Over-educated and Underfunded
Weird, wacky and wonderful stories and sketches from biologists in the field.
By Vincent DiringerBiology is a fairly broad section of science encompassing everything from the study of cells to cladistics as well as conservation and astronomy. Such a vast multitude of majors also entails a similarly large and varied array of pathways leading towards them. All Paths Lead to Biology is a series by the Broke Biologists delving into the stories of how biologists have arrived to where they are and what drives them. Science was an interest from a young age for Richard Frische, as the German-American biologist recalls, “I spent summers at the Kennedy Space Center, and at the time, the only TV programs in English in Germany were Discovery and National Geographic back when they had those amazing documentaries.” However, growing up with a penchant for science didn’t narrow down a singular pathway, “I was thinking of doing an undergraduate degree in biochem or maybe applied biology but I wasn’t sure about it, I was 19 and didn’t know what to do.” Still unsure about which field to focus his passion in, Richard turned to a different option: Germany’s Freiwilliges Ökologisches Jahr (FÖJ) or Voluntary Ecological Year. The FÖJ enables teenagers and young adults to spend a year working in a range of environmental and land management programs by helping them secure internships on both a national and international level. Intrigued at the prospect of working overseas within a scientific setting, Richard applied and sought to join a project in Chile, but ran into some administration issues that meant his year working a single internship turned into a year working in different settings. He spent some time at Huilo Huilo Biological Reserve as a tour guide, before working as a zookeeper at an endemic species conservation project, and later as a park ranger at the Villarrica National Park. The work was as diverse as it was enriching and it helped him choose a path, deciding to return to Germany and study a Bachelor’s in Biodiversity and Ecology at the University of Göttingen. Richard spent his undergraduate years further exploring new scientific disciplines and courses, hoping to learn as much as possible from multiple different fields, “I kind of struggled with staying on track, I was focusing on courses that seemed interesting and took too many random, nice looking courses,” he recalls with a snigger. Upon graduation, he sought to dip his toe in the job market, but his resume generated little interest, “The situation in Germany is that traditional biology like biochem funnels you towards lab work directly from bachelor level, while for ecological positions you need a masters or doctorate to get anywhere. I don’t think I’ve heard anyone say that my degree has been that useful apart from being a stepping stone towards something else.” Now 25 and working through an MSc. in Biodiversity & Sustainability at Leiden University, Richard has further narrowed his path, “My first masters internship focuses on ecotoxicology, and I’d like to make the second one on freshwater systems. In the future I’d like a stable job before going down the PhD route - I’m not sure what the specific topic would be, but it’ll involve freshwater and have some biodiversity elements.” Still working on his research throughout the pandemic-related closure of the university, Richard is also still feeding his addiction to gathering knowledge. Currently enrolled in several courses like biogeochemistry and an interdisciplinary honors course on human relationships with nature, Richard laughs, “I know I said I took too many different random courses during my bachelor’s, but I wouldn’t have made it where I am if I didn’t explore as many aspects of science as I did.” Have an interesting path into conservation biology? We'd love to share it! Leave us a message in the comments below.
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The lifecycle of Ophiocordyceps unilateralis in rainforest ants.The Ophiocordyceps unilateralis is a fungus that uses ants as hosts to reach tall heights to release and spread their spores up to 30 meters. It attacks the nervous system in the muscles of the ant, controlling the ant's movement. This fungus is found in tropical areas where the warm dark rainforests help the fungi thrive. Its survival plays an important part in keeping ant populations in check, and can attack an entire colony by targeting only 3 or 4 individuals at a time. But don't worry it can't turn humans into tree climbing zombies, not yet at least.
