Barbara Abraham

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 spend a lot of time maintaining the Native Plant Butterfly Garden that was planted with funds from a SEEDS Special Project Award.  I am also becoming knowledgeable about native pollinators of native plants, with ongoing research in the garden. My hope for our students is that they come to realize that they themselves are important to the health of the environment. I hope that every SEEDS student makes at least one small lifestyle change that causes him or her to ‘tread more lightly” on the planet. I also hope to convince them that careers in ecology are every bit as noble as careers in medicine, and that “helping others” can be accomplished as well.

Michael Collins

I have recently returned to Bismarck, ND where I will be doing some professional development work and am currently pursuing education and research partnerships between the tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) and several groups in the Eastern U. S. and the Northern Great Plains. My wife, Marla Striped – Face Collins, and I plan to obtain advanced degrees and use the additional skills and knowledge to assist the Lakota, as well as other Tribal Nations in the region to find ways to better manage their vast natural resources.  I am deeply honored to serve on the SEEDS Advisory Board and strongly support the mission and goals of SEEDS. As a campus chapter advisor at UTTC for four years, I have had a first-hand opportunity to see the wonderful benefits, opportunities and resources this organization provides to budding ecologists and related scientists. Marla, as student campus representative, and I established the chapter at UTTC and have seen the program grow nationally to award-winning levels. I am humbled, yet proud to be affiliated with SEEDS and ESA.

Quin Holifield

I am a soil scientist with the USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station, Research Work Unit 8, located in Baltimore, Maryland. In addition to my duties as a researcher, I am actively involved with outreach activities that involve promoting environmental education  and environmental literacy on all education levels, including K-12, collegiate and informal settings with adults.  My past educational activities include Green Horizon in New York City and Urban Resources Initiative in New Have, Connecticut. I currently serve as an educational advisor for the Project B.L.U.E. (Baltimore Lessons in Urban Environments), an environmental education after school program that promotes urban stewardship. Project B.LU.E, is a program that focuses on the middle school grades and is sponsored by the Parks and People Foundation, Inc. in Baltimore City.  I highly support the SEEDS mission and am looking forward to my term on the SEEDS Advisory Board.

Chris McLaughlin

I am a recent graduate of Sitting Bull College in Fort Yates, ND. I have been a SEEDS member since 2003 when I started my path into the realm of Ecology. The support I have received from my SEEDS family has played a vital role in my current status. It is with great honor and enthusiasm I take this role as board member. I will hope to continue assisting the SEEDS organization in anyway I can. I currently work for SWCA Environmental Consultants in the Bismarck, ND office as an ecologist/environmental technician. I assist other ecologists with a variety of field and office work including but not limited to, environmental assessments, range inventory, threatened and endangered species, wetland delineation and document preparation as well as Class I pre-field surveys for our archeologists. My experience with SEEDS, my degree, and my job with SWCA has helped me to see myself advancing my education in an Environmental field.  I see a great need for specialized knowledge in areas that would benefit the rural areas of North Dakota and the Reservations

Ricardo Rozzi

I am an associate professor at the Department of Philosophy and Religion Studies, University of North Texas, and an associate researcher of the Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity and the University of Magallanes, Chile.  My research combines ecology and philosophy through the study of the interrelations between the ways of knowing and inhabiting the natural world, proposing a dynamic continuous reciprocal feedback between both domains. My work focuses on biocultural conservation and the linking of human wellbeing with the environment.

I have collaborated with the Chilean Ministry of Education, the Latin American Ecology Schoolyard Program, and have participated in the creation of the "Senda Darwin" Biological Station (Chiloé Island, Chile), the Latin American Network of Ethnobotanical Parks, the Omora Ethnobotanical Park (Puerto Williams, Chile), and the UNESCO Cape Horn Biosphere Reserve at the southern end of the Americas, with the aim of incorporating environmental ethics in the practices of conservation and education in Latin America. I am working in the consolidation of a biocultural conservation and "field environmental philosophy" program known as the Omora Sub-Antarctic Research Alliance.  With SEEDS, I helped create a partnership to expand the program internationally through UNT’s International Research Experiences for Students (IRES) in Chile.

Cindy Wilber

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 http://jrbp.stanford.edu/. Since 1998, I have worked closely with members of the Muwekma Tribe on various projects and workshops at JRBP and I advise the SEEDS Stanford chapter which was established in 2007.

