To Whom it May Concern:
I am interested in a job in Ecology research that will allow me to take
undergraduate courses in biology with the eventual goal of a PhD in Ecology.
I began college as a biology student, and I graduated with a Philosophy
major in March, 2006 from Lawrence University in Appleton, WI. Since then
I've been hiking; I've covered almost 6,000 miles, almost all of it alone,
through the mountains. In 2006 hiked the Appalachian trail, 2,175 miles
from Georgia to Maine. In 2007 I hiked the southern 850 miles of the
Appalachian trail and then hiked the 2,700 mile Pacific Crest Trail from
Mexico to Canada. This year I plan to hike the same southern section of
the Appalachian trail, and then hike around 3,000 miles along the
Continental Divide from Mexico to Canada. I plan to finish by the end of
August.
My hiking has brought my academic interests full circle; I once again want
to pursue a career in academic ecology, and I've had a lot of time to think
on this topic. I was hoping to get a job in an ecology lab that would allow
me to take the undergraduate science classes I'll need to become an
excellent candidate for an ecology PhD program.
I'm very passionate about ecology, and I also believe that I have the
academic capacity and perseverance to be a professional researcher. I also
feel that my backcountry travel and living skills would be very useful in
field ecological research. The ability to quickly and comfortably get to
and remain in extremely remote places of most every ecosystem in the lower
48 would be very valuable in doing serious field work.
I'm looking for a year-round job, not a seasonal summer research job. I
would be willing to begin the right job almost immediately and would
postpone my CDT thru-hike. I would also be willing to collect data during
my thru-hike itself. I am open to travel anywhere, and I am willing to work
under strenuous or potentially unpredictable conditions.
My interests in Ecology are rather broad., but I am more interested in
field-study focused research on watersheds, plants, and soils, but I am open
to pursuing most any type of question and I am not adverse to research that
contains a significant amount of laboratory work. I am also very interested
in research that looks at ecosystems as a whole and/or energy flows in an
ecosystem.
I also tend to be more interested in topics that have a relationship to
conservation, especially questions of climate change, open-range grazing,
water use, the expansion of keystone predator habitats, the effect of long
trails as wilderness corridors etc. The physiology and nutrition of extreme
endurance sports is also a topic of interest to me.
CV summary:
Undergraduate GPA 3.73/3.99 in major
GRE scores: 800/800 quantitative, 630/800 (90%) verbal.
Research experience: Lab Assistant at University of Michigan, studying
differential neurotransmitter expression in schizophrenic versus 'normal'
individuals in the prefrontal cortex.
Relevant work experience: Taught middle school English, Biology, and
Environmental Studies.
Other: Four-year varsity letter winning NCAA wrestler, significant
volunteering relating to coaching, ALS charity work, the Appleton Children's
Museum, and the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute.
A Full CV and list of references are available upon request.
Feel free to reach me via e-mail at [EMAIL PROTECTED] I'd also love to
talk, if you would rather phone me at 443-450-4863.
Thanks,
Scott