By Vincent DiringerBiology is a fairly broad section of science encompassing everything from the study of cells to cladistics as well as conservation and astronomy. Such a vast multitude of majors also entails a similarly large and varied array of pathways leading towards them. All Paths Lead to Biology is a series by the Broke Biologists delving into the stories of how biologists have arrived to where they are and what drives them. “There was a weird shift between when I finished my Bachelors and before I started my Masters.” explains biologist Michał Pawlik, a graduate from the University of Environmental and Life Sciences in Wrocław, Poland, Mike had been expecting to return to his alma mater to undertake a Masters in Biology after a gap year of living and studying in Japan but administrative issues delayed his academic plans. While facing several months of free time, the biologist decided to look for an internship overseas, settling with a six-month spell in Costa Rica facilitated by GVI. "I started thinking about my legacy and how I wanted to know that I did good by nature and the planet.” After a brief return to Poland, Mike packed his bags for a more tropical climate. Up until then he had never been exposed to conservation work, what it entailed or the impact it could have on not just local environments but also on him. “It was an eye-opening experience. I had always been in love with wildlife and animals, but living in a city you never actually get an idea of what wilderness is like. Costa Rica really opened up my eyes.” Now spending his time kayaking on rivers, leading beach clean-ups, monitoring sea turtles, and hiking through tropical rainforests spotting jaguar cubs, Mike’s perspectives began to change. “It all made me think about how secluded areas should be conserved and that wildlife should be protected. I started thinking about my legacy and how I wanted to know that I did good by nature and the planet.” While still contemplating his scientific future, the biologist would have the opportunity to work at the Cloudbridge Nature Reserve for a couple months, where he helped with bird surveys and worked directly with researchers in the field. This latest experience would serve to cement Mike’s mind, “I liked the freedom that the Cloudbridge Reserve offered and the work we were doing, it pushed me towards doing a biodiversity masters instead of just general biology.” Returning home with a fresh perspective, Michał sought to capitalize on his field experience and searched for a new Masters course, eventually settling on one in the Netherlands focusing on Biodiversity and Sustainability. Currently midway through his first year, Mike is more certain than ever in his decision to start a career in the conservation sector. While times are uncertain and he isn’t sure what the job market may look like by the time he graduates, he remains excited at the prospect of working towards protecting the environment, in whatever capacity that may be. Before the coronavirus pandemic ground the world to an impromptu halt, the twenty-six year old scientist was just days away from returning to Costa Rica and the Cloudbridge Nature Reserve, this time as a researcher investigating frog populations in naturally regrowing and replanted forests. Want to share your path into conservation biology? Message us at the contact form below or share your story here to be featured in our upcoming posts!
by Vincent DiringerWhat is bright orange, tiny, and carnivorous? A snail of course! Perrottetia dermapyrrhosa was first described in 2013 after it was discovered in the limestone mountains of northern Thailand. Believed to be present in many primary forests across South East Asia, P. dermaphyrrhosa is a relatively uncommon find that this biologist was always excited to see on a rainforest hike. By Vincent DiringerWorking in the field ensures you will have some remarkable encounters and unique experiences. From finding scorpions living in every crevice of our field camp to stumbling upon a newly discovered species of snail or spotting a hard to find endemic lizard, I have some fond wildlife memories. This one, however, was not such a wonderful moment... Its early March in Malaysia. We are being buffeted by the remnants of the monsoon and all the ferry terminals have had to close due to the adverse weather, unceremoniously postponing our plans to travel to our island basecamp with a group of now disappointed high school students. Keen to keep spirits high, the teachers give the students free time for the rest of the afternoon, allowing themselves and the biologists time to figure out the monsoon contingency plan. While between phone calls I start walking around the resort, aimlessly kicking rocks until I notice something out of the corner of my eye. Thirty meters away to my left, there is a thin stick jostling on the ground moving away from me. “Snake!” I yell enthusiastically, hoping to grab the attention of my colleagues, “What kind?” comes the response as I hear frantic footsteps behind me “I don’t know let