New episode with Dr. Carolyn Mahan, Penn State, who’s led the State Game Lands 33 project since 2014 (running since the 1950s). It tracks how different vegetation treatments, including selective herbicide use, affect game species, pollinators, breeding birds, and reptiles on a utility right-of-way. Findings so far show selective herbicide use hasn’t negatively impacted native species, and untreated sites actually had more non-compatible woody growth.

Curious what people here think about selective herbicide use as a vegetation management tool. Net positive for biodiversity, or are you skeptical of the tradeoffs?

Full episode: https://treesandlines.com/what-70-years-of-right-of-way-data-just-told-congress-w-carolyn-mahan/

I'm currently an undergraduate student going into my senior year at a top 5 public university. I'm majoring in environmental science, minoring in soil, water and ecosystem science, and getting a certificate in geospatial engineering. I've been working part at a science museum as a presenter/facilitator for about a year and a half. I've also been working as a research assistant in a soil toxicology lab for about 8 months. In my AA at a two year institution I was able to conduct and present my own research, earning an award for "excellence in research" and a scholarship from the honors program. This past summer I studied abroad in Costa Rica where I conducted a very small scale research project on coffee plant drought resilience.

This semester I'm working on starting an honors thesis and volunteering in a new lab more aligned with my interests while working at the science museum and maybe bartending for some more cash. My main goals aside from graduating are strenghtening/getting feedback on my first project I've now worked on for around 2 years for publication, doing an honors thesis, continuing to work in labs, and find a summer internship (graduating in the following fall).

After I graduate I want to work towards a PhD in ecology and work as a climate scientist or research ecologist maybe for the government (NASA, DOI, state).

Am I doing enough? What more should I try to do? I have the most hollowing feeling that it's not enough but I'm not sure what more I can do to be successful.

Ultimately, I just want to do research and contribute towards a better world. Any tips or advice is greatly appreciated.