Minorities in the Aquatic Sciences

My name is Jorge Ramos, and I am a first year Master of Science student in Dr. Josh Lawler's Landscape Ecology laboratory at the College of Forest Resources, University of Washington. Having been raised and educated in México, a country rich in biodiversity and also one of the fastest growing countries in Latin America, I have always been exposed to changes in our natural landscape. I moved back to the United States and started my college education at the University of Texas at El Paso in 2006 from where I received my Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science in 2006. As an undergraduate, I took advantage of many opportunities that gave me the privilege to work in ecosystems all the way from the Chihuahuan desert to the Arctic tundra. I focused my research on the effects of human disturbances in animal populations, such as soil arthropods, pinnipeds (harbor and gray seal), and amphibians (wood frog). Before starting graduate school, I worked for the Ecological Society of America as their SEEDS Student Coordinator. Living in Washington, DC and working with the SEEDS program, I was inspired to start thinking thoroughly on how my research will impact environmental policies and the general public.
In graduate school, I plan to learn how to develop species specific models for various amphibians in the Pacific Northwest. With these skills, I plan to construct a research project that will look at how landscape patterns (such as urbanization) affects amphibian communities in a rapid-changing environment as the Pacific Northwest region. Last updated: 07/03/08