19 Mar Promotion of the Profession: Engaging with University Students
Over the last two months ecologists from across our offices have been representing BSG Ecology at Nottingham Trent, Swansea and Newcastle University’s Environment Careers Fairs as well as providing guest lectures at the Royal Agricultural College and Oxford Brookes University.
These events provided an excellent opportunity to meet with undergraduate and post-graduate students from across environmental and life sciences courses, offer insight into what it is like to be an ecological consultant and provide advice to students who are considering a career in the sector. At Newcastle University’s Ecology and Conservation workshop, Senior Ecologists Hannah Shone and Alex Permain were able to spend time with students conducting mock interviews, reviewing their CV’s and answering questions about working within a consultancy.
Ecologists from our Oxford and Newport offices have also recently provided guest lectures at the Royal Agricultural College and Oxford Brookes University. In February Tom Flynn and Susie Topple delivered a presentation to students at Oxford Brookes University. During their talk, Tom and Susie provided an insight into what it means to be an ecological consultant, looking at the typical day-to-day tasks of an ecologist, the different types of surveys undertaken and some of the challenges faced by professionals in the industry. Following the talk, Susie and Tom were able to provide support and advice on the student’s practical group projects, which this year focused on delivering workable options to the town council for habitat enhancements in Oxford.
At the Royal Agricultural College, Senior Ecologist Dan Watson led a classroom and practical session for second year Conservation and Ecology students. The two sessions focused on bird survey techniques including territory mapping techniques and practical considerations ahead of, and during surveys. The presentation also looked at how the consultancy and conservation sectors can successfully work together using the recent joint red kite and wind farm study between BSG and BTO Cymru as an example.
Meg Nicklin, Ecologist commented:
“The Swansea Biosciences Careers Fair was a fantastic opportunity to connect with enthusiastic students; it was inspiring to see such strong interest in ecology. I greatly valued the chance to share my experiences, discuss potential career pathways, and offer advice. Ciara Santos (GIS Consultant) also provided a valuable insight into how her geography degree led to her role within the BSG Ecology GIS team, as well as how GIS fits into the wider company. I hope our conversations helped to answer students’ questions and gave them a clearer understanding of how to take their first steps into the environmental sector following their degree.”
Further information on starting a career in ecology can be found here: Starting a Career as a Professional Ecologist