Parker Levinson, Class of 2018, has lately spent her time somewhere much colder than Evanston: the continent of Antarctica. A graduate of Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, Levinson has a degree in environmental science as well as African studies. Now, she is in the heat of the preservation of species most likely to be damaged by climate change: seals and penguins.
Levinson said the goal of the expedition was to monitor penguins and seals, their breeding patterns, and how the environment affects their lives.
“I worked on two different projects in Antarctica as a National Science Foundation grantee: the Weddell Seal Project and the Point Blue Conservation Science Adélie penguin research. It was my second year working with penguins but my first time on the seal project. My work was part of a 50-plus year dataset that gives scientists an extremely detailed view into the breeding life of these mammals; we can build maternal family trees, note population changes and monitor the impacts of environmental variables.”
According to Levinson, Northwestern is the reason she was able to participate in such an important role in the environment.
“Northwestern taught me to be inquisitive and search for answers independently. I think that’s an important skill going into science and fieldwork, rather than having someone tell me what to do. I’m able to understand why things are happening and what it means for the ecosystem and build from there.
That’s the thing about Northwestern — I was able to make my own path. I had a lot of flexibility within my major to choose different classes and take advantage of extracurriculars through funding opportunities.
Working in labs at Northwestern was a good experience because it taught me I don’t want to work in a lab! I found a grant through Northwestern for the summer that allowed me to do unpaid field research — and this experience taught me more about what I do want to do: fieldwork, data analysis and public outreach. Northwestern encouraged my curiosity and gave me opportunities to explore.”
See the article Chatting with … Parker Levinson from Northwestern Magazine to learn more about her journey.