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In this issue:
PROGRAM NEWS MEETING ALUMNI CORNER FIELD TRIPS CHAPTER NEWS OPPORTUNITIES |
Introduction We hope you are enjoying the fall in your area, along with this October/November issue of the SEEDS Dispersal. As we enter this time of the year where we pause, reflect, and express our gratitude for the things that are important to us, we would like to thank the many participants in SEEDS for giving this program its spirit of inviting warmth. Anytime we coordinate an event, we marvel at how many people are behind the scenes working for SEEDS, helping staff, and we are grateful. Once SEEDS students show up, the magic unfolds, and the efforts of many are rewarded by an inspired student body leading in the field and connecting positively with ecology and with one another. During a time when we have plenty of good reason for concern as we think of our economic and environmental future, SEEDS will also be a place of hope and fire. When this is what we find ourselves steeped in everyday as staff, we would be remiss not to thank each and every person who has been a part of SEEDS for fueling the fire! In this issue, you will be able to meet the SEEDS Advisory Board and see what good hands the program is in, read the ESA Annual Meeting report, learn more about the work of SEEDS fellow Adriana Leiva, get an update of the career of SEEDS alumni Marla Striped Face-Collins, learn about the launch of our new SEEDS photo/video album in honor of Gerald Selzer, and also see what the students on the October SEEDS field trip to Harvard Forest will be doing. 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. |
Advisory Board BiographiesSEEDS is delighted to present our advisory board, many just beginning their two year term. Here are descriptions of what each member of the board is doing in their current positions and their hopes for SEEDS students and the program in general.
The SEEDS program is pleased to announce that we are launching a new SEEDS photo/video gallery in honor of an excellent scientist and person, Dr. Gerald Selzer www.esa.org/seeds/albumPhotos/ . The Organization of Biological Field Stations (OBFS) gave SEEDS a generous donation in Dr. Selzer’s name, with which we purchased a video camera to document SEEDS events. We are grateful for this excellent medium of capturing the energy of SEEDS, especially because it comes in honor of a great man. Dr. Gerald Selzer was a NSF Program Officer for the Field Stations and Marine Laboratories Program. He was a champion for cultural diversity at field stations. We are deeply grateful for the scientists like Gerald Selzer for supporting underrepresented students as they blaze the trails of their career path, because this support really matters to help students know they belong in ecology. To read more about Dr. Selzer, you can find his bio on the OBFS web site www.obfs.org/Gerald.html. | |||||||||
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The Ecological Society of America’s 93rd Annual Meeting - Milwaukee, Wisconsin - August 2-8, 2008
The SEEDS Program of the Ecological Society of America supported the attendance of twenty eight undergraduate students, six SEEDS Alumni student mentors, two international students, and eleven SEEDS Chapter faculty advisors at the 2008 Ecological Society of America Annual Meeting. Each student was matched with an ESA member mentor to help guide them through the meeting. In addition to attending SEEDS-sponsored events, SEEDS participants were actively involved in the Annual Meeting by presenting at oral and poster sessions, as well as sponsoring a SEEDS all day field trip and corresponding special session. To learn more about the SEEDS at the ESA Annual Meeting, read the 2008 Annual Meeting Report. Photos are also available in the Photo Gallery, found here. |
SEEDS of Passion
Milwaukee - the beautiful city saw the great 93rd ESA gathering of ecologists and students this August. I, as the SEEDS intern, was very fortunate to be a part of it and attended almost all the SEEDS events during the meeting. I really enjoyed listening to our Diversity Programs Manager Melissa Armstrong gracefully introducing the SEEDS program and our Diversity Programs Coordinator Erin Vinson passionately commenting on students’ evaluations for the past events. I was also impressed by our Director Teresa Mourad’s energy level and her commitment to the cause of ecology education and diversity. But what impressed me most is the tremendous passion and energy our SEEDS students bring to us. Listening to their presentations at the Chapter Workshop and at the poster sessions were great inspirational experience for me. Before joining SEEDS, I had no idea what kind of program I would be working on. I still distinctively remember how I walked into the ESA office three months ago with a strong self-awareness of being an international student, a minority, and an outsider to the field of ecology. The education staff welcomed me with open arms and introduced me to the SEEDS program with incredible patience. Their guidance encouragement and acknowledgement gave me enormous confidence and made me feel like home. Now at the ESA Annual Meeting, I got to see the whole picture of the program and I understood eventually the greatness of the SEEDS program. I can feel that the program had helped planted in me and in many others the seeds of passion for pursuing what we truly ENJOY doing. It dawned on me by the end of the week that this is what SEEDS is all about! This has been a wonderful journey for me - to learn, to be motivated, and to grow with SEEDS. |
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SEEDS Alumni Highlight
