Camping trips, morning hikes, exploring nature preserves, and a love of science throughout my childhood all led me to one place; destruction of the planet and species must stop. Throughout high school, I struggled with my love of biology and I was always unsure whether I wanted to work in a lab as a geneticist or if I wanted to put my love of nature towards conservation efforts. After reading numerous articles about both fields, working in a lab at a hospital, and the evidence for the destruction of the planet building, my choice became clear. I loved research, but I knew I needed to be in the field, or somewhere that would allow me to see the direct impact of my work. During Dan Everson’s presentation in class, his description of his work fit all of those criteria and I couldn’t miss out on the opportunity to possibly see what kind of difference I may be able to make in my future.

After speaking with Mr. Everson, he invited me to his office so that I may job shadow one of the biologists. Mr. Everson designed a different type of job shadowing day for me since the summer season was coming to an end and the fieldwork demands were lessoning. Each biologist in the office was given one hour with me to go over their particular work in the office and the field work that they partake in. I loved this method, it allowed me to experience more than one particular job in the field and I was exposed to multiple different people with different education backgrounds and different research experience.

I started the day off with Mr. Everson. He introduced me to everyone in the office and sat down with me for an hour to answer any questions and give me an overview of the type of work done by the office. This is when I learned of the type of people that worked in the office and the type of work that they did. Each person has a biology background and a passion for the planet and the creatures that live on it. Each biologist also has to have strong people skills and a passion for learning. These skills increase the success of projects and make their information more accurate and plentiful. I was delighted to find that passion was the main quality that Mr. Everson looked for in his employees.

I then spent the next hour with Karen Hallberg, a wilflife biologist hat graduated with a PhD from Ohio State in Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology. This also was a great relief to hear, as this is my own program and knowing I am on the right track was incredibly reassuring. Karen told me how her main job is to work with the Ohio Department of Transportation to ensure that each project considers and abides by the Endangered Species Act so that no endangered species are harmed because of human interference. She also informed me of the work she has done in the past, where she studied coyotes and tracked their populations. This type of work greatly intrigued me since Karen spent many years out in the field in order to aid in the recovery of a species.

Next, I shadowed another wildlife biologist, Jeremy, who worked with Ohio coal companies. He showed me the maps of Ohio coal mining to emphasize the shear size of this threat to wildlife. I also learned the many different policies involved with mining and how miners are required to keep the wildlife intact after their work. Jeremy’s research ensured that the land has actually recovered from the mining and that it is intact. He also introduced me to one of the most threatened species in Ohio: mussels. I handled samples and learned about many of the endangered mussel species in Ohio and how each of the unique projects work towards preserving them.

After lunch, I shadowed Megan Seymour, another Ohio State graduate and wildlife biologist. She walked me through her most recent projects, which were all incredibly fascinating. She is currently working on the reduction in population in endangered bat species due to the increase in wind power. She works on how to regulate windmills throughout the day so that they can reduce the number of bats killed by them. This concept fascinated me since it is necessary to find that unique balance between sustainability, such as green energy from windmills, and conservation, such as making sure endangered species are not wiped out due to human activity. Megan also worked on saving the Lake Erie Water Snake. She worked in the field for months near Lake Erie with a graduate student that helped her raise awareness so that people would stop killing the snakes and build their homes or properties with a sustainable design so that the snakes could survive in their habitat. Megan conducted the research that put the snakes on the threated and then the endangered species list, and then she continued her research and conservation efforts which led to the species being removed from both lists. This was one of my favorite parts of the day, because I would love a job where I could personally be responsible for the recovery of an entire species.

Lastly, I visited Keith Lott, who helped me conduct my own virtual experiment using the office’s mapping software. I had a road project I had to analyze and make sure it did not interfere with any endangered species, and when it did, I had to modify the project so that it benefited both people and protected the endangered species. I also did another activity with Keith. He placed a small stuffed bear in the brush next to the office with a tracking device on it and allowed me to find the creature with a bat sonar detector, to simulate when they track their marked organisms in the field. It was interesting that I was still able to see the extent of their fieldwork even though we were only in the office.

This experience was extremely beneficial to me. Everyone in the office was so kind to me and they were actually very excited to show someone their work in order to get more people interested in conservation. Megan’s work greatly fascinated me because it is the kind of work I have always been interested in. Near the end of the day, Karen Hallberg welcomed me back into her office and gave me a few gifts, many journals I could read through about current conservation efforts and posters of endangered species. She also left me with an invitation to volunteer with them when they have opportunities for students and with information about possibly interning at their office, which is exactly how two of their current biologists began working in the office. This opportunity opened so many doors for me and only reiterated the fact that I am on the right track for my career.