E-newsletter of the Ecological Society of America's SEEDS program - www.esa.org/seeds
California Field Trip ESA MEETING
Meeting Events
Alumni Mentors
SEEDS CHAPTERS
UPR Visits
Clayton Visit
FAMU Visit
Stanford Chapter
MEMORY TEST
SCIENCE POLICY
CO2 Regulation
BULLETIN BOARD
Field Technicians
Leadership Training
Indig. Wisd. Conf.
ES & Tech. Conf.
Antartica Project
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SEEDS Dispersal is published online ten times a year by the SEEDS program. SEEDS promotes opportunities to diversify and advance the profession of ecology. ***************
The fall SEEDS field trip will take place October 25-28, 2007 to Santa Barbara, California, hosted by the Santa Barbara Coastal Long Term Ecological Research Project. The application deadline for both students and Chapter advisors is August 15, 2007. To apply or learn more about the field trip click here.
| Science Policy |
CO2 Regulation Ruling
George W. Bush’s Administration insisted that the Environmental Protection Agency did not have the authority to regulate CO2 and other greenhouse gases emitted from automobiles. Early this month, the United States Supreme Court ruled against that position, with the decision stating that EPA’s refusal to regulate gas emissions from vehicles is “not in accordance with the law.” The issue was sent back to the EPA for further consideration. Justice Stevens explained that the reasons given by the EPA in justifying inaction were “arbitrary, capricious or otherwise not in accordance with law.” Furthermore, Justice Stevens would like to see the EPA clearly state its reasons for action or inaction in the statue. This is the first case that has come to the US Supreme Court dealing specifically with the issue of CO2 regulation in the context of global climate change.
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| Test Your Memory |
Click on each picture to find out who and where? 
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The 2007 Ecological Society of America (ESA) Meeting will be held August 5-10th in San Jose, California. To learn more about the meeting, please visit www.esa.org/sanjose.
“San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge - A Hands-on Educational Experience” Field Trip
Sunday, Aug. 5, 8:30 AM-1:30 PM
After SEEDS fellows published their vision for ESA last year in SEEDS of a New Millenium, they decided to tackle the absence of community ecological outreach activities at ESA Annual Meetings. As a result, SEEDS students have organized a field trip where ESA/SER members and their families, SEEDS fellows, and high school students and teachers will work together to explore the importance of wetlands and water conservation in San Jose. The overall goal of this field trip is to establish a connection between ESA/SER members and the San Jose community, while learning about wetland ecology. This field trip will be used as an example in a Special Session (SS 26: “Bridging the gap: establishing outreach activities at ESA meetings” Aug. 8, 8-10 PM), led by SEEDS fellows, to promote educational field trip activities at future ESA Meetings.
Other Highlighted Sessions:
“Sense of Place” – Special Session #15, Aug. 6, 8-10 PM
“Bridging Western Science and Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge in Restoration Planning: What Works and What Doesn’t” – Special Session #23, Aug. 7, 8-10 PM
“No Child Left Indoors” - Symposium #5, Aug. 7, 8-11:30 AM
“Student Section Events” Workshops and special sessions sponsored by the Student Section or of interest to students. Click here to read more.
Alumni Mentors
Each year, the SEEDS program gives travel awards to SEEDS alumni, students who have participated in SEEDS and have gone on to graduate school in ecology. The alumni will attend the ESA Annual Meeting and serve as near peer mentors to the undergraduates. This year, six alumni were granted travel awards: Noemi Baquera, Amber Finley, Lauren McGee, Lewis Reed, Raynelle Rino, and Jeramie Strickland. Each month until the Annual Meeting we will highlight two of the alumni mentors.
