Benjamin Young Landis

Welcome.  Thank you for visiting my home on the web.

I am a professional science writer with training in environmental policy consulting and in zoology.  My expertise lies in aquatic ecology, but I am fascinated by all things in science and society, and write on a wide range of topics.

I greatly appreciate the interdisciplinary nature of knowledge — science and humanities are merely different lenses to view the same world, each as important as the other.  This realization is especially apparent in environmental issues.  As we continue to define humanity’s relationship with our planet, we must examine all perspectives, from the statistical to the spiritual.  As an example, just ask yourself, what do you value in Nature, and why?

This website helps me explore these connections.  Time permitting, I hope to flex and exercise my creative and philosophical senses, jotting down thoughts and trying to make sense of things as life goes along — sprinkled throughout with fun tidbits seen around the web (posted under Thoughts On…)

The majority of my posts will showcase my professional writing experience (posted under Writings, Art & Design, Voice Work).

I’ll also post and tweet job links from the science, journalism, and environmental research fields.  After all, I found my current job through Twitter…

Contact me here.   Thanks for reading!

– Ben

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My Work

I currently work at the Western Ecological Research Center of the United States Geological Survey.

The views on this website and my Facebook/Twitter/Google+ feeds are solely my own, and should not be associated with the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the United States Department of Interior, nor any other of my current and past employers and affiliated institutions.  Hyperlinks, citations, retweets, mentions, likes, follows and other forms of sharing do not constitute as official endorsements related to my employment. The comments posted by readers to this website are views of the respective reader, and do not represent my own opinion nor those of the aforementioned entities.

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Disclosures:

  • My past fellowship with North Carolina Sea Grant is funded by the State Assembly of North Carolina through the N.C. Fisheries Resource Grant and the N.C. Blue Crab and Shellfish Research Program.
  • Since the publication of my “Community Supported Ingenuity” article, I have become a paid subscriber of the Walking Fish CSF program as an interested citizen and customer.
  • In my past internships, I have received funding and travel from the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the Burroughs Wellcome Fund, the Stanback Internship Program, and the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions.
  • As a graduate student, I once accepted a free lunch from the North Carolina Pork Council as part of an educational tour group. Shame on me.
  • As a participant of ScienceOnline2010, I received a free Flip Ultra video recorder donated by Invitrogen, a conference sponsor, in exchange for documenting the conference and other science activities in North Carolina with the camera.
  • Mentions/retweets/+1′s of news and info from my alma maters do no constitute an endorsement of those institutions.

Updated 2011/11/30

Site launched 2010/01/01.  Header art copyright Benjamin Young Landis.

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