EXTRA!

Have a Good Idea for a New SEEDS Newsletter Name?

We at SEEDS are changing the name and format of the current newsletter. We are evolving and improving as are the Chapters. Therefore, we would like your help. Submit a name for a new newsletter title and yours could be chosen. Send your ideas to: seeds@esa.org

 

Upcoming Opportunities and Deadlines

Chapter Maintenance Grants

The SEEDS Campus Ecology Chapter program offers a Maintenance Grant to support Chapters. This grant is intended to ensure that each Chapter has funds to establish itself and/or sustain its presence on campus and beyond. Chapters in good standing may submit a proposal anytime before March 1, 2007. More information and the application are available at http://www.esa.org/seeds/activities/CampusEcologyChapters/MaintenanceGrants.php.

 

Chapter Special Project Proposals

Chapters, do you have project ideas for which you'd like to seek funding? The next SEEDS Campus Ecology Chapter Special Project Grant proposal deadline is January 26, 2007. More information is available at http://www.esa.org/seeds/activities/CampusEcologyChapters/SpecialProjectGrants.php.

 

SEEDS Highlights

Clayton State University Campus Ecology Chapter

The Clayton State SEEDS Chapter has not been in existence long, but in the short time that we have been established, we have accomplished much. Since the formation of our Chapter in March of 2006 we have participated in several field trips in association with Clayton State’s Science Association. We spent an incredible evening viewing the awe-inspiring Human Bodies exhibit at the Atlanta Civic Center. Students and faculty alike were floored by the exhibits that could be described as nothing less than art.

We also had the grand opportunity to tour the newly opened Georgia Aquarium that already has the reputation of being the largest aquarium in the world with approximately 8 million gallons of water and more than 100,000 different animals from across the globe.

In addition to collecting ink cartridges for recycling, we participated in Earth Day, handing out flyers about the many ways each of us can help to maintain and protect our planet. Packets of seeds were also given out for students and faculty to plant.

Dr. Boudell and Charlee Glenn had an incredible time in Memphis this past August at ESA’s 91st Annual Conference at which Dr. Boudell presented her symposium on Riparian Plant Ecology. We also had the opportunity to introduce ourselves as a new chapter in Georgia and gave a brief explanation of our recent endeavors and future plans. We met many new people, gathered new ideas for possible projects, and got the chance to network with other SEEDS Chapters across the nation.

Since the ESA Conference, the SEEDS Chapter at Clayton State has made much progress. We participated in the University’s Activities Fair at which we recruited several new members. SEEDS has also finally become its own entity with club status and privileges. Regular meetings and projects are already under way for the fall semester. We have a newly erected bulletin board that will post monthly updates, opportunities in ecology, meeting times and locations. We plan to visit to the Botanical Gardens, Fern Bank, the Atlanta Zoo, and several local graduate schools. We have recently discovered that both Dr. Boudell and our Vice President Serge Farinas will be participating in the Coweeta LTER Field Trip sponsored by ESA; Dr. Boudell as a mentor and Serge as a participant.

Furthermore, we were contacted by Seth Gunning and his Environmental Organization (SAVE) of the University of Georgia and plan to collaborate with them on a statewide project to unite students and establish a first annual Environmental/Energy Conference. We hope to address and raise awareness on environmental and climatic changes. On our own campus we hope to create a natural garden with plaques describing the plants.

Dr. Jere Boudell
CSU SEEDS Faculty Advisor
I graduated from Arizona State University in 2004 with a Ph.D. in Plant Biology and a specialization in plant ecology. I'm currently an assistant professor of biology in the Department of Natural Sciences at Clayton State University. My research focuses on riparian plant ecology (plant ecology of river ecosystems), restoration of degraded riparian ecosystems, and metacommunity theory. Currently, I'm investigating metacommunity dynamics in southwestern riparian ecosystems and am planning to continue my work in southeastern riparian ecosystems as well. I'm a staunch supporter of the SEEDS mission and believe through the SEEDS program we will introduce ecology to those who might not otherwise be exposed to ecology.


