Typically, in the field of science communications, we ask ourselves the question, what message do we want to communicate to our audience? However, in my role as a DFP, I’ve learned to ask the opposite question-what does our audience want to hear from us? A related question that I’ve been asking myself a lot is, how can we ensure that our audience learns this information as easily as possible? This is the backbone of the field of usability, which I have been learning about throughout my directorate fellowship. Previously, I had little experience with usability, but it has become one of the most interesting topics that I learned about this summer.

I have been developing resources for hunters to learn about how harvest survey data is used and its important role in migratory bird population data. Since I have a science background, I find this all very interesting and want to learn about the specific statistical methods used to analyze the data. However, I have been learning that hunters might have different interests from me and I need to view the project from their perspective. To do this, I have been developing “personas,” which is a process that lists a viewer’s traits, environment, experience, and motivations. Then, I will base the data visualizations on my persona’s needs. For example, many hunters are interested in local information because hunting conditions are very local. However, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service tends to work with data on a state or national level. This has been a challenging, but rewarding process. I hope that when hunters view my work, they learn the message that we want to communicate to them, but also enjoy and benefit from it.

Trying to approach my directorate fellow project from another person’s perspective has been an eye-opening experience, both professionally and personally. This concept will be applicable when I’m working as part of a team and when working with underrepresented or marginalized groups. I am grateful that so far, I have had the opportunity to learn about usability and other valuable skills throughout my DFP.  

Agency: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Program: US Fish & Wildlife Service - DFP

Location: Patuxent NWR

It would be an understatement to say that COVID-19 has drastically changed how people learn, work, and play over the past year. Before I began my remote position as a directorate fellow with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, I was very excited about my project with the Patuxent Research Refuge, but I was also nervous about communicating virtually on a daily basis. I worried that I would miss out on networking with people in an office and doing field work. Also, the office that I would work with was located on the opposite side of the country from California, where I live, so there would be a three-hour time difference. However, my experience as a DFP has been incredible so far and my supervisors have been extremely helpful in ensuring that I have a meaningful experience.

For the past few weeks, I have been working with long term data from migratory bird hunter surveys with the goal of developing data visualizations. I have had some difficulties working with such large data sets, but as a result, I have learned valuable skills that I will be able to use in future jobs and internships. I also recognize that it is a privilege that the Fish and Wildlife Service trusts me with handling so much data from all over the country, and I want to take that responsibility seriously. This experience has reminded me that human actions significantly affect wildlife management, and that it is important to consider social context when making decisions about conservation. For example, a sample of hunters are selected to send in wings from the birds that they harvest and biologists can use these wings to determine the birds’ ages. Aggregating all of this data allows biologists to calculate approximate reproduction rates to monitor waterfowl populations. For this reason, hunter survey participation rates can affect the quality of waterfowl population data.   

I have already met several incredible people over Microsoft Teams in just a few weeks because the Patuxent office has reached out to members of the USFWS and USGS for me to set up meetings. However, this experience has also taught me the importance of being proactive and reaching out to people myself. My career advisor has encouraged me to contact members of the US Fish and Wildlife Service if I am interested in their current positions and responsibilities, which would be an important skill even if I was not in a remote environment. Despite the challenges that have arisen over the past year, I am excited to see what I learn and who I meet for the rest of the summer. And in the meantime, I have been exploring the beautiful natural habitats in California on my own. 

Agency: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Program: Directorate Fellow Program

Location: Patuxent NWR

Emma Chan is a third-year undergraduate student at the University of California San Diego, where she is majoring in Environmental Systems, Ecology Behavior and Evolution. This summer, she will be conducting a project on web visualization of migratory bird harvest and population data. She currently interns at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, where she analyzes drone images of wetlands in West Africa and the Caribbean to study biodiversity and train machine learning programs. Her research and career interests include conservation biology and natural resource management.