Tess Bender (BS '15)
Since graduating from Rutgers in January of 2015, my degree in Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources has taken me from researching the impact of climate change on sea urchins at the Smithsonian Institute in Panama, to discovering new ways to survey for american marten with the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation in Adirondack Park.
These days, I work for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) conducting wildlife damage management and mitigation at John F. Kennedy International Airport. A typical day at work includes: gull and geese management, pit-tagging diamondback terrapins, capturing and relocating various birds of prey, and managing invasive species populations on the airfield. It has been a truly unique and challenging experience, and I look forward to expanding into other projects the USDA NYC District has to offer!