career ecologists, and here we focus on retention and satisfaction of ... a point where we question our connection to ecology and consider other fields. Overall ...
Contributions
Avoiding an Ecological Midlife Crisis: Remembering the Joy Sujay S. Kaushal Department of Geology & Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20740 USA Christopher E. Tripler School of Arts and Sciences, Endicott College, Beverly, Massachusetts 01915 USA Jonathan M. Jeschke Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Müggelseedamm 310, 12587, Berlin, Germany Freie Universität Berlin, Department of Biology, Chemistry, and Pharmacy, Königin-Luise-Str. 1-3, 14195, Berlin, Germany Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, P.O. Box AB, Millbrook, New York 12545 USA Remembering the joy of ecology Most ecologists are motivated to study ecology because of an early connection to nature and curiosity about the world around them (e.g., Hutchinson 1979, Wilson 1994). This connection can take on many forms: where a person grows up, a memorable vacation, or a fascination with an organism, a group of organisms, and/or an ecosystem (e.g., Kaushal et al. 2015). The joy of ecology can occur during any formative time such as childhood (Hutchinson 1979, Wilson 1994) or later in life (Fossey 1983). This connection serves as a springboard for eventually seeking formal training and education in ecology. How does one transition from a fascination or interest to a professional pursuit of ecology? The desire for further training and education is often driven by the practical need for a job (Hopfensperger et al. 2008). We often assume that having a job as a professional ecologist will allow us to experience the joy of ecology throughout the rest of our lives. Many articles focus on recruitment and retention of earlycareer ecologists, and here we focus on retention and satisfaction of professional ecologists over time. An ecological midlife crisis? Ironically, a professional career in ecology can sometimes lead us further away from a connection with nature. In the past, it was easier to make a new discovery with field sampling alone, but we are now experiencing the age of “big data.” Interestingly, it has been recently suggested that ecology may be dominated by big data and sensors where field work may be eliminated or significantly reduced in the future (Wilkinson 2015). However, many of us entered ecology because of that love of going out into the field and directly observing nature. Furthermore, it is completely natural and understandable to accumulate responsibilities as one progresses in one’s career. We have a desire to give back to our institution, our community, and our
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discipline. However, we can drift away from our original motivations and an ideal joy of ecology. Over time, an ecological midlife crisis can manifest itself in a number of ways: (1) overemphasis on the ends instead of the means; (2) reliance on external motivation instead of internal motivation; or (3) reaching a point where we question our connection to ecology and consider other fields. Overall, the result of an ecological midlife crisis is people dropping out of ecology, “burn out,” and/or personal and health issues related to career stress. This condition can affect ecologists at teaching institutions as much as those engaged primarily in research. For example, we may judge success by maximizing our “professional ecological footprint” (e.g., the number of papers we publish, the number of students we mentor, the number of classes we teach, the number of people we influence). From a research perspective, we may transition from focusing on understanding the ecology of nature to defining our own niche within the ecological research community. Instead, we may need to re-evaluate our definition of “success” to include career satisfaction and the joy of practicing ecology. Anticipating, accepting, and embracing different professional life stages of an ecologist can help avoid an ecological midlife crisis. There can be a natural progression in the professional life stages of an ecologist—the only constant is change (sensu Heraclitus). As we professionally age, our connection to ecology can also change. That ideal joy of ecology can wane if contentment is not nurtured or valued as an ultimate form of success. Many of us enter important administrative roles and serve on committees to help our institutions and ecological disciplines. Some of us take on valuable leadership roles and/or help with outreach efforts. We transition from being “primary producers” of data and building new knowledge from experiments, models, and field work to “consumers” of data and resources and building new knowledge through students and managing grants. Eventually, we can become “collectors and gatherers” of data and synthesize knowledge later in life with