DEENR Presence at Ecological Society of America Annual Meeting

The Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources and the Ecology and Evolution Graduate Program were well represented at the 98th meeting of the Ecological Society of America in Minneapolis, MN last month. Current E&E students Julia Perzley (pictured) and Faye Benjamin presented posters, while Curtis Burkhalter, Kevin Aagaard, Brian Clough, Jean Deo, and Brian Johnson contributed talks on their current research. Faculty members Claus Holzapfel and Myla Aronson, current post-doctoral associates Dan Cariveau and Marjolein Schat, former post-doctoral associates Josh Caplan and Ignasi Bartomeus, and recent graduate Lea Johnson also presented research conducted at Rutgers University.

Current E&E graduate student Rafael Valentin was invited to sit on the panel at the ESA diversity luncheon where he discussed challenges faced by students applying to graduate school after military service. Rafael is in a unique position to discuss such a topic, as he is a seven-year Air Force veteran who was a Staff Sergeant at the time of separation from the military. He discussed how the military prepares one for the rigors of graduate school by instilling individuals with high levels of self-confidence, motivation, and drive to succeed, attributes that increase one's chances of success in graduate school. Rafael also advocated for notation of military service on the transcripts of veterans that aligns academic history with their military history. He explains that this would allow admissions committees to better understand gaps in a veteran's academic history when applying to graduate school.

Congratulations to all of the presenters and Rafael for representing E&E and Rutgers University in Minneapolis.

September 2013