I graduated from Vassar College in May of 2023 so I’m a recent graduate. I was looking for some research experience before I go to graduate school, because I would like to get a master’s degree or a Ph.D. Since these programs require a rigorous research project and schedule, I wanted to be prepared for that. I applied for the position at Hudsonia when I saw that it was a research institute, and I was really intrigued by the fact that they study all different types of biology. When they told me about their initial project in the summer, which was the Turtle project at the Farm Hub, I was super interested because I have radio telemetry experience that I gained when I studied abroad at The School for Field Studies in Tanzania, Africa. It was an amazing experience and I think it really helped with my field studies and my field experience in general, so I was happy to get the job. If you can study abroad in college, do it. Tanzania was a life-changing experience for me and really solidified for me my decision to enter this field. We spent three months living in a small rural village and were constantly going on camping trips around the national parks to do wildlife research.

I’ve been doing the turtle tracking at the Farm Hub this summer and it’s been great. (As of 2023) This is our fifth year of research, so we’ve tracked an average of 10 to 12 turtles each year, and it’s been a mix of male and females but this year we’re specifically tracking females. This year we’re specifically tracking females because they’re incredibly important to their populations because they produce new offspring. Turtle offspring typically don’t survive past the egg stage due to predators and they are also a very slow growing species, so their populations are typically hard to sustain, and if they take a big hit ecologically, it’s usually hard to return them to their previous numbers. It’s an important project because wood turtles are a special concern species in New York but they’re also currently being reconsidered for endangered status in the Northeast because their populations have been declining. Places like the Farm Hub, recognize the harm agricultural practices can do to turtle populations that travel, rest, and eat in their fields, so this research is meant to help the Farm Hub and others in the Hudson Valley understand turtle migration on their properties and how they can sustain their populations while operating a farm.

After four years of radio-telemetry research, Hudsonia started working on looking at the tracking data to try and understand where these turtles are moving, what areas of the farms they favor and prefer, what vegetation is present, and what times of the year are they going in these areas. The research shows that turtles favor tall vegetation that holds a lot of potential food sources as well as provides an area to rest and stay warm after leaving brumation in the spring. A lot of vegetation like this is found in a lot of the fallow farm fields (the fields that were left to re-grow naturally with a lot of wildflowers and other invasive species that always end up popping up like mugwort and poison ivy), and on the edges of active fields. Information like this is useful to Farm Hub practices because it can help farmers implement plans and farming practices in areas not commonly used by Wood Turtles and help them predict what times of year turtles would be more likely to be in and near active fields.

I have always had family, friends, and mentors around me who highlighted my skills and interests in biology and encouraged me to pursue it. In addition to a great support system in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) in my early life, I have always had a love for the natural world that drew me to studying it in college. Once I got into Vassar, I was introduced to the biology department there and after seeing all the field opportunities, the ecological preserve they had on campus, and the amazing faculty, I was hooked!

I feel so lucky to already have such an amazing research job, so I feel like I’m already getting field and work experience that is going to be really beneficial to me in the future. I’m already learning so much and doing so much that I’ve never done before in STEM. But I am excited to go back to school to get my master’s or Ph.D.  I’m excited to hopefully get accepted into a great research position where I can really dive into the topic. I’m hoping to do something with forest ecology (forest ecology is a branch of ecology) or continue with wildlife biology since that’s something I’ve really learned to love this year as well, and just through my general studies and my study abroad experience. After graduate school, I would love to take on more of a leadership role in a conservation organization, or maybe do my own research. And I am always thinking about doing some sort of environmental education, since I think it is so important to teach people about the environment and include them in long-term goals of conservation and sustainability as well.

I have always been super interested in science and environmentalism as a kid. When starting school and taking STEM classes I was intrigued, but I didn’t know what the job opportunities in the field were like outside of being a teacher, so I felt a bit lost. It was hard to find people to talk to about the experience of working in biology and what to expect. When I got to college, I was really drawn to ecology and conservation and how they focus on using research to provide recommendations to help the environment. My mentors also helped me get involved in a lot of great hands-on field opportunities which I think is super important to do early on when deciding if you want to be in this field or not since it is such an important part. I did a bunch of lab work in my classes, had conservation internships and jobs at Vassar, worked on research with my professor, and even got to work in places like a greenhouse and an herbarium which are both unique. This all helped me realize that I wanted to be in conservation and ecology because it allowed me to focus on my two greatest passions of biology and helping the environment while working in nature.

Since I am so interested in conservation and stewardship, one of the things that excites me the most about the research is the positive difference it will make in the future. When working on a research project such as this, it’s really inspiring to meet all the people involved who are also very dedicated to conservation and preserving biodiversity like those at the Farm Hub, and it makes me feel good knowing that the research I am doing is for people who will use it and apply our recommendations to make a difference, and in this case, preserve the Wood Turtles as a species.

The most important things I’ve learned in this field have been directly from my mentors and professors that I was able to form close relationships with. They taught me so much about field biology and botany and really helped me figure out my specific interests in this field. With that being said, I really encourage young women to seek out connections through their schools, local environmental groups and parks and preserves. Learn as much as you can about different research, whether you want to focus on science or management, and what peaks your interest–plants, animals, earth science, environmental planning. There are so many interesting opportunities in research and conservation so the earlier you can start getting hands-on experiences, the quicker you will feel comfortable and confident in yourself as a scientist.

I always tell everyone around me that in terms of a post grad job, I got as lucky as I possibly could. Working with Hudsonia and their affiliates like the Farm Hub has been a great opportunity and I am so lucky to be getting such amazing experience in the field doing research, but also behind the scenes writing reports, understanding environmental policy and law, and meeting so many amazing scientists and conservationists in the Hudson Valley. Obviously, this job has opened my knowledge and understanding of biology more than anything, but I am most appreciative for the confidence it has given me. I’m planning to move home to Long Island where I grew up this summer to be closer to my family, but I am pursuing another research job there with the Cornell Cooperative Extension in Riverhead. I’ll be doing entomology and botany research in agricultural areas like the Farm Hub. I’m excited to take on this new opportunity and so grateful for the experience Hudsonia has given me that allowed me to take these next steps!

“Man’s attitude toward nature is today critically important simply because we have now acquired a fateful power to alter and destroy nature. But man is a part of nature, and his war against nature is inevitably a war against himself.”
-Rachel Carson