me get closer, it looks like it could be a juvenile. As I get close enough to start identifying my new reptilian friend I realize that not only have my colleagues rushed over in excitement but so have several students and a biology teacher intrigued by my shrieking. The danger noodle is still slithering away, it is roughly thirty centimeters long, maybe two centimeters wide… jet black… rounded head... it has a noticeable hood… oh dear. Students are starting to congregate as the silky spitting cobra tries to leave as quickly as possible, the biology teacher turns to me, “Uhh... is that… what I think it is?” “Well, yes,” I say, trying to gloss over the fact I’d unwittingly drawn a crowd of pupils under our care to come see one of Asia’s most venomous snakes, “Come on guys lets leave this snake alone, nothing to see here, go back to your rooms, snakes aren’t that interesting anyways, lets leave this little guy alone.” Thankfully the students disperse fairly easily as we remind them that any wildlife they see or find must be treated with respect and that whatever it may be, they should seek us out to report what they encounter. The teacher shares a nervous giggle with the rest of us as we watch the slippery serpent disappear into a storm drain. We alert the resort staff to the presence of a juvenile spitting cobra on the grounds, to which they inform us that they’ve been dealing with several over the past few days, suggesting an adult female has made herself comfortable somewhere near and nested, resulting in a brood of adorable yet dangerous snake babies roaming the area. Feeling both excited and worried about the prospect of multiple tiny cobras staring at us from the shadows we decided to keep a watchful eye for the sneaky reptiles and reminded everyone to only use lit pathways when moving around. The weather would abate and we would leave the next day, making that my first and only encounter with an Equatorial Spitting Cobra (Naja sumatrana). I’ve now learnt to not loudly exclaim what I’ve spotted until I can accurately determine what it is. No students, biologists or snakes were hurt during these events.
By Kenny PeavyLooking for a way to get your little ones outside enjoying the beautiful spring weather while learning about their natural surroundings? Below, Kenny and his family will help you create your very own nature journal! Age Range: 5-9 Materials: Paper, Colored Pencils, Hole Punch, String (or other device to connect your papers), Nature! Time: 10 minutes to as long as you want! Learning Outcomes: Social-Emotional Learning, Building Curiosity, Plant Identification, Pollination, How Plants Grow By Ariana LoehrThe landscape of Sulawesi is supposed to be as beautiful as it is remote- not that I’d know, as our global stay home notice limits me to the grainy google streetview pictures. While I would have loved to visit this incredible island to provide my time and skills by volunteering at a conservation organization, this is no longer an option for me or any like minded young professionals passionate to pursue wildlife conservation. So what will happen to the organisations that are dependent on foreign volunteers and tourism for funding and assistance? We sat down with the volunteer coordinator for the Tasikoki Wildlife Rescue Center, Sylvia Gan, to find out more about what one organization is doing to stay afloat. Tasikoki Wildlife Rescue Center, located on the island of Sulawesi, Indonesia, is a rehabilitation center for wildlife that was bound for sale in the illegal wildlife trade. The center itself houses sun bears, slow lorises, Sulawesi macaques, tarsiers, cassowaries and many other birds that have all been rescued. In order to handle the large amount of care that these animals need, Tasikoki hosts up to 10 volunteers at a time during the peak season in June to August. Most of these volunteers are European tourists or students on their summer holidays, which they’ve given up to create enrichment food and activities for the animals in captivity. "We don't know how it's going to stress the animals out" During mid-February, Ms. Gan started to notice that there were no more bookings for volunteers, a sight which was fairly unusual for this time of year. Then, seemingly overnight, volunteers, school groups and tourist bookings virtually disappeared due to Covid-19 travel restrictions. Sylvia, a long term volunteer herself, was recommended to return to her home in Singapore as well. While these volunteers prove crucial to the everyday functioning of the conservation organization, her concern lies more deeply with the mental health of the animals in the long term, “if [the covid lockdown] goes on for a long time, like over a year or so, it’s really hard to measure because we don’t know how much it’s going to stress the animals out if they don’t get enough variability in their diets and environment”. More seriously, is the impact that the lack of tourism has on Tasikoki Wildlife Rescue Center whose main source of revenue comes from hosting school trips and tourists who come to