Updated PDP

Follow Up PDP

I am considering graduate schools and programs that are based on location, so that I can start to develop a life in the town prior to starting school there. This will also help to make sure that I want to spend a good chuck of my time and money at the certain institution and town. Graduate school is picking a path that guides me towards where I want to be. But where do I want to be? What do I want to be doing? Below are mentors that have helped shape the person I have become, to be able to answer these important questions.

Who are my mentors? What do these people do as mentors?

Mandy Little: Role model for a plant ecologist, wonderful personality, strong woman. She deals with a lot of crap as a professor from students who don’t really care, but doesn’t get too down about it. Always finds a way to put a good spin on things. She is a very smart and talented scientist, very passionate about her work and her future. She cares about the students who care just as much as she did when she was a student.

Sarah Rykal: Very smart, young professional. Has taught me a lot about working professionally in academic situations, have learned a lot about social norming within sustainability, and is very organized. She has a great personality, very hip and funny. I think I would like to be like her when I am thirty; be done with school, have a job, but still have a great social life and be able to have the freedoms on those aspects.

Charles Bomar: Helps guide me in the school realm.  Narrows my focus onto what I want to do in the future as well as tries to open my eyes to aspects of the major, or field of study that I am not aware of.

Potential Graduate Schools and Programs

1.      University of California-Davis

Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Graduate Programs

o    Agricultural and Environmental Chemistry **

o    Agricultural and Resource Economics

o    Animal Biology

o    Atmospheric Science **

o    Biological Systems Engineering

o    Ecology **

o    Ecology (Joint Doctorate with San Diego State University) **

o    Entomology **

o    Food Science

o    Genetics

o    Geography

o    Horticulture and Agronomy

o    Hydrologic Sciences

o    International Agricultural Development

o    Master of Professional Accountancy

o    Master of Public Health

o    Microbiology

o    Nutritional Biology

o    Pharmacology and Toxicology **

o    Plant Biology **

o    Plant Pathology **

o    Population Biology

o    Soils** and Biogeochemistry

o    Transportation Technology and Policy

o    Viticulture and Enology

2.       University of California-Berkley

Programs to consider: (fall 2012 school year)

-Energy and Resources Deadline: Dec 5, 2011
-Environmental Science, Policy and Management Deadline: Dec 1, 2011
-Forestry Deadline: Dec 1, 2011
-Plant Biology Deadline: Dec 4^th, 2011

3.      University of Montana

College of Forestry and Conservation Programs:

Program	Degree Offered
Ecosystem Management	M.E.M.
Forestry	M.S.;Ph.D.
Recreation Management	M.S.
Resource Conservation	M.S.
Resource Conservation (International Conservation and Development)	M.S.
Wilderness Management	Certificate
Fish and Wildlife Biology	Ph.D.
Wildlife Biology	M.S.

Deadlines for fall applications are January 31st and spring applications are August 31st.

4.      University of Oregon:

Biology Course Graduate Teaching Fellowships
Responsibilities include leading discussion or laboratory sections, grading, compiling students' scores, holding office hours, writing quiz or exam questions, and working with faculty on any course-related issues. Positions are listed for fall 2011, winter 2012 and spring 2012. I am guessing that these are also available every year, and most for the classes would be consistent.
Courses: Intro to Ecology, Ecology, Neotropical Ecology, Forest Biology, and Freshwater Biology.

Donna Overall

77 Klamath Hall

1210 University of Oregon

Eugene, OR 97403
Open until filled.

Programs to consider: Environmental and Natural Resources Law (School of Law), Environmental Sciences, Studies, and Policy (College of Arts and Sciences) with a graduate certificate program in Ecological Design Certificate(School for Architecture and Allied Arts).

5.      Western Washington University: Fall 2012 M.S. Environmental Science program: Thesis research will focus on effects of wildfire on soil chemistry.
            Peter Homann, Professor of Environmental Sciences
            Western Washington University
            Bellingham WA  98225-9181
            Email: Peter.Homann@wwu.edu
            Website: http://faculty.wwu.edu/homann/
Application deadline:  February 1.

