Birds, fly fishing, and living in the bush: different paths to biological careers

By Jenna M. McCullough

Science, at its core, is straightforward: ask questions, develop hypotheses, perform experiments, analyze results, and form new questions based on your results. However, being a successful scientist is complicated and at times, difficult. As a first-year graduate student, I am constantly reminded of how seemingly impossible it is to be hired for a tenure-track position at a university. Now, more than ever, it seems there are more hurdles for early career scientists to jump in this difficult funding and hiring climate. So why do we do it?

From what I’ve experienced, each and every scientist is deeply passionate about what they research. We all have our own story as to how we became involved in science and why we do what we do. To investigate the passions here in our own department, I asked several faculty members to share why they became biologists.

For some, a curiosity for living things is innate. Formative experiences outside in nature, whether it was trips to the ocean, New England forests, or even spending time in the backyard can have a profound influence. Kelly Miller, who studies insect systematics and evolution, described how he and his father, an amateur naturalist, would spend time in nature identifying the living things around them. Scott Collins fed chickadees by hand and learned to identify birds by song. Michael Andersen began birdwatching at 12 years old and kept handwritten notes of birds he would saw while camping on Cape Cod. Will Pockman became interested in ecology as a result of the restoration of the Hudson River during his childhood in New York City. Although Felisa Smith grew up in an urban environment, she developed a deep love of nature after getting lost (and being the subject of a search and rescue operation) during a wilderness survivorship course in the backcountry.

But the idea of becoming a biologist was not always on the radar for other faculty members. Michelle Facette once considered a career in environmental law. Felisa Smith was a high school science teacher for years before she considered going to graduate school. Irene Salinas settled on marine biology before an immunology class and an internship at a commercial fishery. Maggie Werner-Washburne aspired to be a rodeo trick rider, or a mathematician, or even go to medical school. After a backpacking trip of the Long Trail in Vermont, Matthew Hurteau left the business world after he realized that he found the forest far more interesting than his job. Christopher Witt mused that after his “dreams of becoming a professional athlete fell through, studying birds was always [his] second choice profession.”

Many of our faculty members were introduced to their topic of interest through coursework and volunteering in a research lab or museum. Opportunities such as an industry internship, summer job, or an honors thesis allowed them to explore their passions. However, in some cases, it was by chance. Michelle Facette’s research began serendipitously; the only open position in her department was in a plant biology lab. Maggie Werner-Washburne became fascinated by botany while living off the grid in Central America and Alaska. Irene Salinas, bored by her job as an intern for a commercial fishery in France, began doing post-mortem dissections on fish that died using an old microscope and ancient French zoology books. Passions outside of science were also influential in research directions—Kelly Miller’s interests in diving beetles came because in part he is an avid fly fisherman; in order to tie better flies for fishing, he became acquainted with aquatic insects and soon was more interested in the organisms than fishing itself.

But when did they know they were in the right career? Matthew Hurteau described his moment of realization while examining the effects of fire on sagebrush shrublands: “It was 105 ºF and the sun was beating down on me. I was walking through sagebrush, dodging rattlesnakes, and all I could think about was how the competitive interaction between sagebrush and antelope bitterbrush might change following our planned prescribed fire. That was the moment I knew this was the right career for me.” For Christopher Witt, it was attending his first ornithological conference; for Scott Collins, it was when he got a job and a paycheck. Will Pockman realized he was in the right field while working as a research technician at the Smithsonian Environmental Center in Maryland. Irene Salinas knew when she couldn’t sleep at night because she was too excited to see the results of her experiments the following day. Each new species, new phylogenetic relationship, and new conclusions that Kelly Miller makes confirms his career choice.

What advice did they give for undergraduates who love science, but don’t know what they want to do? Read. Take courses that interest you and ask questions. Read. Visit professors during their office hours, ask about their research, and tell them about your passions. For heaven’s sake, READ! Explore what seems interesting and have no fear. Many things will be interesting and you will probably change your mind. Ask to join a faculty member’s discussion group, volunteer in a lab or a multitude of labs during your undergraduate degree. Be ready to work hard, do mundane tasks with purpose, lose sleep, and get dirty because science is a messy, tedious business. Apply for Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REUs; applications are due now!) and look for post-baccalaureate programs when you graduate. Find what keeps you awake at night because you want to love what you do.

Science is hard. It is often filled with suffering and drudgery, which is surely intolerable if you’re not passionate about your goals. So think critically, choose your path deliberately, and go for it.

Jenna McCullough's interest in science stemmed from her childhood, during which she was constantly angry at her mother for kidnapping her to go birdwatching. She studies avian evolution... and bird watches on the weekends.