see the vast grounds and unique animal inhabitants. “We’re not making money but we still need to pay the keepers, the wildlife still needs to eat every single day.” Sylvia worries, “Those costs don’t decrease”. Currently, many conservation organisations globally are facing similar concerns, with experts on panels for the Ape Alliance and One Stop Borneo debating the use of tourism to fund conservation during virtual events. While many conservationists argue for increased funding from governments, it is unlikely to become the reality in many biodiversity hotspots. Instead, Tasikoki has turned to the age-old tactic of crowdfunding to keep the organization afloat. They’ve raised enough money for wages and food for the animals for the next few months thanks to the strong connections of Tasikoki’s founder, Dr. Willie Smits. For now, Tasikoki is lucky to be able to continue its great work, but who knows how long that money will last or how long this global lockdown will last. Until we’re all free to travel again, many conservation groups will be struggling for lack of staff and funding. One of the greatest lessons that all conservation organizations can take away from this pandemic is that it helps to diversify your funding sources to ensure that your positive impact on nature is sustainable through every crisis. If you’d like to donate to help keep Tasikoki Wildlife Rescue Center around for the long haul, click the button below.
Don't be like Louis. Wear your wetshoes on the seashore.
By Vincent DiringerPrior to working in the field of conservation in South-East Asia, I had not been physically confronted with the amount of plastic waste and pollution that was floating around the world’s oceans. I had read the reports, seen the pictures and videos, but never seen it in person - so my first coastal cleanup really struck a chord. There was just so much trash. Shoes, nets, plastic bags, straws, bottles, barrels. These cleanups became somewhat cathartic, they were also often a wake-up call for those who came to help out, as one group of students found out by finding food packaging inscribed with a use-by date that revealed it was older than they were. For them, the thought that this one specific plastic item had spent more time floating in the ocean and degrading than it had spent being used was a sobering moment. The message was clear - plastics do not biodegrade. Unfortunately these types of experiences weren’t few and far between. We could spend over an hour collecting hundreds of kilos of plastic waste from a single beach, only to return several days later and have the same amount washed back onto shore, this time coated in oil. However, coasts weren’t the only ecosystems affected. While on diving or snorkelling trips, we would find large swathes of reef covered by ghost nets, or discover a jumbled mess of commercial fishing apparatus encrusted in barnacles floating just below the surface. The environmental damage that this plastic was causing was evident, and the need to address plastic pollution on a large scale never seemed more pressing. Plastics can break down into smaller microplastics which are then ingested by all living organisms in the ocean – that is if they aren’t swallowed whole by sea birds, turtles, whales and other large sea creatures. However, these microplastics don’t just affect the oceans. Food webs ensure that within any environment there is constant predation, this means that through a process called biomagnification, the amount of microplastics found in organisms increases the further you travel up the food chain – eventually reaching us. There are many new environmentally friendly options available to reduce your reliance on single-use appliances that generate more waste and harm than they do convenience. Make the smart choice when it comes to plastics and remember the Six Rs:
While I’m far away from the shores of South-East Asia nowadays, the experiences of those coastal cleanups have stuck with me - both physically and mentally. As a reminder of my first cleanup, I have kept one of the hundred commercial fishing weights that littered the beach that day. It now sits on my desk as a constant reminder as to why I’ve decided to dedicate my career to sustainability and the environment. By Kenny PeavyWe know that right now many families are missing out on vacations and school trips and are anxious to get back out there and explore the world. So, while you're cooped up at home, try taking a virtual field trip! With these virtual field trips you can explore new environments and learn about interesting wildlife all from your couch. Take a trip to one of your favorite U.S. national parks! National Park Service Want to see more virtual field trips? Check out this calendar to see virtual trips that you and your kids can join everyday! If you know about any other great virtual field trips leave us a comment below! |
About the AuthorsThese stories come from several biologists working in the field around the globe. Archives
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