Success at primarily undergraduate institutions

Academic positions at Primarily Undergraduate Institutions (PUIs) present several distinctive challenges, as well as unique opportunities, for early career ecologists.  Developing a research program that engages numerous undergraduate students presents many logistical hurdles, but also results in transformative experiences for many students.  Further, some areas of ecological inquiry are particularly well suited for innovative approaches in science education, such as course-based research, providing great potential to postion ecology as a core field in the biology curriculum.  This talk will highlight recent experiences of the author at Smith College, an undergraduate liberal arts college in the Northeast US.