How did you end up in the field you are in today? Who or what inspired you to pursue this career? Who are some of the people you look up to or admire?
There is an expression that luck serves the prepared. I got lucky to have the job I had been preparing years to have. I was a nerdy kid before the word existed and was interested in nature. An early inspiration was Jacque Cousteau and Johnny Quest (whose Dad was a scientist).
What research/work projects are you currently involved in? How do you conduct your research/work and what tools/technology do you use? How does math factor into your work?
I am conducting research in three general areas: nutria impacts on marsh loss, submerged aquatic vegetation distributions along the Gulf of Mexico coast, and fire behavior modeling. I use simulation modeling as an important tool. The math required is often algebra and to a less extent difference equation. Other tools we are using are light induced fluorescence, a method of imaging plants using UV light.
What do you like best about your job? What do you like the least? What are the most common misconceptions that people have about what you do?
What I like best is I get to travel and do interesting research. What I like least is the politics centered around resources allocated to projects. One of the most common misconceptions is that you need to be a mathematical genius or an general natural history expert. What this job takes more than anything else is enthusiasm for the thing you are interested in. If you have enthusiasm you can achieve more than many who are more skilled but don’t have the excitement in their heart.
Where have you traveled for your work?
For work, training or conferences I have been to Hawaii, Costa Rica, Mexico, Quebec, of the coast of Alaska on Japanese fishing boats.
What were your favorite books as a kid? Why?
There was a children’s Bible that I loved to read, a teacher gave me a book about the biology and natural history of the cell from Time/Life, and the books in the Jacque Cousteau series about marine biology.
What was your favorite subject when you were in middle school? What did you think you were going to be when you grew up? What advice do you wish someone would have given you at the time?
My favorite subjects were biology and chemistry. I wanted to be a scientist, then a science journalist when I thought science was out of reach for me. The real world is more interesting and exciting than anything you may find in science fiction or video games.
Why do you think it is important for students to learn about wetlands in general? Why do you think it is important for students to learn about Louisiana’s wetlands?
Wetlands are important because they are an important habitat type for many different species, many of which are endanger of becoming extinct. Louisiana wetlands are important because not only are a large percentage of the wetlands of the lower 48, but they are important to both the state and national economies as a source of natural resources (seafood, oil and gas, shipping, etc.) but important for wildlife as a stop over for migratory birds and the home for many endangered species.
What one thing would you most like students to learn from participating in the JASON Wetlands Project?
Science is fun, and there are so many different things to do that the only stereotype that fits scientists is that they are really curious about something. When you are the first person to have an insight into the way the world works, even if it is only a small insight, you feel wonderful. It is something like the feeling the first explorer to a new world must have when the realize they are the first person to see the land before them.
What advice would you give to students who are interested in studying science? What are some of the diverse careers associated with the work that you do?
First, become a well-rounded person. Don’t just study science and math, but study language, music, and a sport. The best science is based on creativity and curiosity, and the broader your mind, the more sources you have to draw upon.
Second, take as much math and science as you can squeeze in.
Third, don’t just read books. Go out and bird watch, figure out what plants are growing in lawn, ask what is the name of that strange insect on your desk, figure what stars and planets you can identify in your night sky, make your own ammonia or gun powder or your own radio set.
When you are not working, what do you like to do for fun?
Hang out at home with my wife and kid. Jackson (my son) is almost 3 and just discovering the world. I get to teach him the difference between a mocking bird and a cardinal and show him frogs, snakes and reptiles. I also like to do adventure races, used to do triathlons.
Any final thoughts, words of advice, personal philosophy?
Be curious. Science thrives on creativity and curiosity.