• PROGRAM NEWS
• SEEDS Adventures
• Visiting Colleen's family
• Visit with Sheena Hillstrom
• SEEDS at MANRRS
• Leadership Meeting
• Research at US Universitites
• SEEDS PROFILE
• SEEDS Student Profile
• STUDENT HIGHLIGHT
• Meet the 2008-2009 Fellows
• CHAPTER HIGHLIGHT
• Northern Arizona University
• Chapter Advisor reflections
• ALUMNI CORNER
• NSF recognition!

SEEDS Dispersal is published online six times a year with additional special issues by the SEEDS (Strategies for Ecology Education, Development, and Sustainability) program. SEEDS promotes opportunities to diversify and advance the profession of ecology.

Introduction

Melissa Armstrong, Jui Shrestha
 
Welcome to our April/May SEEDS Dispersal. SEEDS staff have been busy traveling across the country attending various events including the SEEDS Leadership meeting. Read about these interesting visits in this issue.

Since 2002, SEEDS has directly served 236 students through our national office, and over 3,000 students through our affiliated Chapters program. We present some characteristics of the directly served student body in this issue. We collected this information through applications and follow-up surveys. We are also launching our bi-annual “What’s New” questionnaire, and would greatly appreciate your time in completing this survey and all future surveys. Field Trip, Annual Meeting and Fellowship participants will receive instructions to complete the survey by email. Respondents names will be entered into a raffle draw for a GPS hand held unit!

And remember…as we launch our “What’s New” questionnaire to learn more about where SEEDS students are going, no matter where you are or what you’re doing, you have the support of the SEEDS family. On this note, we welcome our newest fellows to the SEEDS network. Their profiles are featured in this issue.

SEEDS Adventures
Erin Vinson

The months of February and March have been especially busy and wonderful for me! I have traveled to North Carolina and North Dakota, attended meetings, participated in conferences, visited SEEDS chapter campuses, and met many extraordinary people!

North Carolina Site Visits
I am thrilled for having had the opportunity to visit both Johnson C Smith University and North Carolina State A&T University in the days before the SEEDS Leadership Meeting in February. With these visits being my first site visits with SEEDS, I had no idea what to expect and was utterly impressed by what unfolded!

Dr. Joseph Fail organized my visit to JCSU and incorporated many interesting aspects of the campus and SEEDS. The highlight of the visit was meeting with four of Dr. Fail’s students, including a 2008-09 SEEDS fellow. All four students, myself, and Dr. Fail discussed the role of SEEDS in students’ lives over lunch. I was impressed by each of the students’ enthusiasm and eagerness to share their thoughts about SEEDS.

Dr. Godfrey Uzochukwu hosted my visit to NCAT. The highlights of the visit were meeting with students, meeting with other NCAT faculty, and presenting to an Earth Science class about SEEDS. Both the students and the faculty were very responsive to learning more about SEEDS and how to get more involved.

American Indian Higher Education Consortium Conference
In late March, I attended the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) Student Conference in Bismarck, North Dakota. Having never attended an AIHEC conference, I was completely blown away by the richness of both education and culture integrated into the entire conference. With the help of the All Nations Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (ANLSAMP), I served on a judging panel for the Science Bowl competition and was able to see first hand the dedication all students put into the AIHEC competitions. Congratulations to all of the participants at AIHEC and congratulations to all of our SEEDS students that participated!

North Dakota Site Visit
After the AIHEC conference, I met with Mike Collins of the United Tribes Technical College for a site visit. The energy on campus was still high from the AIHEC conference, especially after UTTC won recognitions in so many different competitions. Congratulations UTTC! Mr. Collins graciously spent the day showing me around the campus, introducing me to faculty and staff, and inviting me into his GIS class. I was also able to see the results of UTTC’s last special project grant, in which trees were planted around the campus. Their SEEDS chapter also has plans to put in a walking path around the campus to promote active habits among students.

Tribal Campus Climate Challenge Summit
On my last night in North Dakota, I was lucky enough to participate in the first night of a two-day long Tribal Campus Climate Challenge Summit led by Kandi Mossett of the Indigenous Environmental Network. This group works with tribal campuses to promote clean energy policies on campus. Several of our SEEDS chapters have taken this challenge, including Fort Berthold Community College, Salish Kootenai College, and Little Big Horn College. For more information, visit their website at www.ienearth.org/campus_climate_c/campus_climate_campaign.html. The tribal campus climate challenge is part of the larger campus climate challenge, working with schools around the US and Canada. Visit their website at climatechallenge.org/. Both groups have great opportunities, information, and support for your campus!

