John Richard Schrock
Schrock attended Indiana State University in Terre Haute, where tuition was $8 a semester hour in 1964, completing a bachelor's degree in biology teaching and a master's in science education. He began teaching in Kentucky before he graduated from I.S.U., and completed his degrees during summers. Schrock taught five years in Alexandria, Kentucky middle and high schools and two years at the I.S.U. Laboratory School before going overseas to teach at Hong Kong International School for three years. Schrock completed his Ph.D. in entomology working on insect ecology and systematics at the University of Kansas and, upon graduation, worked for the Association of Systematics Collections for three years. When the A.S.C. moved to Washington, DC, Schrock took the position at Emporia State University, directing biology teacher training. He was on the state biology committee and closely involved in the Kansas evolution debates of 1999. He writes a weekly Kansas newspaper column on education, produces public radio commentaries, and appears monthly on Kansas television.
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There's nothing wrong with vegetarianism. But is being meat-free really better for humans and the Earth? Some new textbooks say yes. Our commentator and biology professor says we should take these textbooks with a grain of salt. Listen to his argument on the merits of meat.
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You may be "hopping" mad at the oak tree itch mites that have invaded Kansas this summer, but 140 years ago, there was another insect that was a far greater nuisance in the Old West: the grasshopper. Commentator John Richard Schrock tells us how trillions of grasshoppers once darkened the skies over Kansas, blocked out the sun and ate nearly everything in their path.
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Some Kansans may be thrilled to know that cicadas - and their sounds - will soon be leaving us, while others may be sad to see them go. Whichever camp you're in, you'll be fascinated by the information Commentator John Richard Schrock has to share about these chirping insects.
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America gave the world the light bulb, telephone and airplane. We invented television, microwaves and the Internet. Heck, we even put a man on the moon! Indeed, when it comes to innovation, America is awesome. But when it comes to personal health and wealth -- and to low rates of crime and corruption -- another nation shines much brighter: Singapore. The city-state is celebrating its 50th year of democratic independence this month.
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Fireflies, also known as lightning bugs, are neither true flies nor true bugs. They are, in fact, beetles. And there are more than 1,000 species of this little critter Commentator John "Richard" Schrock tells us more about this fascinating insect.
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Today's commentary has been 17 years in the making! Emporia State Biology Professor John "Richard" Schrock tells us about the emergence of the 17-year cicada, coming soon to a backyard near you! Listen up, whippersnappers! If you're 17-years-old or younger, you will soon hear a sound in nature that you've never heard before.
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Fewer Kansas students are choosing to pursue careers as teachers. Commentator John "Richard" Schrock thinks new policies at the state and federal level are making the profession far less attractive.
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Two bills in the Kansas Legislature would change the way sex education is taught in public schools. But Commentator John "Richard" Schrock says both bills are essentially an effort to remove the subject from the classroom altogether.
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Commentator John Richard Schrock says teachers are under pressure to pass students along to graduation, even those who haven't earned the right to the high school diploma or the college degree.
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Screwworm flies used to be a deadly plague on cattle and other livestock in the United States and Mexico until a couple American scientists came up with a brilliant strategy to fight the parasitic insect. As Commentator John Richard Schrock explains, it was science to the rescue once again.