What are you up to now?

Brian Warshay

REU '05

Mentor: Jacque Mohan

Project: Physiological Girdling of Forest Trees: Developments of a New Method to Understand Soil Respiration

Hometown: Eastchester, NY

College and major: Cornell University, Natural Resources & Environmental Engineering Technology (double major)

• What you miss most about the REU program:The people and friends met there and the good times we had after our work days were complete.
• What you miss least about the REU program: The mosquitoes and humidity.
• What about the REU program has stuck with you: My appreciation for the dedication and efforts that ecologists devote to their research and the sciences that support it, despite the long hours, backwards politics, and modest pay.
• Have you stayed in touch with other REU students? Yes. I still catch up with Jens Stevens fairly regularly and have recently been reacquainted with Katherine Lenoir.
• Did your REU experience support or change your school/career plans? Definitely. I actually learned that I did not want to pursue pure research as a career. I admire those who do but realized that I didn't have the intrinsic motivation for the meticulous field work and effort necessary to do research full time. It was an invaluable experience. I've never enjoyed something that I didn't want to do so much.
• What are you up to now? After working for three years as an environmental consultant I quit my job and am now attending the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology in Abu Dhabi, UAE studying for a masters degree in Engineering Systems and Management with a focus on renewable energy, sustainability, and biofuel life cycle assessments. I anticipate graduating in May 2011 and getting a job in sustainability consulting or another related field.

(Brian maintains a blog about his life in Abu Dhabi. Check it out!)