A warm and sincere thank you to all of you who helped make the months of February and March so special!

On March 27 – 30, I had the honor of attending the 2008 Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Related Sciences (MANRRS) conference in Denver, Colorado. The conference brought together minority students representing universities and high schools from all over the U.S. and Puerto Rico in four very exciting days packed with professional and academic development activities. I met up with SEEDS alumni Jeramie Strickland of Iowa State University (see pic) whom I would like to commend for the time and effort he dedicated to promoting the program. Jeramie set up the SEEDS promotional display, which was received with much interest from students, professionals, and faculty who attended the career fair.

I must say that the career fair setting at MANRRS highlighted the unique characteristics of SEEDS as a program that seeks to support underrepresented students. One might wonder: “What is so special about the SEEDS program?” Well… It only demands one thing from the students it serves. The SEEDS program expects that its students will grasp the importance of increasing diversity within the ecological research and education communities, and as a result, that they take the necessary steps to promote the SEEDS mission.

Speaking about the importance of diversity within ecology, or science overall, I would like to paraphrase and also comment on the wise words provided by MANRRS keynote speaker Jerome Ringo, who recently became the first African American to serve as the director of a major conservation organization in the U.S. In his speech Ringo pointed out that minority communities are disproportionately affected by climate change and pollution, therefore it would be logical for such people to actively seek leadership positions in ecology, conservation, natural resources, or environmental justice. Unfortunately this is not the case, but several organizations, including ESA, have initiated successful efforts to address such disparities (i.e. 2008 SEEDS Leadership Meeting). Ringo’s thoughts are closely related to what SEEDS is all about, which made it a great pleasure to hear coming from such a prominent figure. There is much to feel optimistic about, though the shift to represent all members of society in key environmental decision making arenas is moving at a slow pace, I foresee much improvement in years to come.

The 2008 MANRRS conference proved to be a great success as several universities with both MANRRS and SEEDS chapters made their presence felt. For instance, SEEDS alumni Jeramie Strickland contributed to efforts that resulted in the recognition of Iowa State University’s MANRRS as 2008 National Chapter of the Year. Similarly, I used the experience to spark interest among some Oregon State University MANRRS (2008 Region 6 Chapter of the Year) students to start a SEEDS chapter. Regardless of the setting or organization, there is much common ground in addressing issues of inequality in the sciences.

A visit with SEEDS fellow Sheena Hillstrom
Melissa Armstrong

I arrived in Seattle, WA on a chilly grey January day to visit SEEDS Fellow Sheena Hillstrom of Washington State University and her mentor Charles Halpern of the University of Washington. I was happy for the rain us AZ residents hold most precious, and for the lush green surroundings and water, water everywhere. I was even happier to visit in person with Sheena and Charlie, one of our most successful mentor-student matches in SEEDS Fellowship history. This is because of the level of thoughtful communication they have shared over the course of their year and a half long fellowship period. One of my favorite stories of Sheena’s is about how Charlie was her research assistant in the field, and took notes for her as she dictated the plant species she was finding in her burn scar quadrats. We have always been so fortunate in SEEDS to find mentors who not only volunteer their time, but give a great deal of themselves.

Sheena is studying a land management technique of tree removal in montane meadows, prescribed burning of slash piles. Last summer 2007, Sheena stayed at the Andrews Experimental Forest and worked with Charlie’s lab at Bunchgrass Meadow in the western Cascade Mountains of Oregon. Sheena looked at the vegetation and soil in burn scars of slash piles, which experience high intensity heat when burned, compared with broadcast burns when fallen trees are left in place rather than piled. Sheena’s results will contribute to an understanding of land management practices in montane meadows. She will be presenting her research during the ESA meeting in Milwaukee.

We were not able to visit Sheena’s study site as it was buried in snow. Instead, we discussed her research over lunch and in Charlie’s office at UW. The in-person discussion, hand drawn diagrams, and files of photos enabled me to gain a much richer understanding of Sheena’s research. Sheena and Charlie went into great detail on the statistical analysis of her results before we met. Jorge Ramos, a former SEEDS fellow and current graduate student at UW also joined us on campus to learn more about Sheena’s research. As always during student visits, I was reminded of the scale and scope of the SEEDS fellowship, that take can take a student to a remote mountain meadow ecosystem, urban Seattle, and then add another whole layer when a graduate student pops in who had been in the current fellows shoes only 2 years before. And also of how lucky we are when mentors like Charlie can help this all unfold. SEEDS are growing.

