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One of the fundamental quests of biology is learning what organisms inhabit the earth. To date approximately 2 million species have been described, with realistic estimates of actual diversity ranging from 4 to 12 million (Stork, 1997; Reaka-Kudla et al., 1997). But while species are disappearing at an ever increasing rate (Pimm and Raven, 2000; Thomas et al., 2004), species discovery and description—taxonomy—is facing a crisis (Wilson, 2004; Wheeler, 2004). Overcoming this" taxonomic impediment"(Rodman and Cody, 2003) is the primary goal of the ambitious and ongoing NSF PEET (Partnerships for Enhancing Expertise in Taxonomy) initiative (NSF, 1994), which has enjoyed much success in training a new generation of taxonomists (Rodman and Cody, 2003). To help estimate the impact of the NSFPEET initiative and the status of taxonomy, we surveyed the trainees from the 1995 and 1997 NSF-PEET …