“How I Work” is a interview series that demonstrates there are many ways to be successful in academia and students, post-docs, and professors need to find the approach that is best for them. This is the second installment in the series.
Many graduate student ecologists will propose thesis work that contains both a lab and a significant field component. However climate change is shifting where species occur, when they occur, and if they occur, often in ways we are ill prepared to predict. How should mentors shift the advice they give their graduate students as they work to develop the fieldwork component of their research, to avoid risky and potentially impossible projects?
As ecologists, we study biodiversity in ecosystems. Here, we look at diversity of ecologists themselves and make recommendations on how best to recruit and retain underrepresented groups. Entering ecology and other field sciences face additional challenges due to the privileged nature of outdoor careers. We believe outreach programs designed to engage underrepresented groups at a young age as well as initiatives to promote inclusive excellence during graduate school will help increase diversity of ecologists. Contribute to the discussion using #ecologist_diversity on Twitter!
Here are some pointers to consider if you’re a guy who wants to support fair treatment for women scientists.
This post details some of the obstacles I’ve faced as a single mom pursuing a PhD. These two paths don’t often intersect, and while this lifestyle can be challenging, I’ve struck a balance that works for me. I hope to let other young women in academia know that you don’t have to choose career or family, you can have both!
Networks of early career researchers (ECRs) have long existed as unofficial groups, yet only within the last decade have they been widely formalised within universities, societies and other groups of researchers. Often the benefits of participating in these groups are difficult to convey to ECRs and others within the wider community, yet they are wide and numerous.
There is a growing need to create equitable experiences in academia- for everyone.
What our team does when we aren’t doing fieldwork – happy in facilitating access to the land in a community camp-out.
We need new tools to start teaching best practices from day one.
The potential for scientific discovery is a frequent justification for biodiversity conservation. Yet we rarely acknowledge the species, conservation initiatives, and human communities that make our discoveries possible. I argue that biologists should make these links explicit in papers and other communications, and donate money or time to compensate species and human communities for their roles in discovery.
Rejection in ecology is something we all go through, so how do we not feel like a failure?
Insectivorous birds and bats help plants by removing herbivorous arthropods. Predator exclosures around the plants are needed to study this. What could be measured of the plants inside the exclosures and in uncaged controls? There are several possibilities that are listed in this post. There is need for more plant measurements in predator exclosure studies, especially in the natural tropical forests.
This is a recurring series of posts entitled “Reflections on the Past”, a series by Hari Sridhar. Hari interviews authors of well-known papers in ecology for first-hand accounts of the ins-and-outs of high-impact research. Posts in this series are archived at reflectionsonpaperspast.wordpress.com.
The problems with academia are multifaceted. The intense competition for positions and funding rewards numbers of publications and grant dollars brought in, rather than advances in understanding. Individual researchers cannot change this state of affairs without uniting to improve the system. While many issues need to be addressed, there is one revolution that researchers can start immediately: we can change the model of academic publication.
What’s new?
One ecologist’s experience with #365papers challenge popularized on Twitter
Recovery of imperilled species requires a diverse set of conservation strategies. One strategy, known as species reintroductions, is to release individuals to areas where they historically resided but have recently been extirpated. Here, we contend that the term repatriation should be used in lieu of reintroduction to enhance clarity when discussing conservation initiatives.
“How I Work” interviews demonstrate that there are many ways to be successful in academia and students, post-docs, and professors need to find the approach that is best for them.
We are all influenced by researchers as we navigate the world of STEM. There are negative interactions that make us question our decision to pursue research, but it is the positive interactions and the encouragement of a few that we would like to highlight on International Women’s Day. In this post, we want to thank and celebrate some of the women in ecology that have welcomed us into this field, encouraged us to pursue careers in ecology, and guided us to success.
Changes in bee habitat floral composition shape the available nutritional supply in the environment. In this context, the key plant species must be present in the flora to produce pollen that is nutritionally balanced for bees. Lack of nutritionally balanced food results in limitation posed on the growth and development of bees, negatively influencing their populations. Improved understanding of impacts of taxonomically diverse floral resources on bees is needed for better understanding of pollinator decline and may result in more successful intervention strategies.
Would you like to comment about and discuss posts in Rapid Ecology? Or other issues in our field? This post is here just for your comments.
From one R learner to another: Here are one ecologist’s five tips for getting started in R and staying in.
How to submit a competitive application for faculty positions at teaching-focused institutions.
Saving “The Bee” vs “The Bees”. A re-branding strategy to raise awareness to all wild bees, not just the honeybee. #TakeBackTheBee
Questioning the role of cover letters in the peer-review process by assessing their editorial value.
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