Remote Ecologist specializes in serving scientists in a variety of ways: all with the goal of retaining internally-motivated people in the field, and allowing a way for those folks to make it back into the field as well. As it sits today, we manage grants and funding for a variety of projects, and therefore can provide opportunities for both trained scientists and the public to get involved. This starts in a volunteer capacity, which simply requires a background check and an application (email info@remoteecologist.org for more!), and is based our our field capacity. We also manage funding for ongoing projects, so that there is a fiscal sponsor of the work, whether that is temporary or permanent is up to our members. With only a "de minimis" overhead to cover accounting and processing costs, more of the funding goes toward actually completing the work. We are actively seeking funding to completely eliminate overhead for grants below a certain amount.
As for community standards, we ask that all those who work with us aim to strengthen this community through reviewing a few other members's grants and manuscripts every year prior to submission, with the expectation that you will receive the same courtesy. This is a function of a traditional academic department, which increases the likelihood of publication, and receipt of funding. Growing this collegial mentorship is a high priority for us, as it will improve the success of our affiliates, with the aim of Remote Ecologist going from a primary affiliation to a secondary one, if that is the affiliate's career goal. With that snowball, we will form a bridge from position to position, and in some cases an "on ramp" back into research.
The other exciting prospect is building a collaborative topic cluster all for yourself and your collaborations, using our knowledge. We support the research infrastructure, and you get the chance to build out a collaboration in-line with our mission to expand the impact of conservation science.
In times of change, being able to connect across organizations, whether universities, government agencies, NGOs, private businesses, or individuals, will crate a more resilient professional network for the success if our affiliated scientists. Join us this year on a project, or contact us to act as a fiscal sponsor!
Photo: David Hudson, 2019 Acropora cervicornis coral propagation, Colombia