Noemi Baquera
My name is Noemi Baquera. I am currently a graduate student studying soils and restoration ecology at New Mexico State University. I graduated from The University of Texas at El Paso in Environmental Science, and I have been fortunate enough to be involved with the SEEDS program since June 2004. Several factors and experiences have led me to where I am today, and will guide me to where I want to be tomorrow. My future career plans include continuing in graduate school doing research in restoration ecology and ultimately obtain my PhD. My transition from undergraduate to graduate truly began with my selection for the SEEDS undergraduate fellowship. This fellowship was a wonderful experience that prepared me for, and opened the path to, my continuation into graduate school. It allowed me the independence and bestowed upon me the privilege and responsibility of scientific research. My transition from undergraduate to graduate was intimidating but I knew this is where I belong. I can only hope that my efforts can make a difference, as hard work and dedication have always prevailed
Lauren McGee
Hi Everyone! I am Lauren McGee, a Master of Science student at the Ohio State University. I was initially introduced to SEEDS through my involvement with the North Carolina A&T State University SEEDS chapter and have been fortunate enough to participate in past SEEDS field trips and ESA Annual Meetings. This year, I look forward to returning to the ESA Annual Meeting as a SEEDS alumni mentor and can’t wait to see both old and new SEEDS participants. As a native to the Los Angeles/Inglewood area, I didn’t know much about ecology while growing up. It wasn’t until I joined a high school environmental group and started taking environmental courses in college that I knew this was the field for me. I discovered my interest in water perchance while interning for the USDA Rural Development, an agency which gives loans and grants to rural communities for developmental projects. I randomly found info on a state-sponsored water conflict meeting and asked my boss if I could go so that I could get out of the office. Never did I think that I would be drawn to water research as a result of it. Since then, all of the opportunities that have come my way, whether in academics or with community projects, have led me to stream ecology and ecological restoration. At OSU, I’m currently working in the aquatic systems ecology lab of Dr. Virginie Bouchard. Although most of the research in our lab is on wetland ecosystems, I’m part of small rebel group that studies stream and riverine ecosystems. After graduating, I plan to continue working with the USDA Rural Development (I’m currently listed as an inactive employee) and then hopefully transfer to another agency that conducts research in wetland, estuarine, or riverine ecology. No matter where I work, I plan to be a part of a local watershed group. Of the several groups I’ve been involved with, they’ve all indirectly guided me to where I am now. Lastly, if I do decide to continue my education and get a PhD, it will probably be in microbial ecology. As I study more complex biogeochemical cycles, I realize that you can’t fully understand them unless you study the microorganisms responsible for them.
by Jorge Ramos
How lucky am I? The first SEEDS Chapters I got to visit were in Puerto Rico! The three schools with new SEEDS Campus Ecology Chapters are: University of Puerto Rico at Río Piedras, University of Puerto Rico at Humacao, and University of Puerto Rico at Bayamón I was excited to visit these Chapters that were started by some of my SEEDS colleagues and SEEDS professors. As we landed, Katherine and I were amazed by the aquamarine waters and the white sandy beaches around the coastline.
UPR Río Piedras
We started our visit with the Amá,Ké,Kachi,Ará SEEDS Campus Ecology Chapter at UPR Río Piedras. We went out for lunch with faculty advisor Dr. Elvia Meléndez-Ackerman and student leaders Colibri, Miriam, and Christopher. After trying some tasty local foods we met with other faculty members on campus, and then gave the Chapter members a presentation on careers in ecology, the Ecological Society of America, and the SEEDS program. Currently, the Chapter is working with another environmental organization to develop and enhance outreach activities. In the future, they will be collaborating with other UPR Chapters in a large-scale and complex research project at Mona Island Reserve in Puerto Rico.
UPR Humacao
The next day, we visited the EOS SEEDS Campus Ecology Chapter at UPR Humacao. Dr. Denny Fernandez del Viso-Gámez, Chapter Advisor, gave us a tour of the east side of the island on our way to his campus. After a walking tour of the campus, we gave a presentation to students. Following the presentation, students, faculty, Katherine and I had lunch at their cafeteria and had a chance to interact with one another. We finished the day with two more tours, led by Julianna and Alberto of Humacao’s ecology department.
UPR Bayamón
On Friday, we visited the Leading Initiative for Future Ecologists (LIFE) SEEDS Ecology Chapter at UPR Bayamón. There, we ate lunch with students and Dr. Concepción Rodríguez-Fourquet, Chapter Advisor, followed by a SEEDS presentation. Afterwards, we all got ready for the big event they had been planning: BioBlitz 2007! After the kick-off, students and faculty surveyed, collected, and identified the biodiversity around the campus, from fungi to vertebrates, in 24 hours! It was an exciting part of the visit and we were very glad to be there.
