Fall 2024 was quite the time to start the graduate application process, with so much uncertainty around funding, lab openings, and the long-term fate of science in the United States. What already felt like a major branch point in my life suddenly also became a time of collective fear, mourning, and anger throughout much of the country.

As it says on this site’s homepage, I’ve created Wild Directions to serve as a sort of digital watering hole–a place for thinkers, creatives, and curious people of all kinds to learn about science and conservation practice.