Fancy Scientist with Dr. Stephanie Manka

Over the summer, kids go to summer camps and aspiring wildlife biologists have technician positions, internships, or volunteer opportunities. With COVID-19 causing much of the country to shut down, many outdoor programs for kids have been cancelled and young wildlife biologists are left without any summer experience.

Summer is the perfect time to go outside and connect to wildlife. In episode 7, I talked about how aspiring wildlife biologists can spend the summer honing some skills related to wildlife. Nature also has so many physical and mental health benefits, but maybe you just don't know what to do? 

Well, I got you covered!

In this podcast, I cover my 10 favorite activities that I used to do as a child and still do today as an adult to connect to wildlife. These activities will help you learn local animals, contribute to real science, and see wildlife in ways you may have never seen them before. 

I’d love to meet you. Connect with me on social media:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/FancyScientist

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fancy_scientist/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fancyscientist/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/fancyscientist/pins/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7KlOYUv8lxU3MG4sfxaLzA

I have been applying for jobs in wildlife biology on and off since I graduated with my Ph.D. in 2012. While I knew jobs in academia were competitive, I didn't realize until after I finished school, how competitive careers in wildlife biology were too. My biggest mistake in my wildlife biology career has been my source of inspiration for writing my upcoming book. 

This week, I have been writing up a storm trying to finish my book, so I thought it was the perfect opportunity to talk about what what I'm writing about, who I'm writing for, and what you'll get from my book that you won't get from other books or even your professors. 

The pathway to a wildlife biology career is nebulous, and the goal of my book is to help you figure out what job you want so you can make sure you get all of the skills and experience necessary to be competitive in that job. Learn what my biggest mistake was in my wildlife biology career and how you can avoid making it. 

In this episode, I share with you what that mistake is and some things you can get started on today to help you avoid making that mistake. Show notes here: https://www.stephanieschuttler.com/mistake-wildlife-biology-career/

t's summertime which means lots of people are headed to the beach, which also means lots of sunscreen. But before you grab a new bottle, you might not have known that what you put on your body has been harming ocean life in a big way. 

Sunscreen has had such a big impact on the marine environment, that the state of Hawaii even banned a certain type of it. Some ingredients in sunscreen hav been shown to negatively affect coral reefs. In this podcast episode, I break down not only sunscreen and coral reefs, but why you also have to think about sunscreen and you. 

Specifically, I'll go over:

Why are places banning sunscreen?

What kinds of impacts does sunscreen have on the ocean?

What kinds of impacts does sunscreen have on your health?

What kinds of sunscreen should you avoid?

What is reef-friendly sunscreen? 

What kinds of sunscreen should you buy? 

For full show notes and resources visit my blog: https://www.stephanieschuttler.com/sunscreen-and-coral-reefs-and-you/

Birds are one of my favorite backyard animals because they are everywhere! I invited ornithologist Lauren Pharr on the podcast to discuss bird basics. In this episode we go over: 

How to attract birds to your backyard including:

• Songbirds

• Hawks and other raptors

• Owls

• Hummingbirds

Bird basics on food:

• Is feeding okay?

• What kinds of foods to give for different types of birds

• Keeping feeders clean

Tips for people who want to get started in birding:

• Apps to use

• Citizen science

• Tips for learning bird song

Lauren's research and how she got interested in birds

Black Birders Week:

• What is #BlackBirdersWeek?

• How did it get started? 

And MORE!

For the full show notes visit: https://www.stephanieschuttler.com/bird-basics/

Summer is a key time for aspiring wildlife biologists. To be successful in this career, you need experience. Most wildlife biologists conduct their field work in the summer when professors don't have to teach and students don't have to take courses. Therefore, summer is a key time to gain experience. 

But in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic forced biologists to cancel their field work and stay home. It forced museums, nonprofits, zoos, and wildlife sanctuaries to shut down, most of which are still closed. So what are aspiring wildlife biologists supposed to do? 

This is exactly what one of my instagram followers asked me:

Is there anything I can do online or virtually to build up my experience?

Yes, I believe there are two things you can do to directly build up your experience and 1 tip that is essential for your career success. In this podcast I go over these three tips:

1. Citizen science: How to find a program and if you should put it on your resume

2. Become a naturalist

3. Learn about the jobs you want right now using my Job Planner

Get the full show notes here.

I grew up loving snakes, but I also grew up in an area with 0 venomous snakes. Since then I've lived alongside venomous snakes in Kenya, Gabon, and now North Carolina, where I see them on a near-regular basis. 

But guess what? I still love them! The goal of this podcast is to hopefully get you to love them - or like them - or at least live with them. 

In this podcast, I go over:

• My experiences being up close with copperheads and rattlesnakes
• What to do when you see a snake
• Who you can ask to identify a snake
• What to do when you see a venomous snake
• How many people die from snakebites (the answers may surprise you)
• How most people get bit
• Should you kill venomous snakes? 
• Should you relocate a venomous snake? 
• Do moth balls work to deter snakes? 
• And MORE!

Want to learn more about wildlife biology, being a scientist, and conservation? Here’s how:

Subscribe to my YouTube channel to learn about the coolest animals and get my tips about careers in wildlife biology, science communication, and more: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7KlOYUv8lxU3MG4sfxaLzA?view_as=subscriber 

I’m writing a book on careers in wildlife biology. Don’t miss the launch! Visit http://fancyscientist.com to subscribe to my newsletter to stay up-to-date on its release.

I’d love to meet you. Connect with me on social media:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/FancyScientist

Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/fancy_scientist/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fancyscientist/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/fancyscientist/pins/

Join the Scientist Support Network, a Facebook group where you can connect to other scientists and scientists to be, post questions, and ask for support in your scientific career: https://www.facebook.com/groups/scientistsupportnetwork/

I frequently get emails asking me wildlife biologist questions: what we do, how we spend our time, and how you can better prepare for a career in wildlife biology. In this special episode of the Fancy Scientist podcast, I agreed to answer questions from one aspiring wildlife biologist for her high school assignment. Given how much people want to know about this career, I thought it would be a great idea to answer these wildlife biologist job questions on air.

Our diets have a gigantic impact on wildlife. In this episode, learn the biggest change that you can make to reduce deforestation and mitigate climate change. In fact, it's one of the biggest things you can do in general to reduce your carbon footprint. I give you my own tips and tricks for transitioning. 

For all of the resources mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes here.

As COVID-19 spread across the world, countries and states ordered for people to stay at home. This massive change in human behavior gave wildlife the opportunity to roam without human interruption.

I summarize some of the newsworthy responses of animals during lockdown and talk about how unusual they really are (or aren't).

Show notes here.

Social media has made selfies an everyday occurrence. But when they involve wildlife, they can quite literally put their lives as risk. Learn about why animal selfies are more than just a selfie, and how you can take more ethical photos of wildlife that send a more powerful message.

For full show notes visit: https://stephanieschuttler.com/animal-selfies-more-than-a-selfie/