18 Mar Promotion Of The Profession: Engaging with students at Oxford Brookes, Derby and Royal Agricultural Universities
We regularly take part in guest lectures and careers presentations at Universities across the UK. These events provide an excellent opportunity to engage with students, share knowledge and introduce them to a potential career in ecology.
Our Ecologists have been at a number of Universities in the last few months:
Ecologist Natalie Sabin and Principal Ecologist Tom Flynn recently presented a guest lecture on Life as an Ecological Consultant to third-year undergraduate students at Oxford Brookes University on the BSc course in Animal Biology and Conservation. BSG Ecology contributes annually to this course as one of a series of guest lectures by external speakers from across the spectrum of environmental consultancy.
Natalie and Tom’s presentation provided an overview of what life as an ecological consultant is like, they were able to share their thoughts on the rewards and challenges of the profession as a whole and how it is changing. They explained how the role relies on good transferrable skills in communication, analytical thinking, writing and technical abilities. A key message for the students was how important it is to demonstrate a passion for ecology.
Following the talk Natalie and Tom met with several of the students to provide support and advice on their group dissertation projects, which the students are working on with real-world clients.
Adam Symons, Environmental Lecturer at Oxford Brookes and the course co-ordinator said:
“Tom and Natalie from BSG Ecology were guest lecturers on the Environmental Consultancy module. They gave a fascinating presentation on Ecological Consultancy, what their jobs cover and how they got into the industry. They stayed on after their presentation to give advice and support to the students who were doing consultancy work for real clients. They were able to provide new insight to their projects, and guidance on how to go about their work.”
Senior Ecologist Dan Watson delivered a lecture on bird survey methods, relevant legislation and mitigation to undergraduate conservation students at the Royal Agricultural University, Cirencester.
The lecture provided an overview of how surveys are undertaken for both conservation and commercial purposes, using scenarios to demonstrate the best approach and identifying constraints. Students were also able to gain a valuable insight into pursuing consultancy as a career, with advice on the academic requirements, improving employability and building skills through volunteering.
Following the lecture, Dan led students on a practical session undertaking an example breeding bird survey around the university campus which was enlivened by the presence of a black redstart, which allowed for an impromptu discussion on Schedule 1 species.
Dr Katharina Giebel, Module leader commented:
“The session was delivered as an integral part of the British Wildlife Conservation undergraduate course by a sector professional, which is invaluable to our students. The students thoroughly enjoyed both the lecture and practical sessions, as well as the opportunity to discuss the route into a career in Ecological Consultancy”.
We were also pleased to take part in the University of Derby’s Built Environment, Engineering and Technology Careers Fair and Science Careers Conference. Senior Ecologist Fiona Shuttle was able to meet with students interested in a career in ecology and share her route into consultancy.
Further information with regard to what we look for in a potential graduate level recruit is here: What Are We Looking For In A Graduate Ecologist?