An era of opportunity for students

Abstract

More than ever before, today's ecology students are using new resources and sharing ideas by networking with the global community of ecology researchers. Traditionally, opportunities for students to interact with one another and with senior ecologists were restricted; students generally conducted research and developed career skills in relative isolation, within their home universities. Today, students can accelerate their creative and technical growth as ecologists by interacting with a worldwide network of researchers, and through increased access to a wide variety of tools and information. Professional scientific organizations like the Ecological Society of America (ESA), Botanical Society of America (BSA), Society for Conservation Biology (SCB), and others have expanded these opportunities for students. For example, many student groups and professional societies have facilitated student networking by designing websites, newsletters, blogs, and Facebook groups. SCB is developing the Sister Lab Scheme, an online project linking graduate student labs to research groups with similar research interests across the world. Forums like Fresh Perspectives, the regular student column in Frontiers, provide a platform for students to express views on the scientific and professional issues they face. Other opportunities provided by professional societies include student training programs, which are now a major part of annual meeting activities. The ESA Student Section has sponsored and organized over 30 sessions and workshops on issues such as career development, funding, and networking, at the past seven ESA annual meetings. Similarly, BSA holds panel discussions on making career decisions and a graduate school fair at its annual summer meeting. Finally, professional societies give students the opportunity to shape the culture of ecological science by assuming positions in the governance of these organizations. ESA, BSA, and SCB have established student committees, chapters, and sections, and ESA has student representatives on several standing committees, who provide information to the Governing Board on education, science, and public affairs. Students who take these positions not only help to shape society decisions, but also gain valuable leadership experience within the community of ecological scientists. Programs in networking, training, and governance are successfully attracting more and more student members to professional ecology organizations. ESA student membership has increased 74% since 1999 and accounts for 45% of the increase in overall ESA membership. Student membership in BSA has increased 83% over the past 5 years. We expect that the effectiveness of these programs in improving students' career development will only increase the popularity and attractiveness of society membership to students over time. Despite the early success of these initiatives, professional organizations and their members can do more to improve programs for students. Two needs merit particular attention. First, organizations must prioritize efforts to foster diversity among students in ecology, because the ideas, perspectives, and talent conferred by socioeconomic, cultural, and geographic diversity among ecological scientists enhance the quality of ecological research. Some organizations have recognized this necessity and initiated diversity-building programs. For example, SCB has started a Student Mentoring program, which provides assistance during the annual meeting abstract submission process to students for whom English is not a first language. BSA has a similar program to encourage meeting participation by minority undergraduate students. ESA's award-winning Strategies for Ecology Education, Development, and Sustainability (SEEDS) program has provided opportunities for underrepresented groups to attend annual meetings since 1996. These examples represent excellent first steps toward enhancing diversity within the discipline and should be expanded into other facets of professional research societies. Second, organizations should increase financial support available to students to attend regional, national, and international meetings. In-person interactions at professional meetings generate opportunities for networking, exchanging ideas, and establishing collaborations that are not possible via electronic means. Furthermore, meeting expenses present a financial hardship for many students. To help bridge this gap, ESA has created a new fund, the Real and Brown Student Travel Fund*, to offset the cost of attending the ESA Annual Meeting for students. Societies should grow such funds to more completely meet the needs of students who would not otherwise be able to attend meetings. The initiatives we have described here – networking, training, governance, diversity-building, and travel grants – are interconnected and serve the common purpose of expanding opportunities for students to learn and engage in the global research community. Encouraging student participation in ecological science is crucial to the development of a generation of scientists who will advance our understanding and protection of nature. Meeting this goal requires that professional organizations continue to take action to benefit students and that students take advantage of the opportunities available to them, in a collaborative effort to advance our understanding of ecology.