Dear friends, alumni, Scholars, and colleagues,
This month we are beginning the launch of the UCSC Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program Newsletter. These newsletters will be a way for us to keep you informed about ongoing activities, Scholar achievements, and progress in the conservation movement. In this edition we feature the following information:
- 2019 – 2023 Funding Renewal
- 2019 Application Review and Cohort Selection
- 2019 Summer Experience and Internships
- 2020 Winter Workshop
- Scholar Highlights
- First Alumni Homecoming Recap
- Final Thoughts
2019 – 2013 Funding Renewal
From Fall 2018 – Spring 2019, the Program Director and Faculty Director worked diligently to apply for a renewal of funding for the UCSC Doris Duke Conservation Scholars. In May of 2019, it was announced that the UCSC DDCSP would continue to be funded through 2023. We would like to thank the Foundation for their ongoing support, our advisory board and steering committee members for their ongoing support, for the amazing Scholars who have come through our program, the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department at UCSC, and staff that has worked so hard to make this all a reality.
2019 Application Review and Cohort Selection
This year the UCSC Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program received 242 applicants for the year of 2019, the highest number of applications to date. We held a two-day application review retreat at Blue Oak Reserve, where we narrowed down our pool to 30 applicants for interviews. All 20 of our top-choice students accepted and will join the 2019 UCSC Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Cohort! We wish a warm welcome to the new Scholars who have joined the Doris Duke community for life! They are:[/fusion_text][fusion_text columns=”” column_min_width=”” column_spacing=”” rule_style=”default” rule_size=”” rule_color=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=””]
Cameron Oglesby, Duke University
Carl Brown, University of the District of Columbia CC
Ceane Batten, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Chris Clark, Pomona College
Claudio Amaya, Saint Peter’s University
Desiree Pante, CUNY Hunter College
Joe Hernandez, Rhodes College
Julianna Ramirez, Boise State University
Kameron Hall, The University of Memphis
Kyra Madunich, Pomona College
Leslie Vargas, Sewanee: The University of the South
Maria de Jesus, Florida State University
Marianna Oka, Chaminade University of Honolulu
Mushtaaq Ali, Harvard University
Nautica Jones, University of Louisiana at Monroe
Omar Torres, Heritage University
Paloma Marcos, University of Nevada Las Vegas
Rebecca Lumbantobing, University of Puget Sound
Serena Barasi, University of Guam
2019 Summer Experience and Internships
Summer 1 – 2019 Cohort
This upcoming summer our 2019 Scholars will spend eight weeks focused on collaborative research, engagement with diverse conservation leaders, and professional development. For the first week, the Scholars will meet at the UC Santa Cruz campus, build connections with one another, and practice leadership and field science skills.
The Scholars will then travel to Big Creek Reserve and Point Reyes National Park to design and execute collaborative research projects. On our next stop in San Francisco, the group will visit the California Academy of Sciences, meet with Environmental Protection Agency staff, and conduct urban conservation communications projects. The Scholars’ journey will continue to Yosemite National Park to meet park staff and learn more about the agency’s history and goals. Farther east at the Sierra Nevada Aquatic Research Lab, the Scholars will dig into California’s water, forest management and climate issues while adjusting to altitude. Finally, at Crooked Creek-White Mountain Research Center, the Scholars will design and execute their final research projects.
Back at UCSC for their final week, the group will look towards the coming academic year and summer 2020 internships while preparing for a public symposium on August 9th before their departure on August 11th. We hope you will be able to join us for the UCSC DDCSP Annual Scholar Symposium on August 9th from 1:00 – 4:00 pm in the Coastal Biology Building at the UCSC Coastal Campus to see final project presentations by our new Scholars. Our schedule is below:
Dates, Location
June 17 – June 24, UC Santa Cruz
June 24 – July 3, Landels-Hill Big Creek Reserve
July 3 – July 12, Point Reyes Field Station
July 12 – July 16, San Francisco, CA
July 16 – July 19, Yosemite Field Station
July 19 – July 22, Sierra Nevada Aquatic Research Lab
July 22 – July 31, White Mountain Research Station
July 31 – August 11, UC Santa Cruz
Summer 2 – 2018 Cohort Internships
Throughout the school year, the 2018 Scholars worked with us to select internships that fit their interests for summer 2019. They will work with recognized conservation organizations and agencies for eight weeks to build professional experience and expand relationships. If you’re nearby, let us know so we can connect you! You can find out more about their internships here
Winter Workshop 2020
We anticipate that the 2018 cohort’s closing Winter Workshop will be January 2-5, 2020 in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The winter workshop is a chance for Scholars to reconnect, share their experiences since their first summer, and plan for life after college. We integrate graduate school planning, skills for job seeking, and professional development with chances to explore local natural areas and interact with conservation leaders.
Scholar Highlights
Each newsletter we will highlight Scholars who are making strides towards achieving their professional goals. Scholars are encouraged to send their achievements to the Program and Faculty director so they can be included in our newsletter.
Eric Medina (UCSC class of 2019; UCSC DDCSP 2016 Cohort) will enter the Yale ESI PREP post-baccalaureate program in fall 2019. The program allows students to conduct independent laboratory research with a faculty member in the Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS). PREP students take Yale courses and participate in seminars and workshops with other graduate students in BBS to prepare for the Ph.D.
Jamie Ramos (University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill Class of 2019; UCSC DDCSP 2017 Cohort), will enter the University of Washington iSchool Masters Program in fall 2019 with the goal of improving data and information literacy in the non-profit sector to build efficiency within movements that seek to improve social wellness.
Roger Faust (Carleton College class of 2019; UCSC DDCSP 2017 Cohort), will join the lab of Dr. Joseph Bump in the Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation at the University of Minnesota for a two year Master’s Program in fall 2019. Roger will study how wildlife interactions affect ecosystem processes and diversity. Dr. Bump’s lab bridges the gap between wildlife research at community, and population scales with landscape-level ecosystem science.
Meredith Johnston (Columbia University Class of 2019; UCSC DDCSP 2017 Cohort) has accepted a position with US Geological Survey as a hydrologic technician at USGS’s Pacific Islands Water Science Center in Hawai’i. She will be responsible for processing water samples to determine specified sediment, chemical, or biological concentrations or physical characteristics. The purpose of her work will be to track rainfall and water quality throughout the Pacific to better inform water management efforts.
Homecoming 2019
This year the Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program held its first Alumni Homecoming, hosted by the Environmental Leadership Program. The Homecoming took place April 4th -7th at the Islandwood Educational Center on Bainbridge Island, Washington. Over 150 alumni and staff from across the five Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Programs and the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation came together for community building, professional development, and further exploration of how to advance environmental conservation. Scholars shared experiences and discussed with staff and Foundation officers how DDCSP can continue to support incoming Scholars and alumni. For more information about Homecoming please visit the following links.
Final Thoughts
We plan to send out biannual newsletters, so Scholar alumni please SEND US YOUR UPDATES AND NEWS — as our alumni community grows, we need you to help keep us connected and informed of your latest and greatest! We encourage our friends and colleagues to share our newsletters with others.
With our warm wishes
Prof. Erika Zavaleta; Faculty Director
Justin Cummings, PhD; Program Director
Judy Straub PhD; Internship Coordinator
Dan Hernandez PhD; Faculty Mentor
Copyright © 2019 UCSC Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program, All rights reserved.
June 2019 Newsletter