Currently, I am working together with Professor Rodolfo Dirzo, Stanford SEEDS students and others with the Redwood Academy of Leadership (REAL) program at Redwood Continuation high school in Redwood City, CA. The REAL program is an ecology-based education program funded by the Stanford K12 Initiative. The REAL program provides experiential learning focused on the restoration of the Cordilleras Creek and the understanding of riparian ecosystems. I also live part of each year in Chicxulub Puerto, Yucatán, Mexico, working with Proyecto Itzaes http://www.proyectoitzaesusa.org   providing educational resources to Maya communities.  I am honored to be part of the SEEDS Advisory Board and hope that through my participation I will be able to further the mission of SEEDS and strengthen connections for SEEDS students in research opportunities and graduate school.

Christina Wong

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.

The Ecological Society of America’s 94th Annual Meeting - Albuquerque, New Mexico

July 31 – August 7, 2009
Melissa Armstrong

The SEEDS Program during the 2009 ESA meeting in Albuquerque NM was a huge success! We supported the attendance of forty-six people to attend the ESA meeting (thirty-four undergraduate students, five SEEDS alumni graduate students, and seven Chapter Advisors).  Seventy one percent of our thirty-four undergraduates presented their research (five oral presentations and nineteen poster presentations).  Our highest number of SEEDS alumni yet attended the ESA meeting with their own funding (eleven) and six of these alumni volunteered as individual mentors to incoming SEEDS students.  Alumni participation in the meeting was also at its highest point during SEEDS events, as they ran the mentor workshop, SEEDS Chapter workshop, and Diversity Mixer.  Our 34 ESA member mentors did an excellent job of providing individual guidance to undergraduates, helping them navigate the maze of extraordinary opportunity that can only be found at the largest gathering of ecologists in the world! 

Student evaluations tell us that meeting other SEEDS students (6.8 out of 7) and presenting research (6.8) were most important to increasing student interest in ecology.  Participating with SEEDS during the ESA meeting most enhanced students’ overall meeting experience (6.8) and encouraged them to become members of ESA (6.8).  Students were most satisfied with the mentor portion of the SEEDS program – the value of having a mentor (6.5), approachability of their mentor (6.5), and their mentor exhibiting that ecology is a rewarding profession (6.5).

Mentor evaluations indicate that over 90% of mentors spoke with their mentees about their career path, 90% attended talks together, 73% ate a meal together, and 73% introduced their mentees to her/his colleagues.  Things that helped them be good mentors included getting to know their mentees personally (100%), their mentees because he/she communicated her/his needs (82%), and time during the SEEDS welcome dinner (74%).  All mentors (100%) plan to keep in touch with their mentees after the meeting!
Thanks to our many participants in SEEDS during the ESA meeting that keep our energy high and positive, and our light burning bright during the very heart of our Society.

SEEDS of Passion

SEED Education and Outreach Initiative (SEOI)

This year’s annual meeting in Albuquerque marked the third year of SEEDS Education and Outreach Initiative (SEOI) field trips. This year’s field trip took us to the Albuquerque Bio Park, a great downtown location to conduct a Bioblitz that would get participants familiar with the local ecology. Participants consisted of students, community members, ESA members and young minds. All participants got their hands dirty and feet wet identifying insects and plants in a wetland and riparian Bosque. The aquatic insects and plants were scooped up by Lian Liu, an REU student at the Sevilleta LTER and Serge Farinas, a graduate student from the University of Michigan. The hunt for terrestrial insects was lead by Izzy DelTorro, a graduate student at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst while ethnobotanist, Johna Hill from the Hopi Tribe, pointed out important plants in the southwest culture. Working and learning together students, professors, and community members analyzed the data in groups and gave short presentations on their results.

SEOI’s main objective is to get local teachers and students to participate in the annual meeting while promoting ecology education through outreach. SEEDS students and staff will continue SEOI with the goal of giving back to the hosting community of ESA Annual Meetings. No matter your expertise or knowledge, you come away learning something new and exciting from the SEOI field trips.  Whether it’s learning about a new ecosystem, identifying plants, basic data analyzing, or presentation practice, you learn something new. SEOI will continue next year in Pittsburgh with a new group of students, teachers, ESA members and community members in the hopes of diversifying the field of ecology through outreach education.  If you are interested in participating in some way or another during the 2010 SEOI BioBlitz please email melissa@esa.org.

SEOI is funded by the Project Learning Tree Greenworks! Program.

We Love our Alumni!