“Voices of Hope in a Rapidly Changing World

The third annual SEEDS Leadership Meeting was held Feb. 21-24 at Duke University and hosted by ESA President Norm Christensen.  Thirty six SEEDS students and alumni leaders from all aspects of the SEEDS program participated, including a strong Chapter representation.  The many layers of leadership made the meeting a great success with the contributions of three ESA governing board members, three faculty advisers from SEEDS Chapters in North Carolina, and fourteen SEEDS alumni participants. Much of the conversation revolved around education and outreach as a means of tackling the most critical ecological issues facing the planet.  A full article can be found at      www.esa.org/seeds/leadership_meeting.php

For photos: esa.org/seeds/albumPhotos/thumbnails.php

Ecology research impact at US Universities

Have you ever wondered what US Universities are having the largest impact in terms of ecological (and other scientific) research? Results can be found on this link scientific.thomson.com/products/rsg/rankings/

Not always about the research: a family visit
Melissa Armstrong

Shortly after the new year, my daughters and I visited with Colleen Cooley and her family at their home in Shonto, AZ, a small rural community on the Navajo Nation. We did not go because of the SEEDS program, but because the SEEDS program fostered a connection that can make participants feel more like family – a one of SEEDS’ strengths. We enjoyed one of our wettest winters this past winter here in northern Arizona, and the high desert was blanketed with snow for the whole two hour drive north from Flagstaff. The Cooley families land was shimmering with a deep snow they have not seen in over four years when we arrived, shortly before sunset. We had enough daylight to help feed the animals – horses, sheep, lambs, dogs, and cats much to the sheer joy of my girls. Once the sun set, quietness too fell over the Cooley home, so complete that it could only come from the absence of any electric appliances or running water. We cooked, ate, and played Uno by flashlight and candlelight. We were warmed by the coal burning stove. The Cooley family raised 7 children in their home and my respect for them grew by the minute as I realize what I “need” to run my own home. We couldn’t understand the Navajo that Colleen’s parents speak (in addition to English), but enjoyed listening to it. They were generous with their home, food, and gifts for the girls. I never would have thought it possible that my girls be still and quiet for long periods of time, but the next morning, they quietly read Archie comics by the stove for hours and settled right into this lifestyle. Indeed, my youngest did not ever want to leave. I could relate. What a gift to experience a beautiful lifestyle that treads so lightly on the planet.

Graduate Studies

According to the last SEEDS tracking survey in April 2007, 60 students are currently pursuing or have completed graduate studies. Of these, eight are in PhD programs, 52 in Master’s programs (49 in MS programs, two in MA programs, and one in a MSEM program). The graduate concentrations chosen by students are summarized in Figure 4.

Employment

36 students were employed, either part-time or full-time as of April 2007 when the most recent tracking survey was completed. Figure. 5 shows that 50% of former SEEDS students were employed in ecology related positions in government agencies or in the nonprofit sector.

Colleen Cooley
Hello. My name is Colleen Cooley and I was born and raised on the Navajo Nation in a small community called Shonto, Arizona. There are many environmental issues (i.e. uranium mining and water shortage from coal mining) that my tribe has faced and is still facing to this day. Therefore, I am interested in working either for the tribe or with the tribe, specifically focusing on water conservation issues and springs restoration. I am fortunate enough to be working with Dr. Larry Stevens and Emily Omana for my SEEDS fellowship project, which will be focusing on the cultural assessment of springs on tribal lands located on the Colorado Plateau. I will compare the cultural values assessed, with the economic and ecological values to determine which springs are most significant for restoration. I am excited to begin the project because it will prepare me for what I hope to do as a Native scientist in the future.

Serge Farinas
My name is Serge Farinas and I’m a Biology major at Clayton State University. I was first exposed to ecology through my advisor, Dr. Boudell, who has really helped me to focus my interests. I always knew that I wanted to do something that was applicable to the environmental issues we are currently dealing with, and so far I am feeling very satisfied with the direction ecology is taking me. I have done work in forest ecosystems and feel very much at home there. Right now, I am enjoying the beginning stages of research. I feel very honored to have been given this privilege. I hope that my research will show my appreciation, as I endeavor to do something that will benefit our community.
He will be doing his fellowship research with Dr. Beth Middleton of the National Wetlands Research Center in Lafayette, Louisiana. The focus of his study will be on wetland ecology and climate change.

