Science Spotlight: Elizeth Cinto Mejía

Ph.D. candidate in the Ecology, Evolution and Behavior program in the Department of Entomology at Michigan State University.

So, what do you do?

I study how animals and plants are affected by humans. I want to know how certain pollutants like noise and extreme temperatures can alter natural systems like deserts and old fields. I work mostly with birds, insects
and plants.

How did you find your way to this career path?

Since I was very young, I always loved watching animal documentaries. Although as a kid I went hiking sometimes, I grew up in a city and I never had the opportunity to go camping or spend a lot of time in nature. Because of my passion for science and animals I decided to do a bachelor’s degree in biology.

After I finished my degree, I started taking jobs as a field biologist working with corals, songbirds, raptors, bats, insects and plants. I was already fascinated by the beauty of nature, but it was working with all these species that made me want to know more about nature and protect it. Thanks to all the years working as a wildlife
biologist, I was able to travel and meet amazing people from different backgrounds.

What is a typical day like for you?

My workdays are always different! Since I started my career, I have spent whole days fishing to feed osprey chicks, spent hours on top on a mountain monitoring hawk migration and banding songbirds and owls, carrying huge speakers to the middle of the wilderness or deserts to build sound towers, collected insects, measured plant traits, and also spent some hours trapping and working with bats.

If I am not outside, I love to use the computer program called R to analyze all the data that I have collected over the years, and write all my findings so I can share with the world through journals
or outreach.

Connect with Elizeth

Website: elizethcinto.wixsite.com/website

Twitter: @Elizethcm

It’s research like mine that helps predict the effects of human impacts on ecosystems.