SNAP: SEEDS Network for Alumni & Professionals Annual Meeting Debut
Raynelle Rino

 One of the burning questions a SEEDS student asks once they graduate is what resources from SEEDS will be available to them? In the past the answer was none. But in 2007 a small group of SEEDS Alumni recognized the opportunity to create resources critical in supporting the need to reach our highest potentials as ecologists. After two years of hard work, diligent brainstorming, and productive organizing, the alums have created SNAP (SEEDS Network for Alumni and Professionals). It is a working group of mainly SEEDS alumni doing much more than connecting people. We organize to create projects that fulfill the SEEDS/SNAP mission, practice leadership development, and most importantly provide academic, professional, and personal support to graduate students and ecology professionals.

A multiple level support is what SEEDS embraces in their strategies. SNAP’s mission is to also embraces the same level of support, but in a strategy in which nurtures its members in the further stages of their pathway. Some of the working projects include things like developing and facilitating workshops during ESA’s annual meeting, visiting SEEDS chapters in need of start up help, providing staff support during field trips and leadership meetings, and much, much more. SNAP’s governing board and members at large leadership positions provide the opportunity for alumni and professionals to play a major part in the direction of the group.

How does a SEEDS student become a SNAP member? For a student that is soon to be an alumni, SNAP is the prefect group to join while continuing on the pathway to ecology success. Also, alumni, faculty, and professionals within the greater ESA membership that support the SEEDS/SNAP mission can also benefit from this resource. Membership to this network is available through the group’s website, http://www.esa.org/seeds/alumni/ or by contacting the Chair, Raynelle Rino at msraynelle@gmail.com. For more information about our group visit our website to see some familiar faces in the network and many new faces that continually build on the expanse of talented ecologist. You may be the next student or professional featured on the site!

SEEDS Alumni Highlight

Francisco J. Soto-Santiago

I am currently attending the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez, finishing my MS degree in biological oceanography. A deep love for my country and its natural resources, specially our unique beaches, has created in me a passion for the marine environment. My interests center around coral reef ecology, particularly the causes and consequences of coral diseases. My thesis project is a study of the incidence and spatial patterns of Caribbean Yellow Band Disease on Montastraea sp. in six reefs in the La Parguera Natural Reserve (southwest, Puerto Rico). Coral reefs are one of the most important ecosystems on Earth, supporting high biodiversity and contributing significantly to the worldwide economy.  Furthermore, these ecosystems promote better relationships among human communities in coastal areas by serving as centers of social integration for recreational and commercial fishermen and their families.

Experiences outside of the classroom through SEEDS and through other experiential programs have helped me develop as a marine biologist/ecologist. They have helped me academically and socially, giving me research experiences and allowing me to meet interesting people around the world. My long-term goal is to serve my country by teaching Puerto Rican citizens about the ecology of our marine resources and the urgency of sustainable development in the economic, social and political aspects of our native soil. To this end, my future studies will focus on how human beings use their natural resources and how the ecological knowledge of non-scientists can be integrated into new and improved management plans for the coastal ecosystems of Puerto Rico. After all, it is not only the lawmakers who use these resources. The working people who daily interact with our environment need to appreciate the importance of their impact and the influence they can have in the decision-making process.  ¡Un amor!

I’m not new to SEEDS and their incredible field trip experiences, but I had NO idea that I would enjoy myself so thoroughly at the Mountain Lake Biological Station in Pembroke, Virginia. To be honest I went in slightly nervous, wondering what might go wrong and what I would somehow have to remedy. Now that I think back, the trip couldn’t have been better. We had a slight mishap with the group from Puerto Rico, but looking at the pictures of their “Adventures in Philadelphia” I think they had more fun than we did Thursday afternoon!

The drive up was nice and the gradual change from flat stretches of road to the wonderful hills and valleys of the Appalachian’s base provided constant entertainment. I fear to tell that I even snapped a few shots with my camera as I drove. (Oops!)

Once at the station, everyone settled into their rustic looking cabins. Eric Nagy, the station’s Assistant Director warned in email of the draftiness but I found the accommodations to be warm and full of character. I unrolled my sleeping bag and then, feeling the need to make myself available went in search of our SEEDS students. I caught up with Rita (a past MLBS REU student), who was so kind as to give us a short tour of the station while we all waited for dinner. I think we were all excited when she invited us to “just flip over a rock” and search for salamanders. It was even more exciting when we found them under just about all the rocks we flipped. Cameras were immediately snatched out and flashes were all around as we tried to desperately to capture the wonderful sights.

