{"id":4737,"date":"2021-08-12T11:03:47","date_gmt":"2021-08-12T15:03:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.birds.cornell.edu\/k12\/?p=4737"},"modified":"2022-02-17T18:10:10","modified_gmt":"2022-02-17T23:10:10","slug":"science-and-conservation-biology","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.birds.cornell.edu\/k12\/science-and-conservation-biology\/","title":{"rendered":"Career Day: Science and Conservation Biology"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology K-12 Team hosted an awesome Conservation Career Day called The Earth is my Boss! We had speakers from all over the world talk about their careers in environmental conservation. The first session, Science and Conservation Biology, was facilitated by Kelly Schaeffer, Education Specialist of the K-12 Education Team. The field of science and conservation biology is all about learning about and protecting biodiversity, or the variety of life on Earth.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Triana
Triana Arguedas \u00c1lvarez\u2019s fieldwork takes her out to sea! Here she is tagging and collecting data on a baby shark! Photo by courtesy of Triana Arguedas \u00c1lvarez.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

In the session, we heard from four passionate scientists and conservation biologists about their work with people and organizations to study and protect animals, plants, and ecosystems. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first panelist, Triana Arguedas \u00c1lvarez<\/strong>, is a master\u2019s student who works with shark fisheries i<\/span>n the Mexican Atlantic. She is studying the historical patterns of bull shark fishing in the Gulf of Mexico. Triana spent most of her childhood outside, exploring the world around her. Struck with \u201ctoo many questions syndrome,\u201d she wanted to be able to answer the many questions she had about the world. Her fieldwork involves taking water samples to determine what animals live there and tagging sharks. She encourages anyone seeking a similar path to never give up, find mentors, find your own path, and stay curious!<\/p>\n\n\n\n


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\"Dr.
Dr. Gemma Clucas described her job as \u201cgetting pooped on by birds for a living!\u201d Here, she is collecting fecal samples from penguins. Photo by courtesy of Dr. Gemma Clucas.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Panelist Dr. Gemma Clucas<\/strong> studies seabird conservation genetics. As she puts it, she \u201cgets pooped on by birds for a living.\u201d She collects fecal samples from all sorts of seabirds, including penguins, puffins, terns, gulls, and petrels, and analyzes the samples. Gemma uses the samples to sequence the fish DNA and determine the diet of the seabirds. Fecal samples help provide a deeper understanding of fish populations in the area. Her favorite part of her work is fieldwork. She shared an awesome video of her recent trip, where she visited the largest colony of penguins in the world, comprising 1.2 million pairs of penguins! The colony lives on an active volcano in Antarctica. While she was there, her team used drone imagery to count birds, collected fecal samples, and tracked the penguins. There was even a film team there to make a documentary. Dr. Clucas’ job is a balance of field and office work, as she also does a lot of statistical analysis, coding, and writing. She advises those interested in careers in science and conservation biology to never be afraid to take a gap year or time away to figure out your career passions, and never worry if you do not have a big grand plan!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n