Education and Diversity Programs

ESA develops strategic programs to increase diversity within ecology-related professions and to improve the quality of ecology education at all levels. Ecology is a diverse science for diverse people. Broadening participation strengthens our science and its impact. ESA welcomes and encourages all people to fully participate in the science of ecology.

Fostering Careers and Professional Development for the Next Generation

Undergraduate audience: (RCN-UBE)
Next Generation Careers Innovation in Environmental Biology Incubator 

Next Generation Careers – Innovation in Environmental Biology Education was created with NSF support (Award # DBI-1539911) to develop a new network to support workforce development for college graduate career progression into environmental biology. This project’s team completed a job ad scan, faculty survey, and eight focus group sessions at professional society meetings– including one held in the ESA Washington, DC office with multiple professional society representatives.

ESA staff and partners held a workshop from October 17-19, 2016 in Baltimore, MD (pictured above) with 36 participants from many sectors including academia, business, nonprofits, agencies, and professional societies. This activity highlighted the need to increase awareness of and access to career opportunities, tap alumni networks, enhance career building activities into undergraduate curriculum/experience, and increase the visibility and value of environmental biology careers.

Environmental Biology Careers for the Next Generation Reception and Forum

At the 2017 Annual Meeting, a forum of public and private sector participants was organized to share the findings of network activities. The event drew 75 participants. Participants overwhelmingly emphasized greater interactions between students, faculty, and professionals through mentoring, shadowing and networking in order to nurture the necessary knowledge of real-world expectations of future ecologists. A poster on “What’s Essential in Preparing Undergrads for Environmental Biology Careers?” highlighting the project findings was also presented.

Fostering Effective Ecology Education at the 2017 ESA Annual Meeting

Resources for Ecology Education – Fair and Share (REEFS)

The 9^th Resources for Ecology Education – Fair and Share (REEFS) was offered as a half-day preconference workshop for the second time and drew 28 participants.  Co-organized by the ESA Office of Education & Diversity Programs and the ESA Education Section, the workshop featured keynote speaker, Dr. Diane Ebert-May, who shared insights on ways to authentically assess learning based on intended learning outcomes.  This unique workshop with roundtable discussions is designed to foster exchange of teaching ideas. 94% of participants agreed that they gained new ideas on how to adapt classroom activities to their specific learning environment. Half of the participants plan to submit their teaching resources to ESA’s EcoEd Digital Library (EcoEdDL).

Four Dimensional Ecology Education (4DEE) Framework

The third Special Session in a series to gather input, Implementing ESA’s 4DEE Framework to Transform Your Undergraduate Ecology Course generated ideas that help faculty teach using the newly developed four-dimensional ecology education framework (4DEE). The 4DEE Framework includes core ecology concepts, integrates humans throughout the ecology curriculum, showcases how the core ecology concepts are connected with important biological themes, and provides guidance on the science practices that we want all ecologists to have after exposure to a college level ecology education. This initiative furthers the strategic plan of the ESA Committee for Diversity and Education.

SEEDS Field Trips

Ecology field trips are the cornerstone for freshman and sophomore students to learn about ecology first-hand. Students spend four to seven days at an ecologically significant site, such as a field station, research laboratory, or national park, learning about the science of ecology, exploring career options, and seeing the practical applications of ecology. Students find out more about what ecologists do through hands-on experiences with professionals, receive training in specific areas, and build networks with students and professionals.

Whitney Lab for Marine BioScience – SEEDS Regional Field Trip

November 3-6, 2016

From Nov 3-6, 2016, 17 students from five institutions participated in a regional field trip to the Whitney Lab for Marine BioScience in St. Augustine and the Guana-Tolomato-Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve in Ponte Vendra, FL. Students came from Bethune-Cookman University, Florida A&M University, Florida Atlantic University, Florida International University and University of Florida. Additionally, two SEEDS graduate student alumni and FAMU faculty adviser, Dr. Richard Gragg also participated. Students had an amazing experience learning about the oysters, the shore birds and the benthic diversity at Whitney Lab. Next, everyone then waded into the salt marshes to harvest Spartina that is being used to in restoration efforts to stem shoreline erosion. We are grateful to Andrea and Brandon Noel for pulling together the field trip program. Partial support for this field trip came from The Curtis & Edith Munson Foundation.

Flathead Lake Biological Station – SEEDS National Field Trip

September 29 – October 2, 2016

We hosted a National Field Trip to Flathead Lake Biological Station, managed by the University of Montana in Polson, Montana from September 29 – October 2, 2016. SEEDS sponsored 18 undergraduate and one SEEDS alumni to participate in this unique opportunity. With the help from Jim and Monica Elser, and the rest of the FLBS staff, students learned about the science fields of limnology and ecology. They participated in field research exercises collecting zooplankton samples at the lake and learned about the vertical migration of these organisms. They also had the opportunity to visit Glacier National Park where they learned about the glacier waters and the rapidly changing environment due to climate change.

Supported by the National Science Foundation.

 SEEDS Leadership Meeting

El Yunque National Forest, Puerto Rico

12th Leadership Meeting, April 5-9, 2017

We hosted the 2017 SEEDS Leadership Meeting at El Yunque National Forest in Rio Grande, PR. 23 students from all over the US participated in this meeting that focused on the connections between forests and communities. We stayed at El Verde Field Station managed by the University of Puerto Rico and the Luquillo LTER where students were nestled in the middle of the tropical forest. Participants also conducted a citizen science project at Las Cabezas de San Juan Nature Reserve managed by a local non-profit conservation trust called Para La Naturaleza, there they removed green iguana nests (an invasive species) from critical coastal habitat. They conducted visitor surveys at El Yunque National Forest – the only tropical rain forest in the USDA Forest Service system – and learned about the unique management strategies that take place at El Yunque.

The support for this program came from the USDA Forest Service.

On September 20, 2017 the island of Puerto Rico was devastated by Hurricane Maria. Both El Yunque National Forest and Las Cabezas de San Juan Nature Reserve suffered severe damages due to the over 200mph wind gusts and 24 inches of rain. Many of our colleagues and students in Puerto Rico endured one of the strongest storms in recorded history and power and water is still not restored to most of the island. The SEEDS program will be working directly with our students and alumni to help in the recovery efforts of five SEEDS Chapters in Puerto Rico. You can help by donating to SEEDS.