Sarah Renteria
Hello, my name is Sarah Renteria and I will be conducting my fellowship research in the Caribou Creek Watershed outside of Fairbanks, Alaska! My mentors are Jay Jones and Amanda Rinehart who study the effect of permafrost on watershed hydrology and nutrient fluxes. This summer I will be asking how phosphorus uptake varies in streams with different extents of permafrost. I’m currently at the University of Texas at El Paso and grew up in the Chihuahuan Desert. Not until I started studying ecology did I appreciate the uniqueness of the desert and really fell in love with the magic of nature. The SEEDS trip to Chiapas Mexico was my huge eye opener where I discovered my passion for ecology and people. In the future I hope to work with everyday day people with different cultural backgrounds and form the important link between science and education. Reaching out and making science, especially ecology, comprehensible to people outside the scientific community is vital in changing people’s perspective on how they live their lives and their viewpoint of nature.
 

Ana Elisa Perez
 There in the middle of the Huitepec “arvenses” grow, good weed that helps other species grow. They don’t discriminate, even though they are so useful and appreciated, they keep their humbleness. I will study the management of “arvences” in three organic farms in the highlands of San Cristobal, Chiapas. I will always refer to “arvences’” by their Spanish name, Tzeltal, Tzotzil and Scientific names so that anyone will understand what plant it is. We will also be studying the awareness farmers and children in five rural schools have towards these weeds and why they are so important in agriculture. I am Ana Elisa and I have lived all my life in the heart of the city in Río Piedras, where I currently study Environmental Community Health at the University of Puerto Rico. Even though my life has been spent in an urban context, my family is from Morovis and has always found time to explore our island (it’s pretty easy to see it all since it’s really small). Sometimes when we didn’t have the time to travel, I continued those trips by painting, writing, or reading about the same things I found so exhilarating in science and nature. Right now my priority is to do research in ecology, so that I can acquire knowledge of different techniques that can be applied or modified for a healthier Puerto Rico.

Brittany Miles
I am Brittany Miles from Decatur, GA and I am a junior at Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, North Carolina. I chose to major in Biology because science is such a major part of every day life. I find it amazing that life itself, fromthe smallest plant seed to the largest organism in the world, are all part of one big cycle. I never imagined that my academic career would lead me to the field of ecology, but Dr. Fail brought it out of me. His passion for the environment, for life, and for knowledge has inspired me. He challenges me every day to be a part of a solution. My hopes and dreams at the end of my educational career are to be armed with the knowledge and ability to make a difference, and to help the environment and people to live pure, safe, and meaningful lives.
She will be working with two mentors for her fellowship, Dr. Amy Ringwood and Dr. Sandra Clinton, both of the University of North Carolina Charlotte. Brittany will be studying microbial dniversity in streams. She will be looking at their genetic make-up (some bacteria swap genetic material in order to survive), how many different species are in a sample, and any environmental factors that may have an impact on their diversity.
 

Adriana Leiva
My name is Adriana Leiva. I was born in Austin, Texas, but raised in Mexico. I am a Biology major, focusing on marine systems at Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi. Currently, I am working on a morphological study of Sulu Gobies (Acentrogobius suluensis) in the South Pacific. I will be working in the upper Gulf of California for my SEEDS research. The vaquita (Phocoena sinus),one of six true porpoises (Phocoenidae) that can still be found around the world, are an endemic to the upper Gulf of California and have the most restricted distribution of any marine mammal. They are vulnerable to extinction due to their rarity (the most recent population estimate was 567 individuals, Jaramillo-Legorreta et al., 1999)and restricted distribution. Biologists working on the conservation efforts of the vaquita have suggested establishing a protected zone for the long-term conservation efforts of the vaquita and/or a buyout of the fishery. Although many individuals from many institutions and countries have been involved in activities to nominally address the problem, little to no progress has been made with respect to implementing solutions. The focus of my project will be to investigate the reasons for the “implementation gap”. We will collect data through interviews of persons involved in any capacity with vaquita using standardized questions. Analysis of answers will provide a means to identify the gaps in conservation efforts.