Alumni Spotlight: Jennifer Turner
Environmental Scientist Supervisor for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Major & Concentration:
B.S. in Biological Sciences with concentration in Biodiversity, Conservation, and Ecology, and B.A. English Literature with concentration in Medieval Literature, CSUF, 2010.
What are you doing now?
I am a Senior Environmental Scientist (Supervisor) role at the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Our office is located in San Diego. In that role, I supervise three regulatory programs in San Diego and Orange Counties: the California Endangered Species Act (CESA), the Lake and Streambed Alteration (LSA), and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) programs. In these programs, we evaluate development projects for impacts to biological resources, and permit projects when appropriate.
What were you involved with at Cal State Fullerton?
I assisted with research in Dr. Sean Walker's lab for the last two semesters of my undergraduate degree.
How did Cal State Fullerton prepare you for your current career?
My time at CSUF prepared me for this career in that it gave me a firm biological foundation in Southern California habitats and species. Upon graduating, it also gave me a strong network of alumni who were already working in the environmental consulting industry. This allowed me to hire into a firm the Monday after graduation, at the height of the "great recession" in 2010.
What advice would you give to incoming, current, or graduating biology students?
If you want to work locally within the environmental consulting industry, or with a government agency, I would strongly recommend taking courses in Environmental Policy and Planning. Having a general regulatory grasp will be extraordinarily helpful and set you aside as a candidate for these jobs, and give you a larger understanding of the 'why' of surveys and field work.
What are the pros and cons of your career?
Pros:
Working at CDFW has given me the opportunity to contribute at a very high level to large conservation efforts in southern California. Most recently, I was part of an effort which granted 11 million dollars toward the land acquisition of Banning Ranch in Newport Beach. This 400-acre parcel is the last area of coastal open space in OC, and now it will not be developed, allowing the unique plant and animal communities there to remain undisturbed.
Being involved in conservation efforts is fulfilling.
Cons:
As a supervisor, the work is largely office-based and I rarely do field work anymore.