Charlee Glenn
CSU SEEDS Chapter Representative and President
I am a Biology major with a concentration in pre-veterinary studies. I began my college career at Clark Atlanta University, but soon transferred to Clayton State where I found a home. I was introduced to SEEDS approximately one year ago and knew immediately that this was exactly the type of program I wanted to be involved with. One year later, I am president of the CSU Chapter and learning much about ecology and the opportunities that are available. I’m hoping to participate in Duke’s study abroad program in Costa Rica through the Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS) this spring and then go on to graduate school for evolutionary ecology.


Serge Farinas
CSU SEEDS Chapter Vice President
I am a Biology major, planning to pursue a PhD in plant or forest ecology. My emphasis will be in restoration/conservation of degraded ecosystems. I am also going to be conducting an assessment of the Jesters Creek restoration project in Morrow, Georgia.

 

 

 

 

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

 

Colibrí Sanfiorenzo, 2006-07 Undergraduate Research Fellow

Hi! My name is Colibrí. I am currently an undergraduate senior student majoring in General Science at the University of Puerto Rico-Río Piedras Campus. There have been two main influential people in my life in relation to my love of science and my interest in ecology: My mom (dedicated educational chemistry researcher) and Dr. Elvia Melendez Ackerman (my current advisor at my University). My mom showed me the incredible and wonderful world of science and how it can explain most of the things in this world. That is partly why I started out in college as a physics student, to try and learn how the universe and all of its components work. But, there was something missing from the experience. In the fall semester of 2003 I embarked on an exchange program to Sweden. This is where I took my first Biology course which was Landscape Ecology. This course blew my mind in both theoretical and practical hands-on experience. That was three years ago and since then ecology has been a big part of my life. When I got back from Sweden, Elvia gave me a chance (without any biology courses at that point) to be a part of the Tropical Plant Ecology and Evolution Laboratory. Working in the lab has not only given me field and lab experience, but it has put me in contact with graduate students. I have been able to see what it takes to go to graduate school. Elvia not only gave me a job as a research assistant, but she also has encouraged me to apply for courses, internships, and conferences that are part of my research interest. I participated in the fall 2004 Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS) semester abroad program of Duke University in Costa Rica, an amazing experience that really put me (and anyone) to the test of either loving ecology or hating it….I LOVED IT!!! Knowing that I love to travel, Elvia mentioned one day that ESA had field trips that were a week long and a good field experience for undergraduate students. This is how I first learned of the SEEDS Program. I started looking through the website and found so many amazing things I could participate in that my excitement turned into action and soon I was applying for the SEEDS fellowship program, and to my delight got accepted!!!

My first encounter with other SEEDS students and organizers was in Arizona in March 2005. That week was incredible!!!! Everyone was so energetic and overwhelmed with happiness that it kind of just stuck on you like glue. After that week I have come to realize that the SEEDS program not only helps you to achieve great science and your academic goals, but it also helps you realize that your thoughts and ideas on humanity and the environment aren’t that far-fetched and that there are other students out there that feel the way you do. This past summer I started my fellowship research with Dr. Luis Garcia Barrios from El Colegio de la Frontera Sur (ECOSUR) in Chiapas, Mexico. Working with Luis has been a real treat. He has showed me the importance of understanding and working within social aspects in the field of ecology. I am participating in the first stages of a new project that is trying to promote conservation and better management techniques in communities that live in the buffer zone of “La Sepultura” Biosphere Reserve in the Sierra Madre de Chiapas. During the months of June and July I collected data on the types of vegetation surrounding the community to give a general overview of the landscape and the relationship with the cattle production systems they generally use. We looked at regeneration in the different landscape units that we found and hopefully next summer we will be able to continue with these measurements to get a better idea of the natural regeneration of trees in cattle pastures compared to natural forest. This summer Luis helped me organize not only my interest in ecology, but my attitude towards life in general. I got to Mexico feeling overwhelmed and depressed with life and left Chiapas energetic, happy, and excitedly overwhelmed with what life might bring me next. The experience that I had this summer really blew me away. I had never been in charge of my own project, having to make all the decisions (with LOTS of valuable help from Luis) about funding, field work, data analysis, group organization, and time schedule. I got a taste of what it will be like to do my graduate research and I can’t wait!!!!

