Profile

• Time Zone

  Central

  
  
• Organization

  Southern Illinois University - Carbondale

  
  
• Role

  Scientist Mentor: I will mentor teams of students online

  
  
• Research Interests (300 words)

  Creating connections between everyday observations and natural history and biology. specifically related to plants, but also through plant-insect, plant-animal interactions and beyond. Broadening Citizen science awareness and efficacy.

  
  
• Profile Question 1

  What lessons have you learned in your career about how science works?

  
  
• Answer the question you selected for profile question 1 here (300 words):

  Sometimes it doesn't work! Curiosity and inquiry are the first step and what follows is much more organic than what I think most people think of when they think of the scientific "process".

  
  
• Profile Question 2

  Do you have advice for students about preparing for a science career?

  
  
• Answer the question you selected for profile question 2 here (300 words):

  Don't give up and don't lose your passion! I dropped out of college my first go-round. It took me five years to get back and while the jobs I worked weren't anywhere near the field I wanted to be in I still had free time, some of which I used to identify plants. Without that desire to know more about the world around me, who knows where I would be? Now that I'm in school there are times when it's overwhelming but I can still return to simple observation and remind myself what set me on the path here in the first place.

  
  
• Profile Question 3

  (not set)

  
  
• Answer the question you selected for profile question 3 here (300 words):

  (not set)

  
  
• In addition to English, I am comfortable communicating with students in the following languages:

  (not set)

  
  
• Capacity: How many teams at a time are you comfortable working with?

  2