I recently spoke to a professor at the University of Minnesota about a Research Assistantship in his lab. The RA position would be working on variable retention harvesting in red pine forests in northern Minnesota. This could be a near perfect fit for me. I first became interested in retention harvesting (sometimes called variable retention or structural retention harvesting) when I heard about the Demonstration of Ecosystem Management Options (DEMO) study that has been going on in Oregon and Washington for several years now. I think it is an excellent ecosystem-based forestry approach, which can be tailored to many types of forests and different management objectives. I think this professor's lab has the kind of applied ecology approach that I am hoping to build a career on. My ultimate goal is to work in the space where science and land management meet.
A few days after speaking to the professor on the phone I saw a job posting with his lab for a Field Tech position for the fall in Michigan. This job would start in just a few weeks. I'm hoping to hear back next week about an interview. If the job worked out and the RA position came through I could soon be headed to the Mid-West for a few years. Sometimes things are just a matter of timing, and I hope my time is now.
If I don't get the Field Tech job, my plan is to move to Seattle before the middle of next month. I'm looking for work there now and as soon as something comes through (barring the Michigan job), I'll be on my way. My intention in moving to Seattle is to connect with the forest ecology community at UW. I'd like to get to know professors and students, possibly take a class or two, and work for a professor/lab either paid or volunteer (ideally the former, probably the latter). Having spoken to the professor in Minnesota, even if that opportunity doesn't come through, I'm much more confident in my chances of finding a Master's program. It affirms what I've been telling myself all along, that I am qualified and do have the right skills and experience to succeed in an ecology program.
Things are definitely coming along. 2012 is turning out to be a good year in moving forward with my science career!
