Meeting Abstract

1.1  Friday, Jan. 4  Reflections and Projections on Becoming a Physiological Ecologist NAGY, KA; University of California, Los Angeles kennagy@biology.ucla.edu

The most important events on my path to becoming a physiological ecologist were: 1) recognizing that I was unusually strongly interested in wild animals and how they survived each day in nature, 2) learning that having such an “obsession” was OK and that there was a place for people like me, and 3) getting praise, encouragement and help from my teachers as an undergraduate and beginning graduate student. Those supporters included Bill Mayhew, Frank Vasek, Gene Cota-Robles, Carlton Bovell, Rudy Ruibal and especially Vaughan Shoemaker, all at UC Riverside, Bill Dawson at Univ. of Michigan, Lon McClanahan at Cal State Fullerton, and George “Bart” Bartholomew at UCLA. All I did was ask them question about their lectures and research, and in response, they went out of their way to encourage me. I am extremely grateful for their validation of my “odd” fascination, their facilitation of my academic progress, and their confidence in me. Later, when I became a teacher of undergraduates and a mentor of graduate students, post-docs, and anyone else who got close enough, I simply tried to pass on what was so enthusiastically given to me. For the new person who is unusually curious and interested in how wild animals work, I suggest that you put yourself in the company of physiological ecologists, listen to them, and ask them thoughtful questions. Allow yourself to be driven by your curiosity, and by the excitement that comes from getting a satisfying (“Ah-hah”) answer. Your teachers and colleagues will probably be delighted to encourage and aid your progress towards becoming a physiological ecologist. And later, your professional help will be much needed as Earth’s climate and ecology continue to change, forcing wild animals to face new challenges to survival and reproduction.