Ryan Vogel

B.S. Candidate, Florida International University

Conference Travel Grant Type 1 (Meeting on Ecosystem Restoration)

“My main focus of interest and study is the Florida Everglades. I became first acquainted with this unique and strangely intriguing wetland in 2009 when I took my first environmental studies class (on a whim). I began hiking in this vast expanse of wilderness, unbeknownst to me that this often entailed getting very wet. After many more trips into this immense and complex wetland, many field guides and university lectures later, I realized what I wanted to do for a living – preserve the Everglades.

I began volunteering at a local nature preserve and quickly learned that protecting and preserving the Everglades required significant ecological restoration….for humans have altered this vast ecosystem fore hundreds of years and the ecology has changed dramatically. I plan to pursue a career in restoration ecology with hopes to become a land manager myself someday.

I think that attending workshops alongside biologists would be an excellent opportunity for me to learn from professionals and hopefully meet some people that may later become mentors or even colleagues of mine. I have never attended a scientific conference before but would love the opportunity to learn from and meet working professionals.”