Jessica Dawn Pratt, Ph.D.

Outreach & Service

My interest in ecoservice and outreach began when I took my first ecology course as an undergraduate at Grand Valley State University and someone from the Alternative Spring Break (ASB) program came to advertise a restoration ecology service trip that I decided to attend. I was introduced to long-leaf pine and cordgrass habitat restoration on the ASB trip to Southern Georgia and thus began my interest in community ecology and species interactions. Since my first exposure to service and science outreach, I’ve incorporated such volunteer activities into my career in a big way. Below are just a few of the highlights, with more listed on my CV. 

  • Orange County Society for Conservation Biology – As a founding member of OCSCB and current Chapter President, I have filled various roles on the Executive Board and several sub-committees. From 2006-2010 I served as Chapter Vice President and was in charge of coordinating all of our interactions with the global Society for Conservation Biology (SCB). I organized all of the Chapter’s education and outreach activities, including Earth Day booths, science-based field and camping trips, habitat restoration and citizen science initiatives, and a variety of one-off events related to local conservation issues. From 2010 until now I have served as Special Events Coordinator for the Chapter and still play a primary role in maintaining our connections the North American Section of SCB and SCB Global.
  • Society for Conservation Biology – The first time I attended an international scientific conference was during my master’s program in 2004 – I went to the Global SCB meeting in Brasilia, Brazil! At that meeting I became a member of SCB and have been involved in various ways with the Society since then. Most recently, I served on the Chapters Advisory Committee (2010-2013), the SCB-North America Congress Organizing Committee (2011-2012), and a ‘Teaching Conservation Science through SCB Chapters’ Working Group (2008-2010, with Drs. Marty Main and Reed Noss), where I helped develop and present Conservation Science materials in workshops training Chapter members to do community education events.
  • Americorps Students in Service Program – During the 2010-2011 academic year I participated in a student service program through Americorps. I completed >300 hours of service leading community-based habitat restoration and citizen science efforts in collaboration with local non-profit agencies in Orange County, CA.
  • Ecoservice and the Ecological Society of America – I served as the Interim Vice President for the Student Section of ESA in 2011, during which time I was awarded the ‘Ecoservice’ award, a joint award from the ESA Student Section and the Union of Concerned Scientists. This award honored my efforts in ecology-related service and outreach and environmental stewardship and is the award of which I am most proud.
  • Focus the Nation at UC-Irvine – I served as co-chair of UCI’s Conference Steering Committee for Focus the Nation from 2007-2009, leading up to the campus-wide “teach-in” on sustainable climate change solutions. I raised over $45,000 from both on and off campus sources to fully fund this one day conference, making it free for the public (and students as well) to visit UCI’s campus and learn from experts in climate science, sustainable development, alternative energies, community-engagement, and behavioral change. 

Outreach & Service

My interest in ecoservice and outreach began when I took my first ecology course as an undergraduate at Grand Valley State University and someone from the Alternative Spring Break (ASB) program came to advertise a restoration ecology service trip that I decided to attend. I was introduced to long-leaf pine and cordgrass habitat restoration on the ASB trip to Southern Georgia and thus began my interest in community ecology and species interactions. Since my first exposure to service and science outreach, I’ve incorporated such volunteer activities into my career in a big way. Below are just a few of the highlights, with more listed on my CV. 

  • Orange County Society for Conservation Biology – As a founding member of OCSCB and current Chapter President, I have filled various roles on the Executive Board and several sub-committees. From 2006-2010 I served as Chapter Vice President and was in charge of coordinating all of our interactions with the global Society for Conservation Biology (SCB). I organized all of the Chapter’s education and outreach activities, including Earth Day booths, science-based field and camping trips, habitat restoration and citizen science initiatives, and a variety of one-off events related to local conservation issues. From 2010 until now I have served as Special Events Coordinator for the Chapter and still play a primary role in maintaining our connections the North American Section of SCB and SCB Global.
  • Society for Conservation Biology – The first time I attended an international scientific conference was during my master’s program in 2004 – I went to the Global SCB meeting in Brasilia, Brazil! At that meeting I became a member of SCB and have been involved in various ways with the Society since then. Most recently, I served on the Chapters Advisory Committee (2010-2013), the SCB-North America Congress Organizing Committee (2011-2012), and a ‘Teaching Conservation Science through SCB Chapters’ Working Group (2008-2010, with Drs. Marty Main and Reed Noss), where I helped develop and present Conservation Science materials in workshops training Chapter members to do community education events.
  • Americorps Students in Service Program – During the 2010-2011 academic year I participated in a student service program through Americorps. I completed >300 hours of service leading community-based habitat restoration and citizen science efforts in collaboration with local non-profit agencies in Orange County, CA.
  • Ecoservice and the Ecological Society of America – I served as the Interim Vice President for the Student Section of ESA in 2011, during which time I was awarded the ‘Ecoservice’ award, a joint award from the ESA Student Section and the Union of Concerned Scientists. This award honored my efforts in ecology-related service and outreach and environmental stewardship and is the award of which I am most proud.
  • Focus the Nation at UC-Irvine – I served as co-chair of UCI’s Conference Steering Committee for Focus the Nation from 2007-2009, leading up to the campus-wide “teach-in” on sustainable climate change solutions. I raised over $45,000 from both on and off campus sources to fully fund this one day conference, making it free for the public (and students as well) to visit UCI’s campus and learn from experts in climate science, sustainable development, alternative energies, community-engagement, and behavioral change. 

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.
Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”  – Margaret Mead