Jonathan Liu

he/him
Undergraduate Fellow
Forest Biodiversity Team

How did you get here? What brought you to Tyson?

I’ve always been interested in ecology and evolution, and I wanted to do some summer research. I was just browsing, and I knew I wanted to make the most out of St. Louis and WashU. WashU happens to have a field station out here, so this was the perfect opportunity for me. I chose the Forest Team in particular because it spends the most time outside. I wanted to really get a feel for field work, to see if I could enjoy doing it all the time.

How might this summer inform your future work?

I want to go to grad school, but I’m more interested in marine ecology and biology. WashU doesn’t have a marine biology department, but last week at the visiting professionals happy hour, I talked to one of the scientists who used to research seabirds. He said even in different ecology fields, lots of the same skills are applicable. So the skills I acquire with the Forest Team this summer can still be beneficial for future research in marine biology.

How does your team stay motivated?

We unanimously decided to do quiet mornings and loud afternoons. In the mornings we just want to immerse ourselves in the forest and listen to the natural noises. And then in the afternoon when everyone’s a little bit sleepy, we bring out the speakers and play songs. We have a group playlist on Spotify, and everyone can add ten songs to it. It’s pretty good. Keeps us motivated.

What has surprised you about this summer?

Everyone here takes mentorship really, really seriously. Even though we have a goal, the professor and technicians are willing to take it slow at first and teach us all the necessary skills. So even though it might slow us down a little bit, it’s crucial to make everyone involved and feel welcomed. It takes into account our professional development as well. That’s been really surprising, in a good way.