Erica Santana is a traveling biologist, naturalist, and writer. Her scientific career began in 2001 as a freshman wildlife science major at Virginia Tech (Go Hokies!). In 2002 she had the good fortune to participate in a study abroad program where she spent a glorious month studying the ecology and culture of South Africa. This experience opened her eyes to the amazing wonders of the natural world and allowed her to experience things she had only read about in books…but more importantly, made her realize that there was a whole world out there, just waiting to be explored!
Since then, she has been on adventures around the globe learning about wildlife, people, and trying to figure out ways they can peacefully live together. Erica is passionate about nature, and about getting people connected to it. The great thing about nature, she says, “…is that people can experience it in their own personal way. Take a mountain for example. Someone might look at it and want to climb it, another may want to photograph it, another might want to study the geology that comprises it…everyone can appreciate and enjoy the mountain in a different way. That’s what’s so cool about nature, there’s no right or wrong way to experience it.”
Erica became a science writer because she believes that communicating scientific information effectively and creatively to the masses is the single most important element for the success and survival of our planet. That’s why she has dedicated her ambitions to being a conservationist. She hopes that her work in the field of conservation will inspire and motivate others to explore the world around them and participate in environmentally-friendly behaviors that will help protect our planet.
You can learn more about Erica and her adventures by visiting her page on Untamed Science or checking out her blog.
Articles by Erica Santana
MONGABAY.COM
Mongabay.com seeks to raise interest in and appreciation of wild lands and wildlife, while examining the impact of emerging trends in climate, technology, economics, and finance on conservation and development (more)