Success Stories
Former
millworker is now a renowned scientist
story by Chris Cunningham
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"I’ve been able to use those skills that I started developing at Lane to bring basic biological research into the applied side of the world.” —Dan Luoma
Dan Luoma’s venture into the world of nature photography coincided with his job stacking two-by-fours in a Roseburg lumber mill. He recalls how his mind would wander and his eyes would rest on a close-up photo of a mushroom he had discovered in the forest.
“It was through that repetitive task of standing there and stacking lumber that I realized what I was particularly interested in was what was going on in the forest,” explains Luoma.
By 1975, the two endeavors entwined and prompted him to enroll in a mushroom biology class at Lane.
But only after instructor Freeman Rowe escorted the mushroom biology students on a wilderness field trip did Luoma decide to pursue a career in mycology—that branch of botanical science that studies mushrooms and other fungi.
In Rowe’s classes, Luoma learned to methodically examine mushrooms—and later, wildflowers—and translate his observations into scientific language. In fact, Luoma credits Rowe with helping him cultivate the observational and analytical skills that are absolutely vital in his profession.
“The program was right for me,” says Luoma, an assistant professor in the Department of Forest Science at Oregon State University who is internationally recognized for his studies on ecosystem health. Luoma has presented his research findings concerning biodiversity conservation, natural ecosystem maintenance, and sustainable harvest practices to scientists in Canada, Mexico, Sweden, Norway, Argentina, Brazil, Australia, and Korea.
“I got a lot of my science training at Lane,” acknowledges Luoma, who also enrolled in Rowe’s wildflower biology and intertidal life classes, as well as several geography and zoology courses. “I think it was really the spirit of discovery that Rowe instilled in his classes. That’s what really solidified my interest in biological sciences.”
Since then, “I’ve been able to use those skills that I started developing at Lane to bring basic biological research into the applied side of the world,” says the native of Roseburg, Oregon. “I’ve tried to get the information out in an understandable way to a wide variety of audiences.”
“One would never forget Dan,” says instructor Rowe, now retired after more than 30 years of teaching at Lane. “He was one of those people that you could absolutely guarantee would not be satisfied just to get by. “Our students in the science department have, almost without fail, been ahead of their compatriots,” Rowe says. “When they transfer to other colleges, they end up as lab assistants.”
Following his two years at Lane, Luoma transferred to the University of Oregon, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in geography in 1978. He then attended Oregon State University, receiving a M.S. in 1987 and a Ph.D. in 1988, both in geography.
Luoma advocates science-based forest management, an approach that incorporates “the best science available at the time” to educate the public about land use issues and end-users about how to make land use decisions that are based on science.
For example, Luoma recently tailored an educational workshop on how forest management decisions impact forest ecology in a weeklong class offered by the Siskiyou Field Institute at Southern Oregon University in Ashland. A variety of students attended the institute, from neophytes in forest fungi to government agency personnel wanting to learn more about mycology. And at OSU, Luoma teaches the hands-on Mushrooms and Managers: A Workshop for Forest and Park Personnel.
He shares his expertise in other public education arenas too, says Gail Baker, a biology instructor at Lane. There’s Luoma’s presence at the Mount Pisgah Wildflower Show, the Mount Pisgah Mushroom Show, and for more than 25 years, the Glide Wildflower Show. These annual shows, which draw thousands of people, display specimens of wildflowers and fungi and have experts on hand to consult with and to answer questions. Baker commends Luoma for his 22-year volunteer commitment with the conservation-based Native Plant Society of Oregon as well.
More than 30 years have passed since Luoma stacked two-by-fours and photographed that first mushroom, and he still appreciates the adventure of pure scientific discovery. However, he says today’s students need to take scientific discovery and knowledge a step further by interpreting a much broader swatch of landscape—from “the root of a giant old oak tree … right up to a watershed”—to educate others about the region’s ever-pressing land-use issues.