I am from the Standing Rock Sioux nation located both in North Dakota and South Dakota. I recently graduated with my Bachelor degree in Environmental Science at a tribal college named Sitting Bull College. When I first started going to college I was interested in hydrology and that led to a growing interest in the other sciences. The more I learned the more I wanted to learn about the environment, especially ecology, which is the closest thing to Native Science. I am not committed to any one single scientific discipline for my career path right now. I am taking a more interdisciplinary or holistic approach. I know it will include application of geospatial technology and remote sensing, and am certain that one day it will lead me back to Standing Rock. I would like to return to my homeland and help my people. One way is to assist in managing their land and natural resources by using my education and experience gained through active research. I believe I got here today with the support and encouragement from relatives, friends and most of all, my husband, E. Michael Collins. The influences I had for leadership came from Native American women in leadership positions, such as Wilma Mankiller, Karen Gayton, and Janice Richards. My influences within the sciences, especially ecology, were my husband, and women in the science field such as Meg Lowman, Carol Johnston, and Rebecca Phillips. I believe I would not have become interested in the ecology of Standing Rock if it were not for the SEEDS program. This program gave me a much broader perspective of ecology through field trip participation, conference attendance and Fellowship participation. For this I thank you and the SEEDS organization. Marla Striped Face-Collins was a 2006-2007 SEEDS Undergraduate Research Fellow. She is currently pursuing her master’s degree at the University of New Hampshire. Marla has received a NASA Fellowship to study remote sensing applications and their use with natural resource management. |
A Visit to SEEDS Fellow Adriana
On July 22, I had the great pleasure of visiting SEEDS fellow Adriana Leiva and her mentor Lisa Ballance at the NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center in beautiful La Jolla, California. Coming from the Arizona desert, the expanse of the Pacific Ocean was a most welcome sight. NOAA’s Fisheries offices are perched on a quintessential California cliff overlooking beaches and the deep blue Pacific. Adriana’s office view could not have been more breathtaking, and we sat and talked about her research to the lull of ocean waves in the background. Adriana had only arrived in southern California the week before and was just embarking on carrying out the project she had outlined in her fellowship proposal. She will be presenting her results at the 2009 ESA meeting in Albuquerque. While Adriana is doing much of her fellowship research preparation at the NOAA Fisheries offices, her field sites are in three communities on the coast of the Sea of Cortez, two on the Baja peninsula and one on Mexico’s mainland. Adriana is tackling the heroic question of why do species go extinct, and looking at the case of the vaquita, the highly endangered species of porpoise, to provide answers which can hopefully help save this population. Adriana’s research is naturally complex, involving many players including academics, policy makers, fishermen, NGOs, and policy enforcers to name a few. A series of interviews will help her understand the network of connections necessary to save species, and identify the lines of the network that require greater emphasis. Adriana, Lisa and I walked to a small, outdoor coffee shop on the steep campus of SCRIPPS where NOAA Fisheries is located and purchased coffee on the honor system. We talked philosophically about the big picture implications of Adriana’s question, and also logistically about what will be required to get it done. This type of social/ecological question is even new to her mentor Lisa, though an area of great interest and concern to her. Adriana’s research will be a great contribution to ESA, but also to countless people nationally and internationally who are working in the name of species preservation, helping to identify the critical ways we must work together. |
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SEEDS October 2008 Field Trip – Leaf peeping in New England
SEEDS is getting ready for another great Fall Field Trip! The 2008 SEEDS Fall Field Trip will take place from October 16-19 at the Harvard Forest Long Term Ecological Research site (LTER) in Petersham, Massachusetts, about 60 miles west of Boston. 19 undergraduate students from across the country, two SEEDS Chapter advisors, and two SEEDS staff will be participating. This field trip will provide a unique opportunity for students to learn from, and perhaps contribute to, scientific research programs taking place within the long term ecological research network. Research and education have always been the mission of the Harvard Forest LTER, one of the oldest and most intensively studied forests in North America. From a center made up of 3,000 acres of land, research facilities, and the Fisher Museum, the scientists, students, and collaborators at the Forest explore topics ranging from conservation and environmental change to land-use history and the ways in which physical, biological and human systems interact to change our earth. During the field trip, students will tour the Harvard Forest, meeting with many faculty, staff and graduate students. Students will get an introduction into the research that is being done at Harvard Forest. Students will also have a chance to conduct ecological investigations, and analyze and present their results. In addition, students will participate in a writing workshop and learn about the important cultural history of the area. A career panel discussion will also give students some ideas of the diverse career paths in ecology. Opportunities for undergraduate and graduate opportunities at Harvard Forest and Harvard University will be presented, including Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) opportunities. Students will be keeping journals on their experience, both individually and as a group. Group journals will create a comprehensive field trip document that will be posted online and perhaps published in the ESA Bulletin. All past field trip reports are available online at www.esa.org/seeds/fieldtrips/past.php. |