I am applying to graduate school in August 2007. Throughout the years my interest in ecology has expanded and I know for the first time what I really want to do in graduate school. I would like to work with the ecological and social aspects of biodiversity conservation, mainly the impact of excessive wealth on biodiversity (thanks in part to a talk I heard on this same subject at the 2006 ESA Annual Meeting by Ivette Perfecto). My mom was a Chemistry professor at the University of Puerto Rico for many years, and she always said one thing to me, not only speaking as my mother, but also as a professor: “Your work should always be part of the things you most love to do in life.” So, after spending these last few years studying and participating in ecology-related activities I realized what was missing from physics, at least for me, which was having nature in a social context as an integral part of my work. I have to admit it has taken me many years to figure out what I want to do when I finish my studies, but I wouldn’t be the person I am today if I hadn’t gone through all the years of doubt and despair. I can’t say that I will become a professor at a university or that I will work in a nongovernmental organization or government agency, or become part of the private sector, but what I am sure of is that I will LOVE what I do in my professional academic career.

For more information on the SEEDS Undergraduate Research Fellowship, visit http://www.esa.org/seeds/activities/FellowshipsInfo.php

 

Luis Garcia Barrios, 2005-07 Undergraduate Research Fellowship Mentor

What has been your experience with SEEDS and what effect have you seen it have on students?

I have served as a SEEDS mentor twice in a row (2005 and 2006-07). I was honored and very happy when I was first invited because SEEDS is a very relevant ESA program! SEEDS students, mentors and coordinators are great! SEEDS is clearly needed to increase the impact of ecological research in society and to promote equal opportunities for young people interested in a scientific career in Ecology. The SEEDS program is an excellent, challenging and a very rewarding experience both for students and mentors. I have seen the students grow in self-confidence, become active members of an academic community, explore their talents and interests, develop their skills, identify what they need to learn, and become aware of what it means to work in the field of ecological research in an era where science is becoming more complex and interdisciplinary.

Briefly describe your relationship with your student advisee and her project and interests.

I currently serve as Colibrí Sanfiorenzo´s mentor. Colibrí lives in Puerto Rico and is doing her SEEDS research at El Colegio de la Frontera Sur (ECOSUR) in Chiapas, Mexico. It has been a real pleasure to work with her! Colibrí is an easy-going, very positive, extremely active, and focused student who has everything needed to become a very good young researcher in the next few years. Colibrí clearly wants to follow postgraduate studies to become a researcher in Ecology. She deserves support and SEEDS is providing it. Her interests in this field are broad, and she is clearly aware of the social causes and consequence of current natural resource (mis)management. Colibrí is collaborating with us in the first stage of a research and development project aimed at promoting conservation and proper management of trees in cattle production systems in the buffer zone of “La Sepultura” biosphere reserve. Promoting these agroforestry/silvopastoral systems is part of a strategy supported by local communities and institutions to improve rural livelihoods while conserving biodiversity and ecosystem services

What are your interests?

My research interests are broad, but mainly focused on the ecology and the sustainability issues of peasant/indigenous production systems in tropical mountains. I am strongly interested in functional biodiversity in agroecosystems and have approached the topic through descriptions of current management trends, participatory experiments, controlled ecological experiments, intercrop modeling, and development of agent-based simulation software. I am especially interested in education, and more specifically in creating methods and tools for developing people’s skills to deal with complex socio-ecological systems in sustainable ways.

How did you become interested in science?