I have re-signed into my USAjobs account, and started updating that. Over winter break, I plan to update the resumes that are currently uploaded, and searching through jobs. I want to look into SCEP programs within the USFS. Professionals talked about this at the Natural Areas Conference. I will also have to use my networks to start looking for housing in the areas that I want to live. I think that I really want to live in Oregon for many reasons. My parents are also supportive of me moving to start a new chapter of my life. They used to live in Oregon when they were younger, so they understand why I should probably be out there.

On my skills list, under missing, I have animal biology. I will be able to move that up into the emerging, because I am taking Zoology next semester, and that will be my first real animal class, because discussing animals in ecology. I also have chemistry skills under the missing category. I have experience in some soil chemistry from soil science conservation course I took last semester, as well as all the other three chemistry courses required by the major. I also have done small amounts of water chemistry when I worked with Trout Unlimited. After the spring semester, I think that I will be able to increase some of my skills through plant pathology and zoology next semester. I think that in the next job/internship I get, I will talk to my hiring supervisor to see if there is anything I can do to bump up the job, if it’s extra research collection or sitting in/shadowing a upper level professional, I think I will be able to build my skills up. 

Blog Post #15

Choose a focus of either your final project topic or your career plan to develop an entrepreneurial assessment of yourself. This should be about a "1-page" activity. Some of these questions may help guide your thoughts: Do you want to be a "businessperson or an entrepreneur?" What traits and/or strengths do you see in your PDP that aligns with your thought? What weaknesses or opportunities for improvement do you notice that you would like to address to become a "businessperson or an entrepreneur?" Is entrepreneurship just about starting a business? Or is it much deeper and holistic than that? As the world quickly changes, which type of folks do you feel will be more on their "toes" and less on their "heels." Who do you think will achieve and live the happinesses that they seek in life?

here is a link to the comparisons I had shared in class:http://blog.topplaza.com/2011/07/businessman-vs-entrepreneur-whats-the-difference/

Do you want to be a "businessperson or an entrepreneur?"

When it comes to the question of choosing between entrepreneurship and business, I think that I would enjoy a mix of both. I would like to be able to have flexible hours, be able to keep up with my family and personal life, but also be able to have a stable job with a good income that can sustain the lifestyle I would like to live. I personally do not think I would like to run my own business or start my own company. I think I would need a lot more creativity to create a concept that I could live off of. I think I would rather work for an existing organization, but has entrepreneurship values. I would work for natural area restoration, environmental consulting, as well as a government job in botany, working to keep the wildlands wild.

The business aspects that align with my PDP:

-        -  financial freedoms

-       -   travel

-        -  career in USFS

-     -     science

The entrepreneurship aspects that align with my PDP:

·     -    Mission: My purpose or mission is to restore natural areas back to their original state. This may be in the forms of creating policies to keep the lands natural, it may be in the act of physically removing the undesirable plant species, or designing programs that educate youth about why it’s important to continue to preserve and care about the natural landscapes. Incorporate sustainable practices into Forest Service practices.

-        -  Social hours, family, friends

-      -    Renewable energy

-      -    Working with people and the environment

-        -  Restoration management

-      -    Happiness!

As the world changes, I think that entrepreneurs will most likely be “on their toes” rather than
“on their heels”.  I think that they will have the more fluid lifestyle that the world is going to need. I feel like business people are set in their ways, that they aren’t as open to change and innovation as they could be. Most business people need to start to consider less importance on the dollar, and more on the natural world, before it’s all gone. Once the world is gone, the people will be too, and the dollar will no longer have meaning. 

Blog Post #13

The criteria we will use to evaluate and rank the members of your team related to the final project. 

-Attendance/Participation: Must be present for outside of class group meetings. Allowed to miss one or two with an acceptable reason. Group mates had to finish their assigned sections by the deadline.

-Tasks Accomplished: We would go around the room to the people of the different sections had to . We would have the different sections tell the rest of the group what they researched, and how it fit with what we were researching.

-Professionalism

-Communication

-Contribution

The first two categories were the ones that we decided to evaluate the group on, since it was the only way we could get some people to attend, and do their parts. 

