GLADES SAVER.Name: Robert Shuford Hot Job: Ecologist Where: West Palm Beach, Florida West Palm Beach, also known as West Palm, is the most populous city in Palm Beach County, Florida, USA. The city is also the oldest incorporated municipality in South Florida. According to the University of Florida's 2006 estimates, the city had a population of 107,617. What turned you on to Everglades ecology? When I was 4, I wanted to be Jacques Cousteau. Later I decided his job--going around the world studying the oceans in a big ship--was a fantasy life Noun 1. fantasy life - an imaginary life lived in a fantasy world phantasy life fantasy, phantasy - imagination unrestricted by reality; "a schoolgirl fantasy" . When I went to college at Fort Valley State University in Georgia, I got hooked on marine biology marine biology, study of ocean plants and animals and their ecological relationships. Marine organisms may be classified (according to their mode of life) as nektonic, planktonic, or benthic. Nektonic animals are those that swim and migrate freely, e.g. . How would you describe your job? I study the food web dynamics in the Everglades. That means I study how complex organisms like invertebrates (animals lacking a spinal column spinal column, bony column forming the main structural support of the skeleton of humans and other vertebrates, also known as the vertebral column or backbone. It consists of segments known as vertebrae linked by intervertebral disks and held together by ligaments. ) link with simpler organisms like algaes (aquatic plant-like organisms). My job is to take samples of marsh water and analyze the life forms living in it. What's a typical day out in the field? We launch an airboat--a plane that lands and takes off in water--in a canal and then follow trails to get to wherever we want to take samples. The airboat's neat because it glides across the grass. And the water's not very deep--if you fall out of the boat you just stand up. Any advice for kids interested in ecology? In high school, don't just concentrate on biology for four years. Instead, take a variety of courses. What's the salary range for an ecologist? It varies. The starting salary for an environmental scientist with a Master's degree master's degree n. An academic degree conferred by a college or university upon those who complete at least one year of prescribed study beyond the bachelor's degree. Noun 1. is usually about $35,000. Entry level for someone with a Ph.D. is around $52,000. Thanks, Bob--see you later, alligator alligator, large aquatic reptile of the genus Alligator, in the same order as the crocodile. There are two species—a large type found in the S United States and a small type found in E China. Alligators differ from crocodiles in several ways. ! For more on the Everglades, see p. 16. |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion