INS 13: Success Stories from the ESA SEEDS Program... 25 Years Later

Session Organizer(s)

• Zakiya Leggett

  North Carolina State University
  Raleigh, NC, USA

Moderator(s)

• Jeremy Strickland

  Education and Community Outreach
  Openlands

Volunteer(s)

• Shih-Huai Cheng

  Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL, USA

SEEDS (Strategies for Ecology Education, Development and Sustainability) was founded in 1996 as a collaborative effort aimed at increasing the number of Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) in the field of ecology. It was originally established as a partnership between the Ecological Society of America (ESA) and the United Negro College Fund (UNCF). The co-founders were Dr. Alan Berkowitz (the ESA VP of Education and Human Resources) and Dan Durrett (UNCF) and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation provided the initial funding for the program.
The mission of SEEDS is to “diversify and advance the profession of ecology by promoting opportunities that stimulate and nurture the interest of underrepresented students.” This session will include SEEDS alumni from various years of the program. They will share their stories on how the SEEDS program has impacted their journey to their current career and personal accomplishments.

Presentations:

• ON DEMAND

  Finding a place in the conversation about equitable global biodiversity conservation
  

  Presenting Author: Alexandra E. Sutton Lawrence – Ocean Conservancy
• ON DEMAND

  Hope you brought your brújula because the adventure continues!
  

  Presenting Author: Jorge Ramos – Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve, Stanford University
• ON DEMAND

  Making science diverse, equitable, inclusive, and accessible: Going from an ESA SEEDS student to an elected official
  

  Presenting Author: Anjali Boyd – Duke
• ON DEMAND

  The SEEDS to keep growing...
  

  Presenting Author: Natalia B. Lopez Figueroa – College of Marine Science, University of South Florida