Blog Post #10

Ethical Question: 

Ask/address an ethical question in your field of interest. Develop/address arguments for each side of the issue, then defend your position on the issue.

Environmental consulting firm for developmental projects

-never destroy wetlands

-have to destroy for urban sprawl / expansion


The field of interest that this ethical question comes from would be wetland ecology as well as the environmental consulting firm companies. An example of a consulting firm that does this type of work is Normandeau Associates. Normandeau Associates works on environmental planning, permitting, documentation and natural resources. These firms are typically working with various agencies “to develop and operate in a manner that promotes the protection of natural resources while meeting project objectives.”1  Firms are used during major land development projects, when groups or a business or a city want to develop land to expand that area. Issues arise during site selection, when developers have a plan that possibly poses a threat to the natural areas that lay outside of the urban sprawl. This is where the environmental consulting firm is contracted to look over the plans of project, and help make ethically, and environmentally sound decisions.

There is an area that is east of a city that contains a wetland, naturally diverse ecosystem containing a large range of wildlife; from small fauna to large fauna; insects to deer. Wetlands play an important role is the surface and groundwater cycles.

The developers see this land as an opportunity to expand their township, they see it that the area would bring in more revenue for the township if it were an extension of it rather a natural area.

If I were a consultant, I would work with the developers as well as the DNR to weigh the pros and cons and the values tied to each item, to figure out what the best next step is. I would look to the other directions of town, north, south, and west, to see if there was a piece of land available for development. It could be possible that there is a less diverse area of land, especially not a wetland, which could be developed. It is just important to keep wetlands in nature, keeping our surface and ground water clean.

A compromise could occur with this: If the wetland was delineated, a protective buffer could be placed around the wetland to preserve the plants and animals as well as let the developers continue with the plan. The process that this uses is that a site visit needs to happen to insure that the area is a wetland. Based on the quality of the water, and other environmental characteristics, the wetland is rated using the Department of Ecology Rating System. 2. The boundaries would then be mapped out, and using GIS or other spatial analysis applications, a buffer around the wetland would be placed, depending on its category.

Personally, I would try to find a new location for the development, and keep the whole natural are intact, but if this was not an option, then the wetland delineation would suffice.

References

1.       http://normandeau.com/pages/environment/services/environmental_planning.asp

2. http://www.ecy.wa.gov/pubs/0406025.pdf

Blog Post #11

Quality Management

Water Quality Management plans are developed in the US Forest Service to preserve water quality in areas that have low quality water or low access to water. When water is in short supply, managers need to make sure that what is there is of the highest quality for both people and the fish, and animals that need it to survive. This plan is created in the National Forest of California. The State Water Resources Control Board has got to work with the USDA Forest Service and affected Regional Water Quality Control Boards to update the statewide Water Quality Management Plan (WQMP). The WQMP identifies a wide spectrum of activities that are on NFS land that cause point and non-point source pollution, especially sediment and thermal pollution, that all affect the quality of water. There is a staff level working group that works on revising the WQMP, and a policy-level group that works on the policy direction. The staff level working group seeks input from a broad range of stakeholders.

http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/waterquality/briefingpaper

Blog Post # 9

Title, Issues and Action Plan

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LX4YsdFecBCXgm5Ivi7N0UlS5IkzwsYhoEa9OKPjay0/edit?hl=en_US

Blog Post # 8

Ethical Question

Is it ethical for a physician to accept Wild tickets from a pharmaceutical rep to take her family to the game?

I think it is ethical for a physician to accept Wild tickets from the pharmaceutical rep, only if there is a clear understanding between the physician and the pharmaceutical rep that if the tickets are taken, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the physician office will go with that pharmaceutical company. The tickets would have to be received as a gift rather than a bribe with strings attached. I personally don’t know how these organizations function because I don’t plan to go into either one as a profession. I have a feeling that it is an unethical thing for the physician to accept, because it might seem unfair to other physicians at the office for only one to take their family. It could also be seen as unethical because the rep might be thinking that if they purchase tickets for the doctor, that they will for sure choose that company. 

