Jaclyn L
- Research Program Mentor

MS at University of Wisconsin - Madison

Expertise

environmental science, conservation, marine science, sustainability, conservation planning, strategic planning, environmental psychology

Bio

Before transitioning to conservation planning, I primarily worked in the marine science field, from marine education to working offshore in marine mammal protection (specifically working to mitigate noise pollution for protected species from pipeline and offshore wind development projects). I also spent time abroad in Zanzibar, Tanzania, and have worked primarily between Catalina Island, CA and Homer, Alaska. I wanted to work at the intersection of people and nature, so I focused my Master’s degree on conservation planning and knew I wanted to work both regionally and internationally. Currently, I work for a small non-profit that works with government agencies, non-profits, and businesses to develop and enhance conservation projects. I am based in Los Angeles but able to work virtually all over the world on every type of environmental topic imaginable, helping teams to be more strategic, bring more evidence to monitoring conservation success, and bring in the necessary components of climate change and human wellbeing. I love to travel and be outdoors, with some of my main hobbies including rock climbing, camping, and horseback riding. I spend as much time as possible near the ocean, especially during low tide to look for critters in the tidepools. I have always had a strong interest in working with students and am very excited to continue helping them to explore their interests in the environmental world and make a larger impact.

Project ideas

Project ideas are meant to help inspire student thinking about their own project. Students are in the driver seat of their research and are free to use any or none of the ideas shared by their mentors.

Understand your waters

Whether a marine environment or freshwater environment, this is a chance to understand the largest impacts on these systems. We will walk through a strategic process of identifying and rating the largest threats on the ecosystem, what is contributing to those threats, and begin to brainstorm strategies and processes for tracking progress.

Develop an Environmental Plan

Learn about adaptive managing a conservation project and set it up for success! You can choose a geographical area, species, or habitat you want to focus on and learn to understand the direct threats, what’s driving them, and the environmental impacts on the ecosystem and human wellbeing. Once you understand your context, you can brainstorm strategies and build a theory of change to help show how the strategy will lead to your ultimate goal. We will focus on being evidence-based and can dive into strategic planning software, setting up metrics, or other aspects of planning conservation projects that are interesting to you.

Teaching experience

I taught marine science and environmental education for over 5 years between Catalina Island, CA and Homer, Alaska, incorporating lab sessions and field experience. I have experience teaching courses to students regarding everything from plankton to marine mammals, and currently teach other conservation professionals how to do better conservation planning. I have a passion for inspiring students to do effective conservation work, understand the complexities of the field, and share their knowledge with others.