A Little Bit About Me
Howdy! Welcome to Walk Well & Wild—my little sliver in the corner of the internet.
I’m a Ph.D. student in the Department of Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management at Texas A&M University, where I study population and movement ecology with a current focus on javelina in South Texas. My time at Texas A&M has given me the opportunity to wear a lot of hats. I conduct field research and data analysis as a Graduate Research Assistant, teach Conservation of Natural Resources and Wildlife Population Dynamics as a Graduate Teaching Assistant, and serve as a Graduate Teaching Consultant through Texas A&M’s Center for Teaching Excellence. Between research and teaching, I get to spend a lot of time doing what I enjoy most: asking questions, learning how natural systems work, and helping others develop the tools and confidence to do the same.
My path here was not exactly traditional. Before moving to Texas, I studied Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology at NC State, where internships and research abroad introduced me to wildlife research on a much larger scale. Experiences in places like Peru, South Africa, and Namibia helped spark an infatuation with traveling, learning new landscapes, and studying wildlife along the way. I transferred to NC State from Central Carolina Community College, where I began college as a nontraditional student while working full time as a veterinary assistant. At the time, I thought veterinary school was the plan. Eventually, wildlife research won me over—although capture, handling, and immobilization work still gives me enough of a veterinary medicine fix.
Long before any of that, I grew up in Upstate New York, about 40 minutes east of Syracuse. I wasn’t raised as a Boy Scout or in a family of naturalists. Most of my younger years revolved around sports, friends, and being outside. But somewhere along the way, a fascination with animals and an appreciation for the natural world kept growing.
Outside of work, I love spending time with family and friends, traveling, hiking, cooking, catching a good sporting event, listening to live music, and trying new things whenever I get the chance. I especially enjoy experiencing new cultures, visiting new places, exploring different landscapes, meeting new furry friends along the way, and helping others when I can. I’ll probably always be chasing sunrises and sunsets, looking for good food, and finding reasons to celebrate the people I care about.
I also have a dog, Sazzuke, who is an old guy now and currently enjoying retirement with my family in North Carolina while my schedule in Texas keeps me moving more than either of us would probably like.
Walk Well & Wild is a place where I can bring all of those pieces together and share them with family, friends, colleagues, and anyone else who happens to wander in. I hope to use this space to share my research, travels, photographs, reflections, and whatever questions happen to be turning over in my mind. More than anything, I hope some of it makes you stop, think, ask a question, or start a conversation. Check out the About Walk Well & Wild page to learn more about what this place actuall is!
Thanks for being here!
—Edward