Dinner was wonderful and I think most everyone agreed. Melissa’s group finally arrived and there were hugs all around. There was much chatting and everyone seemed to click almost immediately. After dinner we met in the main office for a MLBS slideshow presented by the always entertaining Butch Brodie, MLBS’s Director. An introduction to SEEDS was given, who and what we are, her staff and the assisting Faculty Advisors (Jere Boudell and Sashi Sabaratnam). We were all given the opportunity to present ourselves and a piece of our home to the group. I recall Manny’s most clearly. The ecology of his home, New York included rats and pigeons. There were apparently a few comedians in the crowd and I loved that. Laughter is good for the soul!

The following morning we woke to breakfast and united with our Puerto Rico group. They were all given the opportunity to introduce themselves as we had the night before and we learned of the diverse ecologies of Puerto Rico, varying widely but sometimes only miles apart. Next we had an Eric led tour of the station and met the four researchers that the students would be working with for the duration of the trip. The excitement and passion that the researchers had for their subject was palpable, I never in a million years would think that I would be remotely interested in beetles, but Vince’s intro to his research was enthralling! I immediately began sketching out the fascinating Horned Fungus Beetle that smelled like ink and played dead when you breathed on it. Lalena, Tammi and Henry were no different. I’m so not a plant person but Tree Cookies can only be a GOOD thing! LOL Snakes, no doubt about it but even the worms and the mustard extraction technique was beyond fascinating!!! We were all in for a treat.

Needless to say the research opportunity was incredible. There wasn’t a student that was unhappy with their experience. Trust me, I analyzed the trip evaluations!! :) We were also engaged by Jane Zander, an eco-artist. She enlightened us with some of her techniques and secrets to drawing nature and capturing its beauty. I think we all learned something new and had a good time doing it. The student’s presented their research Saturday evening and we partied hard that night. I loved it! Work hard, party harder!!! And that we did! I think the electric slide to salsa will have to become a permanent part of the program!

Looking back, the overall trip was incredible but it was really the people that made it great! From the MLBS staff to the people on the career panel to the students themselves, I felt a real connection with everyone and honestly hope to see them again!!! I’m almost sad that this was my first SEEDS Field Trip experience working for the ESA, I’m sad and afraid because I’m not sure anything could top it! Then again, a visit to Puerto Rico is sure to be incredible!!! *wink*

As part of our SEEDS Special Project grant students obtained soil, sediment and water samples from a variety of sites around El Paso. They learned field techniques for heavy metal sample collections. The lab analysis was done primarily by three Environmental Advocate members (undergraduates: Israel Del Toro and Ashley Lopez; graduate: Kevin Floyd). Lab procedures were carried out in either my lab or that of our co-advisor Dr. David Borrok. Part of our data will be included in at least one publication by Israel and Dr. Borrok while other samples will be included in a future publication by Kevin Floyd. Israel presented this work at the annual Ecological Society of America meeting in Albuquerque. Other members participated in the outreach component of the project. Students gave presentations on campus (informational and recruitment) and at local schools and environmental festivals. For instance, SEEDS chapter members prepared a 45 minute presentation which focused on the wildlife of the Chihuahuan Desert and the importance of conservation of this unique ecosystem at Clint High School to three classes of 9th and 12th grade students (72 students). The material covered was coordinated with the biology instructor John Wilson in order to address key points that the students would cover as part of their state required curriculum.

In addition to the SEEDS project, our Chapter met weekly and had activities throughout the year including: hosting environmental film festivals, Earth Week activities, attending state and national conferences on student activism, hosting environmental speakers, volunteering at a local organic farm and additional outreach presentations at schools and churches.   

One of the accomplishments of our group last year was our ability to coordinate with other campus organizations and local environmental groups. This led to several environmental fairs, an expanded Earth Week celebration, a filmfest during UTEP's Women's History Month, food giveaways with the Vegetarian Society of El Paso, and talks with the local group of the Sierra Club among other events. 

The group also organized several field trips to learn more about and enjoy our Chihuahuan Desert. One of these was to the Sevilleta LTER site in Albuquerque. Students meet with scientists and learned about research opportunities at the site.  We also went on two camping trips to regional national parks.

This year is promising to follow up on our successes of last year. Our Chapter is working with other campus organizations to draft a ballot initiative to institute a student "green fee." If the ballot passes, green fees would be used to improve a variety of campus activities to lessen our impact in producing greenhouse gases.  We have also had several outreach activities promoting environmental ethics. Lastly, we have had fun enjoying our natural environment by hiking and picnicking in our Chihuahuan desert backyard.  Thanks again to SEEDS for inspiring us to be active, involved members of our campus community by providing opportunities for us all!