Blog Post # 6

 Diversity

Diversity has many meanings to me. It has meaning in nature with Biodiversity; it has meaning to the human species as well.  In an ecosystem, all the animals and plants have specific roles in the chain of life. There are the small animals and plants, the ones that provide or are food for larger animals. It is important that these plants and animals remain in place to keep the balance of the ecosystem in check.

 To me, Diversity and inclusivity go hand in hand. Depending on what job or career you go into, it will most likely be a diverse environment. There will probably be people of different races, ethnicities and backgrounds. You have to be well equip with knowing how to be around people who are different than you. Here at Stout, most classes are the majority of students are white Midwest students. It is important in a setting like this to learn about diversity, and how to handle being around people that are different than you. Most places are not like Stout. That is why I feel it is very important for students to attend the different Ally Center events on diversity and race that are held though out the year. Sometimes it is easy to forget about the other people, especially when it comes to the holiday season. We always think of Christmas, but start to lose focus on the other holidays of other nationalities or religions. Just like in nature, there has to be a balance within human diversity so things don’t get thrown off.

1.      Diversity Statement: USDA Forest Service:

“Oliver Wendell Holmes once said, "I find the great thing in this world is not so much where we stand as in what direction we are moving." I believe the Forest Service is moving in the right direction and, I want to keep it going that way. I need your help. We are going to continue caring for the land and serving the people. However, as I stated in my first message to the National Leadership Team, my initial focus is going to be on people – you, the Forest Service employees.

As the fifteenth Chief of the Forest Service, I am committed to work force diversity and to ensuring the protection of civil rights, including equal employment opportunity for all employees and customers of the Forest Service programs and services. No employee or applicant will be unlawfully denied employment opportunity because of race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, disability, political belief, sexual orientation, or marital or familial status.

I believe that diversity not only refers to ethnicity, gender, or culture, but there is also a diversity of thought. It is healthy for us to have professional differences of opinion and these should be shared, but always in a climate of openness, mutual respect and trust. As Forest Service employees, it is our responsibility to ensure that discrimination and harassment do not exist in the employment experience and the work environment. Anything less is simply unacceptable. We must treat each other and the public with respect and professionalism. This is how we want to be treated and is the foundation for good customer service.

No one in the Forest Service can be successful working alone; however, if we work together, all of us can succeed. I look forward to your cooperation in helping me carry out the Agency's responsibilities in the area of civil rights.”

2.      Diversity Statement: US Fish and Wildlife Service:

WASHINGTON— The U.S. Senate today will hold a hearing over the confirmation of Dan Ashe as new director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. If confirmed, Ashe will face a number of significant challenges, including fixing the agency’s endangered species program that, under the Obama administration, has done little to protect rare plants and animals facing the possibility of extinction. Ashe will need to correct an agency culture that has led to dozens of Fish and Wildlife Service decisions being overturned in court for failing to follow the proper science in managing threatened and endangered species.

“We are hopeful that Dan Ashe can turn the Fish and Wildlife Service around,” said Kierán Suckling, executive director of the Center for Biological Diversity. “To date, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar has done little to reform the agency’s problems managing our nation’s endangered species. Under Salazar, the agency has shown an utter lack of urgency when it comes to saving endangered species and has been more intent on delaying protections than implementing them.”

Among the worst problems in the agency is its reluctance to provide new protections to species that badly need them. So far, the Fish and Wildlife Service under President Barack Obama has protected just 54 species, most of them on a single Hawaiian island, for an average of just 27 species per year. That rate is better than under the Bush administration, when 51 species were protected for an average of fewer than seven per year, but worse than under the Clinton administration, when 498 species were protected for a yearly average of 62.  The Obama administration’s failure to protect more species has left more than 250 species to languish unprotected on a “candidate” list for federal protections, including the wolverine, Oregon spotted frog, white fringeless orchid and, in a new addition earlier this month, Pacific walrus. The agency has also continued to see decisions overturned by the courts, including most notably a decision to remove protections for the gray wolf. “The real test for Dan Ashe is whether he can get the program for protecting endangered species moving and restore the agency’s scientific credibility,” said Suckling. “There is no more important function of the Fish and Wildlife Service than the protection of endangered species, because the extinction of a species cannot be reversed.”    

