By Kathleen Carroll Conversations about AI and its potential ramifications for ecology have been abound in my lab, department, and on Twitter. Given the number of conversations I have been privy to, I wanted to share my insights with other Early Career Folks. However, I am by no means an expert on using AI in science and would love to…
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by Gina Errico After spending several weeks in Costa Rica running my field study, practicing my novel Spanish speaking skills, I turned to my field assistant and asked for him to pass me my field notebook, “Puedes darme el cuaderno?” (which translates to “can you give me the notebook” in English). He looked at me, confused, and the panic began…
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by Bryan Juarez I graduated with a PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Iowa State University during May 2021. While preparing my presentation I noticed I could not find any easily accessible resources which gave advice on presenting in two languages. For this reason, I was invited to write about my experience. The goal of this piece is to…
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Krti Tallam At the age of 13, my eagerness to make real-world impact, coupled with a thirst for environmental conservation and human wellbeing, fueled me to create an internship with an international conservation organization and then travel there to fill that spot. A day after final exams, I found myself in the remote Western Ghats of south India, studying Asian…
I am a community marine ecologist by training. My PhD consisted of me driving a boat to conduct fieldwork in a wetsuit in Moorea, French Polynesia. Now, I am a Research Staff Member at the Science and Technology Policy Institute (STPI), a federally funded research and development center (FFRDC) for the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP)….
It is clear that the role of scientists in society has shifted over the past few decades. With the explosion of communication methods and accessible information/disinformation at one’s fingertips, dissemination of science is falling more and more on the shoulders of the scientists themselves. There is no longer one way for the public to acquire scientific findings (science journalists) and…
We live in politically charged times. As scientists, we are often affected by proposed federal policies, whether these impact the programs that fund our work, the people with whom we work, or our ability to effectively conduct our work. Here in the US, citizens can and should exercise their civic duties by voicing votes at the ballot box, or by…
I was first exposed to the notion of corporate engagement when I read a New Yorker piece that featured interviews with Peter Kareiva and Mark Tercek. Peter is former Chief Scientist at The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and Mark is a former executive at Goldman Sachs and now CEO of TNC. TNC and other big conservation NGOs have really advanced the…
or “Who the hell am I to talk about this issue, anyways?!” Late last year, I was asked to write a blog for the Early Career Ecologist Section of the ESA, and I initially chose to focus it on a rather controversial topic: gender bias in academia. Now, the truth is that I’ve been a bit hesitant to get my…
We are making two announcements below that include PLOS: 1) refreshments for our special session on early career challenges will be provided by PLOS. So please come help us enjoy them! 2) PLOS is starting a new forum for blogging about ecology, and they want early career contributors!