientific ideas, present them, and perceive them as a vehicle to future careers? Part of the problem is our approach to curriculum and teaching. We need to ask how we can we make teaching general evolutionary biology appealing (and rewarding), rather than a potential career dead-end. How can we help young scientists perceive generalist teaching as a prestigeous opportunity?

Key words: field biology, interns, training, undergraduates