An open letter to graduate students

Abstract

In this brief statement, Leopold emphasizes enthusiasm, using tools from related fields, and cooperation and interaction. How well do you fit Leopold's personal qualifications for a career in wildlife? Other questions you should ask yourself are why you are in graduate school and why you want to be in the wildlife profession. Only you know the answers, but I can tell you that the profession needs dedicated individuals with bright young minds.

Here are some other items to consider. First, understand that you were selected from a broad pool of applicants for graduate school after careful consideration by the university, graduate committee, and your major professor. In some cases, the number of applicants has been in the hundreds and thousands (e.g., at the Wildlife Institute of India, ≥7,000 applicants applied for ~7 graduate positions in a single year). Thus, upon acceptance to a graduate program, you have an obligation (to the wildlife you are studying, yourself, your major professor, and the many students that were not selected) to succeed and excel. Your major professor has put a lot of effort into selecting you and may have even had to argue for your acceptance over other applications that were ranked higher by the admissions criteria. If you are in a wildlife or natural resources graduate program, consider it a privilege you should take seriously and honor.

Second, why are you in graduate school? The answer should be to keep learning so you can advance knowledge and understanding in the wildlife profession as a scientist. Learn, learn, learn, and that includes learning as much as you can about the subjects related to your main interest including biology, human dimensions, and habitat. That means taking classes you are not particularly interested in because they do not appear to tie directly to wildlife (e.g., statistics, quantitative studies, R, and others you may be unfamiliar with). Do not think for a minute that they should be considered secondary. A biologist that is armed with a solid biological background and the latest quantitative skills to analyze data will be well suited to face the challenges wildlife must overcome. Too many biologists rely on statisticians for data analysis and do not understand the methods they are using to test hypotheses. Do not be the student that has to run to statisticians for the simplest of tests; be the one that others come to for help. You were likely selected because of a strong undergraduate program and are already well versed in animal biology, ecology, and management (especially if you meet The Wildlife Society Certification requirements). Quantitative skills will take you beyond the basics and allow you to delve deeper into biology, ecology, management, and conservation with insightful analysis of data. Do not shy away from the quantitative sciences.

I also encourage you to go beyond your assigned research. You are in graduate school to learn. For example, your major professor may have a project that needs to be accomplished to fulfill a contract and you were selected to work on the project. Make it yours. Do not just carry out a study to fulfill the contract. Of course, the contract must be recognized, but you could go beyond what is needed to contribute additional information to the literature. Answer the question you are expected to answer, but ask other questions that can be addressed in the arena you are working in. It may take more time and work but will contribute more to the understanding of wildlife and wildlife habitats. As an example, I had a student that asked additional questions related to the basics of her research. Unfortunately, some of her samples to address the question were stored in a freezer and destroyed when the freezer broke. She could easily have let that part of her research slide. Instead, she secured funds and collected the necessary data for her additional work. The short additional time (6 months) allowed her to add to her thesis and make it her own by going above what was expected.

Additionally, do what you can to help others. Too many graduate students stick to their project only and do not get involved in the work of others when there is a chance to do so. Make opportunities to work with your peers on their projects and get involved in their work. Also, get them to become involved in your research when feasible. It will broaden horizons. As an example, you could help another graduate student with their project (e.g., data collection, data analysis, brainstorming) 1 day every other week and they could help you on the alternating week with your project. You will be surprised at the amount of additional work that can be done; and you will be more involved in another project. It will also give you another opportunity to discuss your work and explain how it fits in with wildlife. You may say you barely have time to do your own research and take the classes required, and do not have the time to get involved elsewhere. I disagree. You can make the time. And something else to consider is just that—time. I know you are busy in graduate school, but you will be busier when you are employed in the wildlife profession. Ask any professional. Right now, you have your project and you may be helping with a few other projects. When you are working as a wildlife professional, you will be juggling numerous projects, trying to meet the demands of bosses and staff, attending meetings and conferences, interacting with others, working afield, and making time for friends and family, and you will look back on your graduate days as a period filled with time. Use it wisely.

Similarly, help your major professor with any of their work (and obtain co-authorship if possible). That will give you an opportunity to be actively involved in other projects and in the publication process, understand the requirements of co-authorship, become a better writer, and learn how to review manuscripts before they are submitted for publication. Even go so far as to ask journal editors to serve as referees on submitted manuscripts in your field. Sure, all of this will take time, but it will be time well spent. Write, write, write whenever you have the chance. Do all you can to improve and enhance your writing skills. Graduate school does not end with a degree. You need to get your work published and being familiar with scientific writing will pay off.

Also, be open to criticism and do not take it personally. You will likely see a lot of red ink on manuscripts and assignments from professors. Their role is to help you become a professional and communicate as clearly as possible. Take their advice with an open mind. The same goes for others that ask you about your research, position on topics, and data analysis. Make sure you can express your positions clearly with concision. The red ink from professors and questions about your positions will diminish as you learn to be an effective speaker and writer. Consider the elevator speech. Say you are on an elevator with a potential employer or major professor that you want to work with or study under and they ask you about your research (or potential research). They will be getting off the elevator in 30 seconds or so. How can you answer their question clearly and concisely in that time? Practice, practice, practice. And when questioned you will be able to express your views in an interesting and informative manner. I cannot emphasize the importance of maintaining an open mind enough. Do not be defensive. When you are being criticized, the purpose is to help you and if you are ambiguous in your responses, you need to work to clarify your message.

Develop solid professional and personal relationships while in graduate school. The wildlife profession is a small field. You will be surprised at how many of your peers will influence your professional life as they are asked to write evaluations of your work or are interviewed by your potential employers about their knowledge of you as a person and professional, and you may even work for some of them in your career or supervise them. Do not alienate anyone. Build solid relationships and work to maintain them. Many will last throughout your professional career.

A question you should ask your major professor relates to funds for publication. It is surprising to me that so many early authors are shocked to learn that there are charges for publication in scientific journals. Do not be afraid to ask your major professor to ensure that funds are available for the publication of your work. If not from your major professor, write the costs of publication into your proposal, see if grants are available from the Graduate School or the Vice President for Research at your institution, or write a separate grant for publication funds. Publication costs will only continue to rise as support for open access of manuscripts continues to increase in the scientific community.

Just as important as it is to learn and write effectively, you also need to interact with your fellow graduate students, undergraduates, faculty, committee members, and the scientific community. Take every opportunity to attend conferences and interact with others—not just your fellow graduate students. If you do not have funds to attend the conferences you want to attend, see if the conference organizers have funds available and write grants to cover the costs. Do not be shy in seeking mentors that can help you and give freely of your time to mentor others when you can. You will be way ahead by interacting in a professional manner with as many professionals as possible. Interact and present the results of your work as often as you can. Presentations can sharpen your speaking skills and by watching other presentations you will quickly see what to do and what to avoid when presenting research. Interact, interact, interact.

By having the enthusiasm, curiosity, education, and tools to be a productive scientist in the wildlife arena, with quantitative and writing skills, and good personal relationships, you will be on the road to being a solid member of the wildlife profession. I wish you well, hope to read your work in the wildlife journals, and look forward to seeing you at conferences. Most importantly, I appreciate all you are doing to maintain, enhance, understand, conserve, and manage wildlife and wildlife habitat. Their future depends on your bright and inquisitive minds. Until later.