Dr. Lytton John Musselman's experience in Jordan
1997-1998 American Scholar
Lytton John Musselman, Mary Payne Hogan Professor of Botany at Old Dominion University at Old Dominion University was a Fulbright Professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Jordan from August 1997 to August 1998. He conducted research on plants of the Bible and other aspects of ethnobotany, and taught several undergraduate courses in plant sciences. In addition to university responsibilities, Lytton became involved with numerous organizations in Jordan and Syria and has returned for extended periods each year for these projects.
His favorite project involves royal flowers! He wrote a book, commissioned by Queen Rania Al-Abdullah, entitled Jordan in Bloom Wildflowers of the Holy Land. Illustrations are by artist Dasha Fomicheva who has worked previously for King Abdullah and Queen Rania. Each watercolor is original and painted expressly for this volume. Published by Jordan River Foundation, the formal launch of the book is expected to be October 2000 in Amman.
While at the University of Jordan, Dr. Musselman became acquainted with the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature in Amman (RSCN), an award winning environmental organization that aims to preserve Jordan’s natural heritage along with the local people who depend on such areas for their subsistence. Best known of RSCN’s projects is the Dana Preserve as well as the extensive Wad Mujib Preserve in the Rift Valley-- the lowest nature preserve on earth. Rift Valley plants will be the subject of an article, "Africa in Jordan", dealing with African plants that occur in Jordan, in the next issue of Al Reem magazine.
An important part of RSCN’s data collecting is an inventory of the indigenous plants and animals in areas of concern. In July 2000, Lytton taught a ten-day workshop on plant identification for RSCN staff at the Fulbright House in Amman to train staff working on inventories.
In the United States, Professor Musselman is on the faculty of the Au Sable Institute for Environmental Studies in Mancelona, Michigan, an organization dedicated to applying Christian principles to environmental concerns. Learning of this, the Jordan Evangelical Theological Seminary in Amman asked Lytton to present a lecture in March 1998 on the relationship between environmental ethics and ecological concern. This lecture, A Biblical View of Creation, was published in a special issue of Al Reem, Journal of the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature in 1999 ( 65: 8-9). Watercolors by Dasha Fomicheva, used by permission of HRH Queen Rania, illustrate this and other articles in the magazine devoted to the relationship between religion and ecology. Currently, Professor Musselman is working with several Jordanian organizations to develop a course exploring the way Islam and Christianity shape our environmental ethic. He has also been lecturing on the use of plants and their images in the Qu’ran and Bible.
Through JACEE, Lytton was invited to lecture at several universities in Syria and during the summer of 2000 was a visiting professor in the department of botany at Aleppo University. Since the initial contact with the program in Syria, he has given two lectures each year at the American Center in Damascus. Three of these, The Role of Faculty Research on Undergraduate Teaching; Holy Botany Plants of the Qu?ran and the Bible; and Holy Pharmacy Modern Medicinal Plants in the Qu?ran and the Bible have been translated into Arabic. These are posted on his "Old Dominion University Plant Photo Site" accessed through www.odu.edu
Research in science costs money and identifying and obtaining funding for research in Jordan and Syria takes effort. A National Science Foundation grant for work on an endangered wetland plant in Syria has just been completed. With RSCN, Lytton is developing a proposal for an intensive biotic survey in Jordan. Similar projects have been discussed with colleagues at Jordan University, Balqa and Mu’tah universities in Jordan and Aleppo and Damascus universities in Syria. One of the most interesting potential projects involves a study of maintenance and restoration of steppe (badia in Arabic) vegetation on the property of Mar Musa monastery near Nebk, Syria. Like RSCN, the monastery is interested in "helping nature help people" by understanding the natural environment of the badia on which human subsistence depends.
"This is my third Fulbright award," Musselman relates, "and the first time I have dealt with a commission. Working with JACEE has greatly enabled my interaction with other institutions. The help with logistical matters and communication alone makes the commission of immeasurable value to a Fulbrighter. In Jordan, JACEE is held in high regard and association with it gives instant credibility."
Being a Fulbrighter is a family experience for the Musselmans. Lytton’s wife Libby has taught English in Amman for the past four summers. Their daughter Sarah, who worked for several months as a volunteer at the American Center for Oriental Research (ACOR) in Amman through JACEE contacts, developed an interest in the art of the region. In May 1999 she returned to ACOR funded by a grant from Old Dominion University for a project on the Greek influence on Nabatean art. The results of this work were presented at a regional conference on the arts. Recently, Sarah was awarded a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship for study at the American University of Beirut in 2001-2002. John Musselman, a rising sophomore at the College of William and Mary, is studying Arabic and hopes to spend his junior year in Syria.
"The actual Fulbright assignment is just the beginning," according to Musselman. "From these new contacts are made. Each contact is like propagating a plant, to use a botanical allegory. These take root, spread to new areas, make yet more contacts and bear fruit. Ultimately, the Fulbright endeavor is about people–people knowing people, and growing together. The fruit is friendship and cultural understanding."