Undergraduate and Graduate Students
Please join us for an informational meeting of the
UConn ESA SEEDS Chapter
What: Inaugural informational meeting of the UConn chapter for the Ecological Society of America’s Strategies for Ecology Education, Diversity and Sustainability (SEEDS) program.
When and Where: Monday, February 24th from 5:30-7PM in Torrey Life Sciences (TLS) 171b; Snacks and beverages will be provided (sponsored by the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology). Latecomers are still welcome!
Who: Undergraduate and graduate students who are interested in Ecology and Environmental Sciences and are committed to our mission of increasing diversity and inclusion within these fields of study. Although our group is based on the Storrs campus, students from all UConn campuses are encouraged to join.
Background Information: Biodiversity is a key component of nature that increases productivity and functionality in an ecosystem. Similarly, the representation of diversity in science increases its creativity, productivity, and functionality. Historically, the fields of Ecology and Environmental Science have faced several barriers to overcome in order to create a healthy, diverse, and inclusive field. These barriers include limited opportunities to experience nature and meet professionals, including role models, in the field of ecology. The Ecological Society of America’s (ESA) Strategies for Ecology Education, Diversity and Sustainability (SEEDS) was established in 1997 to recruit students from underrepresented minority backgrounds into ecology. Recently, UConn established a SEEDS chapter on the Storrs campus.
Examples of activities and opportunities for chapter members:
1) participating in campus-wide events to increase awareness of environmental issues and demonstrate that people across backgrounds play a role in addressing these issues.
2) facilitating mentorship and guidance through mentorship matching among undergraduate students, graduate students, and faculty at UConn.
3) holding professional development events for individuals in or interested in ecology-related careers to learn about opportunities in the field, including an opportunity to participate in a science communication workshop with Skype A Scientist (https://www.skypeascientist.com/).
4) facilitating outreach and education within and among UConn campuses and at surrounding high schools.
5) providing access to funding through the parent SEEDS program to travel to national field trips and annual Ecological Society of America meetings.
For more information about SEEDS in general, visit https://esa.org/seeds/, which includes the history of SEEDS: https://www.esa.org/seeds/pdf/SEEDSreport.pdf
For more information about UConn SEEDS, email us at UConnSEEDS@gmail.com.
Please feel free to e-mail the faculty advisor (Dr. Sarah Knutie, sarah.knutie@uconn.edu) if you have any specific questions.
For more information, contact: Dr. Sarah Knutie at sarah.knutie@uconn.edu