The Alumni Magazine for Worcester Polytechnic Institute. (WPI)
Issue link: http://wpialumnimag.epubxp.com/i/406282
A Fall 2014 15 W π IN THE EARLY 1900s, shooting a bird from the sky to study it closely was not that uncommon. One ornithologist had a better idea. Chester Reed, Class of 1896, published a series of feld guides that brought together art and logic to help bird watchers recognize live specimens from afar. "He was the frst person to realize that appropriately colored illustrations would facilitate the identifcation of birds in nature," wrote Michel Chevalier in Bird Observer. Reed also introduced a structure of systematic grouping and labeling to aid rapid identifcation, as well as a pocket-size format that was easy to take out into the feld. Working with his father, Charles K. Reed, Chester went on to publish 67 editions of the magazine American Ornithology for the Home and School, and numerous guides (including some on plants and photography). He made good use of the freehand drawing and drafting he learned at WPI. The 1869 yearbook noted, "Many an envious classmate has become discouraged on comparing his work with Chester's." Reed's close communion with nature—which apparently led him to cut class more often than others—was also dryly noted. A humorous crystal ball "prophecy" fore- saw him seated before an easel, hard at work on a sketch, "neglecting his work to roam the woods in search of curious animals." In 1912 Reed's career was cut short by pneumonia. But his work lived on. The famous Peterson guides picked up where he left off, adopting and improving his format. In 2012—on the hundredth anniversary of Reed's death—he was honored on the Biodiversity Heritage Library blog. Chevalier researched and preserved the Reeds' accomplishments—and much of the artwork—on a comprehensive website, chester-reed.org. "His work played an important role in the history of recreational orni- thology in America," Chevalier writes. "He should not be forgotten." Reed is long gone, but not forgotten. This summer, the Museum of American Bird Art in Canton, Mass., included six of his paintings in an exhibit called "Painting Birds to Save Them: The Critical Role of Art in the Bird Conservation Movement." Sharing wall space with masters such as such as Audubon and Warhol, Reed's work stood among the canon of "exquisite works of art that helped con- vince the public that birds were worth saving." interplanetary Are We Alone? President Leshin explores the quest for extraterrestrial life at Bennington College constellation of scholars and artists gath- ered at Bennington College in April to inaugu- rate its 10th president, Mariko Silver. As part of the eclectic festivities, WPI President Laurie Leshin was invited to anchor a multimedia event called "Are We Alone?" The presentation, described as "a visual, musical, and scientifc journey of exploration for life in the universe," featured musical compositions by Bennington faculty member Susie Ibarra, inspired by the frst explorations of space. Sharing the stage with musicians and a small chorus, Leshin took on the big question: Is there life beyond Earth? "We learn how to look for life elsewhere by looking at ourselves and the history of life on Earth," she explained between musical interludes, as projectors displayed a backdrop of haunting images gath- ered from space. Scientists seek evidence of the necessary ingredients to support life—water, organic material, and an energy source— which are indicators of environments where life might be possible. Leshin is part of the team operating the Curiosity rover that is cur- rently gathering data on Mars. Curiosity has not yet turned up a "smoking gun" that confrms the presence of life on Mars, she noted—nor is it expected to. The rover has, however, trans- mitted strong evidence of the existence of hab- itable environments. To put things in perspective, Leshin scaled the 13.7-billion year history of the universe down to a single calendar year, then asked students to guess at the dates of important milestones. The formation of the Earth would take place in late August, and dinosaurs would have lived for a mere four days in December. It's hard to fath- om, but everything taught in history classes at Bennington—and WPI—would fash by in the last 10 seconds of New Year's Eve. field guide Bird by Bird, He Taught the World to Rethink Ornithology One alumnus is still standing up for our fne feathered friends a century after his death