Elli is an ecologist. Here are questions and her response to them:
A brief description of what you are currently working on.
I am interested in how global change (things like climate change, invasive species, pollution, etc.) will affect species that interact with each other. I am currently focusing on how climate change will impact plant and pollinator relationships. Plants rely on pollinators for reproduction (producing seeds in this case) and pollinators rely on plants for food and shelter. This is a classic example of a "mutualism" because both parties are benefited by the relationship. If climate change affects plants more than the pollinators (for example), it could be bad news for the pollinators!
You can check out my website if you would like to learn more:
https://sites.google.com/site/ellijtheobald/home
Do you have an idea(s) on what seventh graders could do as far as field work on Mt. Rainier?
Absolutely! I work in the sub alpine (where forests are no longer continuous) so the majority of my ideas are born from there.
1 - Students can observe pollinator visitation rates by sitting (or standing) next to a plant and counting how many insects come to it. There are a few common insects they are likely to see (and are easily identifiable). Students will observe different visitation rates depending on which plant species they are watching, if the plant is in the shade vs. sun, the temperature or wind speed that day, etc. These can be fun observations (the insects are SUPER cute!) and this is exactly the kind of data I collect!
2 - I also track flowering phenology (timing of flowers blooming) across an elevational gradient. Students can actually collect data for our citizen science program (that will ultimately result in scientific publications)! The details of the program are described on our website: https://sites.google.com/a/uw.edu/meadowatch/home and I would be happy to talk with you more about how to make that happen.
What inspired you to get into science in the first place? What do you like about science?
I love science because I am naturally very curious. "Why is this happening? Why does that thing do what it does? What would happen if I did this?" I grew up in Washington exploring the Puget Sound and hiking in the Cascades so the vast majority of the questions I grew up asking revolved around the natural world. In some ways we are in the middle of a giant experiment - humans are changing the world (for better or for worse) faster than the world has ever changed before. What will be the consequences of our actions?
The cool thing about science is there is no such thing as the "right answer." There are only questions, hypotheses (guesses), and support for hypotheses...and of course more questions. I get to ask questions all day long and call it my job! I love it!
What advice do you have for a middle school student who is interested in becoming a scientist?
Never stop asking questions! Find something that you are really excited about (whether it is plants and bugs or math or the way things work) and do it! Put your nose to the grindstone and don't forget to work hard and have a good time!