As our trip wound down on Saturday, Dr. Denny Fernandez del Viso-Gámez took us on a fascinating and informative field trip to Bahía de Jobos, a mangrove forest in the southern part of the island. Overall, Katherine and I were very impressed by the great communication between the advisors and the students, the energy of the chapters, and their great ongoing and future projects! Thank you, UPR Río Piedras, Humacao, and Bayamón, for making this visit a phenomenal experience for us!
Clayton State University Visit
by Katherine Hoffman
Right after we got back from Puerto Rico, Jorge and I were off to our next adventure. We first traveled to Morrow, Georgia to visit the SEEDS Chapter at Clayton State University. Our day started with visiting with Dr. Jere Boudell, Chapter Advisor, and meeting with the Department Head. We also got a brief tour of some of the lab facilities. We gave a presentation on SEEDS and ecology, followed by a pizza lunch, and another presentation to the ecology class. In the afternoon we went to Jesters Creek, a study site for students. We then went to Reynolds Nature Preserve and got a tour of some of the local biodiversity. Our visit ended with dinner with Dr. Boudell and the Chapter student leaders - Serge, Ann, and Charlee. It was a great visit that encompassed a lot - meeting many students, students sharing their research, and learning about local flora and fauna. Thank you Clayton!
Florida A&M University Visit
by Katherine Hoffman
From Georgia, Jorge and I flew to Tallahassee, Florida to visit the Florida A&M University SEEDS Chapter. This visit began at the Environmental Sciences Institute where we met with Ms. Jacqueline Hightower, Chapter Advisor, and many of the staff and faculty, including a brief chat with Dr. Henry Williams, the Director. We then met with some of the Environmental Sciences Student Organization (ESS0) students. They shared some of their activities and ambitions for developing a recycling program on campus. This meeting was followed by a tour of campus led by Toni-Ann and Gamola. We saw some of the highlights on campus, ending with the environmental science labs. After the tour we went to lunch with Ms. Hightower and student leaders - Jacquai, Sherita, Toni-Ann, and Aaron. We then quickly headed to three elementary schools to award the winners of the poster competition. This was a special highlight of the day. Funded by a SEEDS Special Project Grant, the poster competition "ESI to CSI: Capturing the Climate Change Culprit" allowed elementary school students to create a poster to tell others how they would identify and stop the environmental problem of global climate change. This was another great visit; we really enjoyed getting to meet many of the Chapter members and seeing their project firsthand in the proud faces of the young students. Thank you FAMU!
Stanford Chapter
Stanford University joined the SEEDS Campus Ecology Chapter network last month. The Chapter hopes to inspire diverse youth to pursue higher education and research in the environmental related fields through educational outreach on campus as well as in local schools. The photo above is Valentina Fontiveros with sixth graders who participated in the outreach field studies class. The Chapter Advisor is Cindy Wilber, Education Coordinator of Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve, and the Student Representative is Christine George.
Opportunities posted are not necessarily endorsed, recommended, or favored by SEEDS.
Field Technician Summer Positions
Located in the Northern Chihuahuan Desert there are two Field Technician Positions available at The Jornada Experimental Range. Review of applications will begin immediately.
Student
Environmental Leadership Training ProgramsLearn to develop effective groups that can tackle serious environmental issues, and network with other activists to build your region's student environmental movement.
National Conference on Environmental Science and Technology
Hosted by SEEDS Chapter school, North Carolina A&T State University, this conference held September 12-14, 2007 will provide a forum for federal agencies, industrial technology users, and universities to address pollution prevention problems, solutions, and research needs. Early registration through August 15th.
Sharing
Indigenous Wisdom: An International Dialogue on Sustainable Development
ConferenceThe Second Sharing Indigenous Wisdom: An International Dialogue on Sustainable Development Conference is being hosted by College of Menominee Nation’s Sustainable Development Institute at the Radisson Hotel and Conference Center, Green Bay, Wisconsin, June 11-15, 2007.
International Polar Year Antarctica Opportunities
IPY-ROAM offers successful applicants a novel and life-changing opportunity to learn more about the Polar Regions and travel to Antarctica over the 2007-08 winter break where they will acquire first hand experience in field-based research and Antarctic system science. Applications are requested from 15 undergraduate students, 5 graduate students, and 5 high school teachers to participate in this program – IPY-ROAM. Application review begins May 1st and until all spaces are filled.
1400 Spring Street, Suite 330, Silver Spring, MD, 20910, seeds@esa.org