less consumption of data and grant resources. All of these professional life stages of an ecologist are important and critical. However, we sometimes lose our ability to gracefully adapt to shifting roles over time as researchers, educators, and managers. As the age of ecologists is expected to increase with life expectancy, it may be important to consider shifting roles across different life stages and evolving strategies for generating job satisfaction and regenerating the joy of ecology. We are most likely to attract and retain future scientists if we include personal satisfaction and contentment in our definition of ultimate success in ecology. The solution: re-evaluating our definition of „success‰ in ecology Some people may enjoy different aspects of science from administration, teaching, to research. We acknowledge and value that professional diversity is necessary for ecology to function and grow as a discipline. We also acknowledge that factors leading to personal fulfillment can change over time during an ecologist’s career. However, comparison to others in our discipline and career stage is the common and practical metric for advancement in academics (Kaushal and Jeschke 2013). Yet, constantly comparing ourselves to others using metrics seldom leads to personal fulfillment and satisfaction. On one hand, we should never be content intellectually and scientifically; we should constantly question and dig deeper, as this advances ecological knowledge. On the other hand, spiritually and emotionally we must also consider the manner/process in which we practice ecology. Several solutions are possible for continually regenerating the joy of ecology. One solution may be to go into the field again and nurture the original connection to nature. Another way to generate this connection would be to have a field day with a graduate student, colleague, collaborator, and/or Contributions
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friend. Our perspectives may be different when reconnecting with nature, leading to novel insights and new questions/concepts. Another solution may be to decelerate parts of our busy life, taking our time to really think things through more introspectively (Slow Science Academy 2010). Or we can take up a pastime or hobby, which has recently been suggested to enhance satisfaction in science (Woolston 2015). Slight changes in how we perceive our professional roles throughout our career may also make a large difference. Ultimately, we may need to re-evaluate our definition of “success” in ecology throughout our career over time scales from days to decades. We can sketch out our ideal day as an ecologist at our institutions—however, we must be realistic. We can work on making that day happen but realize that it can span multiple days without loss of productivity. If we do not think about and design our plan, then it will ultimately be “designed” for us with more e-mails, assignments, and engagements. Over a longer term perspective, we can sketch out how we wish to be remembered by our students, colleagues, and collaborators (Likens 2004). Ultimately, avoiding an ecological midlife crisis requires us to be proactive and constantly consider and value satisfaction and contentment as another definition of success in ecology. We can then be the change that we wish to see in our own world and in the greater world in which we live (sensu M.K. Gandhi). Acknowledgments Gene Likens provided helpful discussions regarding life and ecology. Phyllis Likens and Akash Kaushal provided inspiration. Margaret Banker and Shahan Haq provided edits. Literature cited Fossey, D. 1983. Gorillas in the mist. Houghton Mifflin Company, New York, New York, USA. Hopfensperger, K., C. Soykan, T. Lookingbill, and A. E. Budden. 2008. The quest for an ecological postdoc. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 6:49–50. Hutchinson, G. E. 1979. The kindly fruits of the earth: recollections of an embryo ecologist. Yale University Press, New Haven, Connecticut, USA. Kaushal, S. S., and J. M. Jeschke. 2013. Collegiality versus competition: How metrics shape scientific communities. BioScience 63:155–156. Kaushal, S. S., W. H. McDowell, W. M. Wollheim, T. A. N. Johnson, P. M. Mayer, K. T. Belt, and M. J. Pennino. 2015. Urban evolution: The role of water. Water 7:4063–4087. Likens, G. E. 2004. Graduate School Commencement Address, “Embrace Life”; University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT; 8 May 2004. Slow Science Academy. 2010. The slow science manifesto. Slow Science Academy, Berlin, Germany. Wilkinson, G. M. 2015. The President’s speech. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 13:283. Wilson, E. O. 1994. Naturalist. Island Press Shearwater Books, Washington, DC, USA. Woolston, C. 2015. Leisure activities: The power of a pastime. Nature 523:117–119.
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