In an encouraging sign, the administration’s requested budget asks for an increase in the endangered species budget, specifically for newly protecting species under the Endangered Species Act. 

If he is confirmed, other significant action will be needed from Ashe, including major steps to protect bats from white-nose syndrome (which has killed more than 1 million bats to date in the United States) and research funding for the disease; and policies that recognize and respond to the dangers of global warming for imperiled species in Alaska, the lower 48 states and Hawaii.

The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 320,000 members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places.

3.      Diversity Statement: UW-Stout

University Housing has a long history of supporting all kinds of diversity and providing inclusive living environments where all students are welcome. We hope that your experience in the residence halls allows you to meet a lot of new people from a variety of backgrounds. We also hope that you find the residence halls to be a comfortable and accepting environment.

http://www.uwstout.edu/diversity/index.cfm

4.      Diversity Statement: Peace Corps

The diversity of the American people is a large part of what makes America the country it is.  Diversity of ethnic backgrounds, life experiences, and beliefs have strengthened our country in countless ways. And because the Peace Corps shares with the rest of the world our most precious resource -- our people -- it can carry out its mission only if the Volunteer corps truly represents America in all its diversity.

5.      Diversity Statement: EPA

FROM: Administrator Lisa P. Jackson

TO: All EPA Employees

I am reaffirming my commitment to the principles of equal employment opportunity and diversity in the workplace for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's employees and job applicants. The EPA must continue to attract, develop, and retain a highly skilled, diverse work force to meet the demands of our mission to protect human health and the natural environment.

The EPA must be fully committed to promoting and maintaining a workplace that ensures equality of opportunity for everyone, regardless of her or his race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, status as a parent, sexual orientation, protected genetic information, prior EEO activity and marital status.

Our managers and supervisors must lead by example to ensure the workplace is free from discrimination, hostility, intimidation, reprisal and harassment. We all have a role to play, and each of us must be committed to treating one another with dignity, respect and professionalism.

I ask you to help me create a work environment that embraces our individual differences and gives everyone full consideration for employment opportunities, including hiring, promotions and training, regardless of his or her protected status.

Our vision of One EPA can be realized only if we respect and honor the differences that every employee brings from her or his background. I am confident that, as we move forward, all of us will work toward protecting and advancing the principles of EEO.

I offer my sincerest thanks to all of you for your dedication to the EPA and for the excellent work you do every day to protect the American people and our environment. None of it would be possible without the diversity of experiences and ideas that each of you brings to our agency.

Blog Post #7

General Ethics:

What/why ethics?

-        -   Personal and social ethics

-       -    Standards for living- assumed/in place/ made up

-       -   Minimize conflicts between connections and networks

-      -     Born as a blank slate, and can be taught good or bad

Ethics code for USA Forest Service:

Code of Scientific Ethics

This document outlines 11 codes for scientific methods and ethics that are used in the USFS. Each code has a description and examples to go with it. This document also goes though how to handle allegations of scientific misconduct.

“This code has been developed by a committee of scientists in USDA Forest Service Research & Development (FS R&D) after feedback from colleagues and extensive research on science ethics.  The code is based on the Code of Scientific Ethics of the USDA Agricultural Research Service, but has been modified for application to the FS R&D organization by a team of Forest Service employees. The Code is a tool for self-regulation.”

1. 1.       I dedicate myself to the pursuit, promotion, and advancement of scientific knowledge.
2. 2.       I will conduct, manage, judge, and report scientific research honestly, thoroughly, and without conflict of interest. 
3.      ,       I will prevent abuse of all resources entrusted to me, and endeavor to treat human and animal subjects humanely, following established guidelines where they are available.
4.             I will not willfully hinder the research of others nor engage in dishonesty, fraud, deceit, misrepresentation, or other professional misconduct.
5.             I will welcome constructive criticism of my personal scientific research and offer the same to my colleagues in a manner that fosters mutual respect amid objective scientific debate.
6.             I will recognize past and present contributors to my research and will neither accept nor assume unauthorized and/or unwarranted credit for another's accomplishments
7.              I will claim authorship for a research product only if I am willing to be held responsible for both the interpretation of the data and the conclusions as presented.
8.             I will claim authorship for a research product only if I have made a major intellectual contribution (as part of conception, design, data collection, data analysis, or interpretation) and made significant contributions to its preparation (write, review, or edit).
9.              I will not publish or use original ideas, research data, or unpublished findings of others without written approval. 
10. .           I will refrain from duplicative publication of the same research findings as original.
11.       I will show appropriate diligence toward preserving and maintaining resources, such as data records, that are entrusted to me.

