Humboldt Bay, California. Photo credit: Robert Campbell
It took 25 mins to align these photos; Blogger sucks don't use it.
I'll be using my marine biology training to help assess the state of kelp forests in California (they are not looking good: see this CDFW article) and create a plan for their recovery. This statewide fellowship is modeled after the successful Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship Program that brings early career marine scientists to Washington D.C. to experience the creation of federal marine policy. My fellowship is essentially a Knauss fellowship for kelp forests in California. I'm very excited to learn both the ins and outs of natural resource management and the diverse needs of all the people that use and need the kelp forests (called stakeholders). The two-year fellowship will round out my ecology education with policy experience so I can join the ranks of scientists and politicians who make sure our rich, culturally and economically important marine resources continue to thrive. More info about the position here: https://caseagrant.ucsd.edu/fellowships/california-department-of-fish-and-wildlife-california-sea-grant-statewide-kelp
Tegula snails grazing in kelp forest. Photo credit: Lynne Wetmore
More Tegula snails grazing on kelp. Photo credit: Norbert Wu Productions.
Okay, so maybe I just want to save all the cute baby snails that live in the kelp. Is that so bad?! ;) __@_v
Plugging myself into the Marvel universe (as that's what I've been doing most evenings now during the COVID-19 shelter-in-place mandate): by learning how policy and management work, I can become more than the soft-spoken scientist who knows about only the natural world and then becomes a pawn for political powers!
Dr. Zola: "I am certain of nothing. I fear it may not work at all."
Gen. Johann Schmidt: [pushes Zola out of the way] "I have not come all this way for safety, doctor!"
I've only watched four movies so far, but I'm wondering if they made a movie yet where the PhD is the superhero. It seems useful to spread the message that education, rather than magic (Capt. America, Capt. Marvel) or money (Iron Man), is power.
