Have you ever dreamed of working side by side with scientists in the field, studying diverse and beautiful ecosystems? Do you lust for adventure?

Yeah, me too. For years I have wanted to join an Earthwatch expedition. They are the largest environmental volunteer nonprofit organization in the world. Earthwatch sends volunteers all over the world to work with scientists to solve environmental problems.

For years I’ve also paged through Earthwatch’s catalogs, eagerly reading about helping sea turtles on the beach all night in Mexico, surveying coral reef systems in the Caribbean, and tagging wildlife in foreign ecosystems.

Luckily, I received an Earthwatch Fellowship to join a team of teachers and scientists in Louisiana. I just returned from New Orleans, and the Pearl River Wildlife Management Area where we went into the field to collect, catalog, and research caterpillars of the southeastern Mississippi River Plain. Caterpillar species are more prolific in areas more affected by climate change, and the hurricanes Rita and Katrina that damaged the area so heavily. Our lead scientist has been researching the biodiversity of caterpillars all over the world, specifically their relationship to certain parasitoids.

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