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It’s hard for me to believe that this is already the fifth week of my placement at TNC. I am finally learning my way around WO (TNC’s Worldwide Office), and I am enjoying seeing familiar faces outside of my small team. I’ve become even more comfortable making connections with other TNC staff from different departments. In other efforts to get to expand my TNC network, I have been attending brown bag lunches and other events. Last week, I attended a lunch meeting for the office’s Women in Nature group. Yesterday, I attended a fascinating lecture about NASA’s GEDI project- an International Space Station laser which captures topographic data and detects deforestation.

On the subject of deforestation, I’d like to note that I have become even more fascinated by forest ecosystems and their climate mitigation potential. Working on the Forest Carbon Science team, which has developed TNC’s Natural Climate Solutions, I am constantly learning more about the power of forests in the fight against climate change.

I began the EC program with a strong passion for forests, believing that forest ecosystems were going to be my key focus during the program. As I learned more throughout our various classes, intrigued by new concepts like “conservation easements” and the powers of ArcMap, my main interests shifted. I realized that my focus needed to be climate change, resilience building, and environmental justice. While the placement project with the Forest Carbon Science team at TNC fascinated me and I was very excited for it to begin, I did not realize that five weeks into my placement I would feel myself longing to incorporate forestry and natural climate solutions into my “laser focus.” My grandfather was a forester with the Civilian Conservation Corps after WWII, and working with forests- even in an office cubicle- feels quite right to me.

My deliverables have shifted somewhat. As I alluded to in this post’s title, I have become involved in two more studies than I originally had planned on during the scope of my placement. I continue to plug away at my deliverable to help update the study Positive Disruption, and my efforts in that study have focused upon a wide-ranging literature review. I have been enjoying the flexible and creative nature of that project, and appreciate getting to work with the study’s PIs from TNC and EPIC. It’s a really great opportunity to observe scientists first-hand as they seek to create a paper which can influence decision makers. Having learned about the importance of bridging the science-policy interface, I feel grateful to see these efforts in action.

In addition to updating the original Positive Disruption study, I am now helping with two reforestation studies. On my first day with the team, I had mentioned that I really enjoy using GIS, and my supervisor took note of that. I am using ArcMap to conduct a geospatial analysis of reforestation opportunity in the tropics, as well as to examine reforestation opportunity around the US. Alternating between the three studies is adds some spice to my work flow, and I love that I get to use different analytical and research skills.

I have to admit that I was a bit nervous a week or two ago about managing and prioritizing my work for the three different studies. Luckily, my supervisor, Bronson, has been extremely supportive and available for frequent check-ins. I am very grateful for our strong collaboration. Even though Bronson is remote most of the week, he frequently requests check-ins so that we are on the same page about the work I am producing. Working on the studies outside of Positive Disruption has given me the opportunity to collaborate with other scientists on the Forest Carbon Science Team.

I was truly hoping that I would have the opportunity to use GIS during my placement. Using ArcMap to conduct geospatial analyses, and even to carry out more mundane GIS tasks, has been an absolute joy for me. I have realized through this unanticipated experience that I would really enjoy a career in which I would regularly use GIS.

Overall, I am very pleased by how my placement and my deliverables have transitioned: it has been a more holistic and creative experience than I had imagined, and I cannot wait for what is next to come.