What struck me about the American university experience was the opportunity for students to expand their specific interests through course capstone projects and participation-focused activities like sports, student government, clubs, or hobbies. All of this cemented my interest in a Ph.D. at an American university.
Naturally, I applied to the Interdisciplinary Ecology Ph.D. Program of the University of Florida’s School of Natural Resources and Environment. I applied to this program to conduct research in fisheries and aquatic sciences at the Marine Geomatics Lab with Dr. Vincent Lecours as my advisor.
Under this lab, I crafted a dissertation on the use of automated detection of marine mammals in satellite and drone images, connecting my passions for GIS and marine ecology. I explored how these images, through automated detection, can be used to complement aircraft and ship surveys to assess a population’s conservation status. I focused on whales and the Florida manatee, using GIS to detect their migration routes and create legislative frameworks for marine protected areas transverse with economic zones.
Beyond academics, I was able to conduct interviews and report on the intersection between science, international relations, and geopolitics from UN COP27 and COY17 for U,S. college students with Campus Climate Corps. I also conducted salary negotiations on behalf of fellow graduate students as Bargaining Chair of UF Graduate Assistants United. At the University of Florida is also where I found the John A. Knauss Fellowship.
Esteban at UN COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. Photo credits to Michal Fidler from Campus Climate Corps.
As a 2024 Knauss Fellow, I worked in the Office of Representative Doris Matsui (CA-07) in the U.S. Congress, mentored by a remarkable team of congressional staffers. The Knauss Fellowship was the first application that I felt I fit in when explaining that I had both interests in STEM and public policy. The Legislative branch of the fellowship is a good home for those with broad interests.
I gained experience in providing policy advice on the energy, transportation and environment portfolio of the Office, engaging with stakeholders and immersing myself in their day-to-day realities, and drafting legislation. I learned about both congressional daily work (Committee hearings, appropriations, vote procedure) and new environmental science subjects, such as nature-based solutions to climate change, and decarbonization of the energy and transportation sectors.
My graduate degree has prepared me for this work; the process of learning, researching and translating science for people and policy. For example, my research in the Marine Geomatics Lab could be applied to the monitoring of illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.
My career path thus far has been an interdisciplinary mix of biology, ecology and policy, which I hope to nurture as I continue in public service.
To other STEM students in the pursuit of interdisciplinarity, while the path is sometimes winding, the experiences you will go through will be rewarding.