Grand Canyon SEEDS Students Explore Sevilleta LTER
Students of the Grand Canyon SEEDS Chapter at Northern Arizona University had an exciting four day field trip to the wilds of New Mexico in mid September as part of a SEEDS Special Project grant. “It was great to see the Rio Grande valley and to see first-hand the large scale climate change research going on at the Sevilleta,” said Julaire Scott one of the student organizers of the Grand Canyon Chapter. “It is good to see that someone is seriously investigating these coming impacts.” Students explored a breadth of research projects at the Sevilleta across ecological scales from individual species ecology, to population and community ecology, through landscape level ecosystem studies. Their understanding of research was also expanded through presentations by new grad students, finishing grad students, professional ecologists, and young professors just going up for tenure. “It is very important for students to understand the personal and social aspects of research,” says Dr. Scott Collins, Director of the Sevilleta LTER, “This is just as important as the basic understanding of science.” The group was also joined by SEEDS students from the University of Texas, El Paso and SEEDS organizers from the University of New Mexico. “The cross-pollination of ideas between students from the different Universities added to the experience for the students,” said Dr. Stefan Sommer, Faculty Advisor for the Grand Canyon Chapter. “Our students are excited by these experiences and are working hard to plan future trips.” Some of them are also planning their own field ecology projects that they hope to conduct at the Sevilleta LTER and elsewhere. Funding for the NAU field trip came from a SEEDS Special Project Grant. More information on submitting a special project grant proposal for our next deadline (November 1, 2008) can be found online at http://www.esa.org/seeds/chapters/grants.php. |
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SEEDS would like to extend a warm welcome to its newest campus ecology chapters: Barnard College/Columbia University, Oregon State University, Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi, and the University of the Virgin Islands in St. Croix. Since the ESA Annual Meeting in August, we have had four new chapters join our network, with many more interested in starting chapters. We are all very excited for them to be a part of our ever-growing and ever-inspiring SEEDS family! Barnard College/Columbia University’s SEEDS Chapter Located in New York City, New York, their chapter’s purpose is to introduce Barnard College and other Columbia University undergraduates (Columbia College, Fu School of Engineering) to ecology and to foster a love for the environment and ecological research. We hope this chapter will inspire students to explore natural environments inside and outside of New York City and to pursue advanced degrees in ecology-oriented disciplines after graduation by hosting field trips and traveling to conferences together and supporting student research initiatives at the undergraduate level. Oregon State University’s SEEDS Chapter Located in Corvallis, Oregon, their objectives are to encourage the participation of students of all backgrounds, particularly of those of underrepresented groups, in ecology and related fields. The student chapter will act as a source of support and encouragement to those students pursuing careers in science and who may share struggles related to cultural differences, and lack of familial support. Additionally, the chapter aims to promote awareness of local and global ecological issues while incorporating outreach within the community. Students will participate in activities, such as field trips and research projects, which will benefit their personal, professional, and academic development. Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi’s Islander SEEDS Chapter Located in Corpus Christi, Texas, the purpose of Islander SEEDS is to promote awareness of ecology-related careers and environmental issues to the diverse student population of Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. We also seek to promote awareness of our unique local environment, particularly our marine and estuarine habitats, among the residents of the Texas Coastal Bend. University of the Virgin Islands in St. Croix’s Environmental and Marine Science Club SEEDS Chapter Located on the island of St. Croix, the purpose of the Environmental and Marine Science Club is to engage the UVI community in meaningful and educational experiences in nature; provide a forum for lectures, movies, and discussions on current environmental issues; create positive changes towards a more environmentally friendly campus and island; and explore opportunities for development of careers in ecology. |
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We have a new addition on our SEEDS website. We are always hearing about great opportunities available for students and faculty. Rather than flood your emails with weekly updates that rarely if ever get read, we have decided to provide you a resource online where we will frequently post and update a variety of opportunities. The link to view these opportunities is www.esa.org/seeds/about/partnerships.php. The next SEEDS Special Project Grant Proposal deadline is November 1, 2008. For more information, application, and forms please visit us online at www.esa.org/seeds/chapters/grants.php.
