SEEDS: Newsletter > Volume 4, Issue 8 - October 2006

SEEDS Highlight: Milton Muldrow Jr., New SEEDS Staff

Hello,

My name is Milton Muldrow Jr., and as of September 5th, 2006 I am the new SEEDS Student Coordinator at the Ecological Society of America. As I start my first month of work at the ESA, I look forward to working with all the chapters, students and professors within this exciting and rapidly-growing program! One of my many tasks at the ESA will be to edit this newsletter, therefore I look forward to hearing from you on ways to enhance and improve our communication.

I want to take this opportunity to give some background on my professional experiences. I grew up in Baltimore, Maryland and have long been interested in the biological sciences, particularly in tropical and restoration ecology. I have had an interest in nature for as long as I can remember, and as a child was intrigued by books and film showcasing foreign and majestic worlds. Nowadays what garners my fascination most is the possibility of using science to effect some positive change on our scarred natural landscapes, thus my interest in restoration.

After finishing high school I earned a B.S. degree from St. Francis University in Loretto, PA. From there I received a National Science Foundation fellowship to pursue my Masters at the University of Missouri-St. Louis and participated in the GK-12 teaching/research program. My Masters thesis is on tropical forest restoration and my research site is located in Upper Key Largo, FL. While pursuing my Masters Degree, I worked at the Florida Keys Ocean Science Center where I was appointed Director of Education. I managed the education program, taught marine science, led studies, and a list of other exciting duties. I am still involved in the research and development of the Florida Keys Ocean Science Center. Finally, I accepted this job with the ESA and the SEEDS program.

A profession in ecological science and academia is not always an easy one. It includes long hours of writing papers and proposals and countless more hours in the field working in potentially uncomfortable conditions. What makes my decision to pursue a career in ecology easier is a childlike wonder of our surrounding environments; what drives me is an infectious energy to discover and answer questions previously unknown, answers that could potentially change the way the world turns. I do not think there are many such job descriptions! I am delighted to be affiliated with this program and its goals and objectives and look forward to working with each of you over the coming months.

Sincerely,
Milton