http://www.fs.fed.us/research/pdf/fs_code_of%20_scientific_ethics.pdf

Ethics code for Israel:

The Israel Defense Forces are the state of Israel's military force. The IDF is subordinate to the directions of the democratic civilian authorities and the laws of the state. The goal of the IDF is to protect the existence of the State of Israel and her independence, and to thwart all enemy efforts to disrupt the normal way of life in Israel. IDF soldiers are obligated to fight, to dedicate all their strength and even sacrifice their lives in order to protect the State of Israel, her citizens and residents. IDF soldiers will operate according to the IDF values and orders, while adhering to the laws of the state and norms of human dignity, and honoring the values of the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state. 
http://dover.idf.il/IDF/English/about/doctrine/ethics.htm

Ethics code for China, India, Thailand, Saudi Arabia,  Israel:

Center for international Forestry Research
Board of Trustee’s Code of Conduct:

“We care about our behavior as Board members and how we get results.

We, the Board of Trustees of CIFOR apply the principles in this Code to our relationships with each other and with all those people with whom we deal in our work for CIFOR. Our Code of Conduct is a guide for us all in the way we do business as Trustees of CIFOR and members of the CGIAR system.

In our individual capacity as members of the Board of CIFOR, and in our collective capacity as the Board of CIFOR, we will abide by the following minimum standards:

1. We respect the law and act accordingly

·         Our objective is always to comply with the laws of the country in which we are operating.

·         Everyone of us will notify our Chair of any failure to comply with the law.

·         In interpreting the law, we will always endeavor to adopt a course which reinforces our reputation for integrity.

2. We conduct ourselves with integrity, are fair and honest in our dealings and treat others with dignity

·         Integrity for us means doing the right thing and behaving properly.

·         We do not use oppressive or misleading practices or falsify or wrongfully withhold information to achieve a benefit for ourselves or for CIFOR.

·         We operate in countries with many different laws, customs and business practices. We recognize these but do not compromise the principles embodied in this Code. Honesty is valued in every culture.

·         Dignity for us means that everyone is entitled to be treated with respect as a person, regardless of individual difference.

·         We aim to work as a team and to promote cohesiveness and loyalty among us.

3. We do not place ourselves in situations which result in divided loyalties

·         For us, divided loyalties arise when:

• Our private or professional interests conflict directly or indirectly with our obligations to CIFOR and the CGIAR;
• We receive benefits (such as gifts or entertainment) from a person doing or seeking to do business with CIFOR which could be seen as creating an obligation to someone other than CIFOR.

• We do not act in ways which may cause others to question our loyalty to CIFOR.

4. We use CIFOR assets (including funds, equipment and information) responsibly and in the best interest of CIFOR

·         Using CIFOR's funds to provide excessive benefits (such as gifts or entertainment) for ourselves or others is unacceptable.

·         Using CIFOR's assets (such as equipment or stores) other than for CIFOR's business or interests in unacceptable.

·         We respect the nature of Board information and do not disclose confidential information relating to the Board of CIFOR without authorization by the Board Chair.

5. We are responsible for our actions and accountable to the CIFOR Board for their consequences

·         We take responsibility for:

• being well prepared for Board meetings;
• ensuring CIFOR's good name and its role as a CGIAR center;
• informing the Chair and/or the Board of any possible conflicts of interest we may face;
• being proactive in seeking to achieve the objectives assigned to us;
• the way in which we achieve those objectives;
• the attitude we adopt in achieving those objectives;
• honestly and fully reporting the results of our actions.
• For us, accountability means we take responsibility for and will be judged by the outcome of all manners over which we have control.”

http://www.cifor.org/

http://www.cifor.org/about-us/board-of-trustees/code-of-conduct.html