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As Education Coordinator for Stanford’s Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve (JRBP), I am responsible for the Jasper Ridge education program, including Stanford university classes, teacher professional development, community education, and K12 outreach with local schools 
I work as an environmental education and interpretation consultant and my clients include universities, and governmental and non-profit organizations. My consulting work encompasses the development and evaluation of environmental education programs, feasibility studies of conservation programs, center planning and development, long-range planning, and exhibits and interpretive materials design. I am also the Executive Director for a new non-profit organization, Plan C Initiative, whose mission is to empower communities to develop ecological landscapes in urban areas. 
I am pursuing my PhD at Arizona State University in Sustainability Science. I am interested in biogeochemistry, ecosystem services, ecological economics, and land-use change. The sustainability program allows me to simply examine environmental problems with an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approach. My hope is that SEEDS provides students from diverse backgrounds with a supportive and intellectually challenging community that allows them to thrive in the field of ecology. Also I think SEEDS can greatly help the ecological community by offering new perspectives, leadership, and innovative techniques towards tying research to local communities.
I am recently retired from United Tribes Technical College and have relocated to Durham, NH, the site of UNH, one of the top five universities in the U.S. in the application of Remote Sensing to environmental studies, especially the science of ecology. My wife, Marla Striped Face-Collins is the recipient of a NASA Research Fellowship to UNH, commencing work on her Master's degree in Natural Resource Management with an emphasis on Remote Sensing Applications. I will be doing some professional development work myself and am currently pursuing research partnerships between the tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) and several groups here at UNH. I have no intention of sitting on the porch in a rocking chair and watching the grass grow or currently, the leaves turn. After Marla completes her graduate work, we plan to return to the Northern Great Plains and assist the Lakota, as well as other Tribal Nations in the region, find ways to better manage their vast natural resources.
I am an Associate Professor of Biology at Hampton University, an HBCU. I currently teach freshman biology (the half of the year devoted to Mendelian and population genetics, evolution, the kingdoms of life, and ecology), medical entomology, Toxic and Venomous Animals, and zoology (currently, only the labs). 
I recently completed my doctoral work in the Department of Integrative Biology at the University of California, Berkeley. I now work for SimBiotic Software, a educational software company dedicated to improving science education. I am also a postdoctoral affiliate at the Scheller Teacher Education Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a lab group focused on the design and implementation of new educational technology. My research will assess the efficacy of new computer-based educational tools at teaching biological topics, and will help identify common student misconceptions about important areas in biology.
I am fortunate to have one of the best jobs in the world. I work as a scientist with the USDA-ARS (Agricultural Research Service) on issues related to rangeland ecology and management. My office, lab and ‘home’ field station are in southern New Mexico, and I have collaborative research projects throughout the United States. At home, I am working with many others to increase our understanding of the factors contributing to differences in the resilience of desert ecosystems. This knowledge serves as a basis for preventing land degradation, and for developing ecologically-based remediation systems for lands that are already degraded. My national work is designed to develop more cost effective land health assessment and monitoring systems that are sensitive to changes in the capacity of the land to support diverse ecosystem services, including air and water quality, and wildlife habitat. I am also working internationally in China, Mongolia and Latin America to help various organizations improve their ability to assess and monitor the status of their lands, and to identify the biophysical and socieoeconomic factors that are limiting sustainable development.
