Ask an Ecologist

an ecologist takes a water sample in a riparian ecosystem

Ecology Careers Q&A: Career Options with a Doctorate

Is environmental consulting a viable path for a person who will soon graduate with a doctorate? Does having a PhD make you overqualified to certain jobs?

two scientists converse at a conference table as they plan a field experiment

Ecology Careers Q&A: Skills to Build to Be Competitive on the Job Market

Q: What specific skills should I focus on developing during my time as a graduate student to be competitive in environmental consulting?

a young woman working as a researcher smiles as she examines a small plant sample in what appears to be a greenhouse

Ecology Careers Q&A: Getting Your Foot in the Door with a Bachelor’s Degree

Q: Do you have any tips for getting your foot in the door in the environmental consulting world after graduating from undergrad?

A young woman ecologist calls on an attendee at her talk at the 2023 ESA Annual Meeting

Ecology Careers Q&A: Where to Find Jobs in Consulting

Q: Are there certain job boards other than the ECOLOG or Conservation Job Board you would recommend?

Seeing (less) red: Bark beetles and global warming

This post contributed by Jesse A. Logan, retired research entomologist living in Emigrant, Montana. The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) is an ecological reserve of regional, national and international significance. This collection of National Parks, National Forests, wildlife reserves and tribal lands is generally recognized as one of the last remaining large, nearly intact, ecosystems of the Earth’s northern temperate region….

URBAANE: An urban environmental conference for communities of color

This post contributed by Kellen Marshall-Gillespie, University of Illinois-Chicago, NSF-IGERT LEAP Fellow and 2011 ESA Graduate Student Policy Award winner. As an active member of the Ecological Society of America and its Strategies for Ecology Education, Diversity and Sustainability (SEEDS) program and environmental justice (EJ) section, I understand and support the Society’s vested interest in accomplishing meaningful broader impacts. As…

Are seagrasses buried under urban development?

Seagrass populations are facing major declines in the midst of global climate change and increasing urban development along coasts, according to a study conducted at the request of the International Union of the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Frederick Short from Jackson Estuarine Laboratory in New Hampshire and colleagues reported that, of the 72 species of known seagrass, 10 species are…

Speaking of species and their origins

An essay published in the June 8 issue of Nature is causing something of a stir. Eighteen ecologists who signed the essay, titled “Don’t judge species on their origins,” “argue that conservationists should assess organisms based on their impact on the local environment, rather than simply whether they’re native,” as described in a recent Scientific American podcast. In the essay,…

Brown faces, urban places and green spaces: achieving diversity in environmental fields

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development’s 2009 Programme for the International Student Assessment results showed the United States ranking 19th in math and 14th in science out of 31 countries. Following this news, President Obama announced a $250 million proposal to increase funding for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education. As he stated in his budget message, “In…