I must confess that some unexplainable and very powerful force made me fall for nature, knowledge and scientific inquiry at a very early age. When I was seven, I became crazy about collecting all kinds of reptiles, amphibians, birds and small farm-animals who had to bear living with me in my room in the city (shame on me!). At age twelve I started cultivating all sorts of staple-crops and vegetables in our small backyard. Two years later I began spending whole afternoons and many weekends in the libraries of the Natural Resource Institute and the National Museum of Antropology, which were fortunately very near my home. At age fifteen I started hitch-hiking all over the country and venturing into Mexico’s magnificent mountain ranges, unparalleled in biological and cultural diversity. When I became seventeen, I found my way into a science lab where I worked hard, and for free during all my undergraduate studies. (Surprisingly, in those days I even managed to have a girlfriend!) In short, I just couldn’t help becoming a life scientist. Those early years were of hardship and great difficulties for my family and me, but I was extremely lucky that my parents encouraged me to follow my heart, and many kind people and mentors supported me all along.

What professional advice would you give to other students thinking of making a career in ecology?

Go for it! Ecological research, environmentally-conscious production, and ecological education of the human population at large are sorely needed and increasingly appreciated by society. Ecology is a complex science which is challenging, but very rewarding. Ecology is broadening its scope of environmental issues and becoming critical for the advancement of many interdisciplinary efforts aimed at solving crucial human problems.

Ecological research is for those who feel wonder and respect for other living beings, for those who feel strong curiosity about natural history, intricate interactions, and the environmental impact of other species. It is also for those who believe that human societies will only live better (and survive) if we learn to co-exist with all other species in a sustainable way.

If you’re deciding to make a career in ecological research, be prepared to read a lot, work outdoors, collaborate with colleagues from your field and other disciplines, be generous with your time with students and expect quality in their work, to make research mistakes and start over again, to be rigorous and honest about your results, to make an effort to start, finish and publish your work, to get involved with the people who manage the land, and to follow your heart to do the right thing.

 

SEEDS Updates

Congratulations 2005-06 Fellows!

The 2005-06 Fellows finished their fellowship by presenting their research at the 2006 ESA Annual Meeting.

 

Noemi Baquera
Contributed Oral Session 28 – Agroecology
Determining vegetation coverage and changes in land use under the quesungual slash and mulch agroforestry system. N. Baquera (S)¹,*, Herrick, J.E. (M)² and M. Ayarza³. ¹ The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, Texas, ² USDA / Jornada Experimental Range, Las Cruces, New Mexico, ³ CIAT- Honduras, Tegucigalpa, Honduras.

 

 

Jorge Ramos
Poster Session 13 – Animal ecology: mammals, birds, amphibians, and reptiles
Population sizes, site usage, and behavior of harbor and gray seals in the Isles of Shoals, Gulf of Maine. J. Ramos (S)¹,* and Shulman, M.². ¹ University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, ² Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.

 

 

 

 

Christina Wong
Poster Session 16 – Urban ecology
Desert crusts in an urban landscape: responses of N₂ fixation to anthropogenic C and N deposition. C.P. Wong (S)¹,*, Grimm, N.B. (M)² and R. Sponseller³. ¹ Occidental College, Los Angeles, CA, USA, ² Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA, ³ Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA.

 

 

 

 

Congratulations also to Andrea Rivera of the 2005-2006 fellowship group! Andrea completed her research on the effects of the alga Turbinaria ornata on growth and survival of the juvenile coral Pocillopora verrucosa. Andrea conducted her research on the coast of Tahiti at the Moorea Coral Reef LTER and will present her work at the 2007 ESA Annual Meeting in San Jose.

For more information on the SEEDS Undergraduate Research Fellowship, visit http://www.esa.org/seeds/activities/FellowshipsInfo.php

 

Ecology Bulletin Board

National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates

Location: Varies, dependent upon site
Participation Dates: Varies
Benefits: The Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program supports active research participation by undergraduate students in any of the areas of research funded by the National Science Foundation. REU projects involve students in meaningful ways in ongoing research programs or in research projects designed especially for the purpose.
Eligibility: All NSF applicants must be citizens or permanent residents of the U.S. High school graduates not yet enrolled in college and students who have already received a bachelors degree are not eligible.
Application: NSF does not have application materials and does not select student participants. Students must contact the individual sites for application information and materials. Click on link for list of sites: http://www.nsf.gov/crssprgm/reu/list_result.cfm?unitid=5047
Application Deadline: Varies
Contact: National Science Foundation, REU (Biology) Program; 703-292-8470; reu.bio@nsf.gov

