Dear ABSers,
The purpose of the ABS Perspectives Series is to share our experiences as ABSers, inform likeminded conservationists and practitioners of our research, and promote the mission of the ABS Program. In this regard the 4th Perspectives Series has paid dividends. I was recently contacted by BioDiverse Perspectives (BioDV), a group of graduate students from around the globe dedicated to fostering communication among graduate students, and between students and the broader scientific community, on biodiversity science. Below is an introduction from the BioDV group and an invitation to visit their website and contribute.
Cheers,
Kenny Wallen
A Letter from the BioDV Group…
Dear Students of Texas A&M’s Applied Biodiversity Science Program,
In the beginning, the internet lacked a space for graduate students to discuss biodiversity. They toiled in labs and fields. They read endless papers. But there was nowhere for them to share their knowledge. Then, a group of graduate students came together. They worked tirelessly through literature reviews and primary research. Three years ago, BioDiverse Perspectives was born of that effort – bringing together graduate students from across the globe to discuss biodiversity research and graduate school experiences broadly. Now the project is growing again. BioDiverse Perspectives is looking for new contributors, someone new to take on the challenge of communicating biodiversity research to the world, and we think you just might be that person. Much like Texas A&M’s ABS program, we at BioDiverse Perspectives believe that science is a global initiative and requires communication across disciplines to be effective. Thus, we’d like to invite students in the ABS program to share some of their experiences and views on biodiversity research with our readers.
BioDiverse Perspectives is the brainchild of an NSF-funded distributed graduate seminar and was launched to deeply examine the frontiers and foundations of biodiversity research. Since its inception, BioDV has grown beyond anything that the original members could have expected, and now includes a steering committee from the University of Washington, Texas A&M, Northeastern, North Carolina, Virginia institute of Marine Sciences, UFRGS in Brazil, and Imperial College London. As early career researchers, we disseminate relevant issues regarding biodiversity and conservation to a diverse readership through concise and intriguing blog posts. We encourage contributions from graduate students in a variety of scientific fields, so please feel free to submit a post through the “contribute” link on our homepage if you’ve got something to say. We look forward to hearing from you!
Look out for ABS’s introductory guest post on BioDiverse Perspectives in the coming weeks, and feel free to contact us here if you have any questions about contributing.
Best of luck in your future work,
The BioDV Team