 

Smithsonian Environmental Research Center Internships

Location: Edgewater, Maryland
Participation Dates: Varies
Benefits: The Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) Internship offers undergraduate and beginning graduate students opportunity to gain hands-on experience within environmental research and education.  Students participate in specific projects under direction of SERC’s professional staff and each project is tailored to each participant
Eligibility: Students who have recently graduated from an undergraduate or masters program.
Application : http://www.serc.si.edu/pro_training/internships/internships.jsp
Application Deadline: For spring project beginning January-May, deadline is postmark Nov. 15; For summer projects beginning May-August, deadline postmark is Feb 1; For fall appointments beginning Sept-Dec, deadline is postmark June 1
Contact: Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Kim Sproat, Internship Coordinator, 647 Contees Wharf Rd, P.O. Box 28, Edgewater, MD 21037; 443-482-2217; sproatk@si.edu

 

Florida Keys Ocean Science Center Marine Instructor Internships

Location: Pigeon Key, Florida Keys
Participation Dates: January 2007 – May 2007
The Florida Keys Ocean Science Center is a Science and Research facility located on Pigeon Key island in the heart of the Florida Keys.  The Florida Keys Ocean Science Center offers programs to students and teachers from elementary school through college. Interns will teach various marine science courses both in and outside the classroom. Interns will also accompany students to the coral reef and act as underwater naturalists.
Benefits: $250/week plus housing and food when available
Eligibility: This opportunity is open to recent college graduates. All applicants must have a bachelors degree and must be a strong swimmer. Lifeguard certification and experience helpful.
Application: Please submit resume, cover letter, and list of 3 references
Application Deadline: November 30, 2006
Contact: Florida Keys Ocean Science Center, P.O. Box 500130, Marathon, FL, 33050; 305-289-0025; gofkosc@gmail.com

 

Target Field Trip Grants Program

Eligibility: K-12 educators and school officials
Benefits: 800 awards of $1,000 each.
In the face of budget shortages, field trips are often one of the first elements eliminated from the curriculum. Target hopes that teachers can use this grant to continue using the valuable experiential learning gained from field trips to enhance students' classroom studies.
Application: Applications will be available online beginning in September.
Application Deadline: November 1, 2006
Contact: http://www.target.com/teachers

 

Environmental Protection Agency P3 Award Program

Eligibility: Public nonprofit institutions/organizations (limited to public institutions of higher education) and private nonprofit institutions/organizations (limited to private institutions of higher education) located in the U.S. are eligible to apply to be the recipient of a grant to support teams of undergraduate and/or graduate students.
Benefits: The P3 competition will provide grants to teams of college students to research, develop, and design solutions to challenges to sustainability. P3 highlights people, prosperity, and the planet – the three pillars of sustainability – as the next step beyond P2 or pollution prevention. The P3 Awards program is a partnership between the public and private sectors to progress toward sustainability by achieving the mutual goals of economic prosperity, protection of the natural systems of the planet, and providing a higher quality of life for its people. EPA and its affiliates offer the P3 Awards competition to respond to the technical needs of the developed and developing world in moving towards the goal of sustainability.
Application: You may submit either a paper application or an electronic application (but not both) for this announcement. Please refer to the website.
Application Deadline: Competition closes December 21, 2006
Contact: http://www.epa.gov/P3

 

If you're interested in posting an opportunity, please visit http://www.esa.org/seeds/activities/newsletter.php

 

Help Support SEEDS

We invite you to contribute to ESA's SEEDS Program to help support and encourage greater diversity in the ecology profession. Contributions to the SEEDS program are tax deductible and are used to support special initiatives for underrepresented students. To contribute, visit www.esa.org/seeds/supportSEEDS.php