Beth Biro

she/her
Tyson Natural Resources Coordinator and Staff Scientist
Tick and Wildlife Ecology Team

How did you get here? What brought you to Tyson?

I was doing my graduate work at UMSL, and my advisor went on sabbatical, so she put me in touch with a WashU professor who did work at Tyson. The professor kind of adopted me into his lab and brought me out here to do my research. I’ve been here ever since.

How has Tyson changed over the years?

Tyson has changed an awful lot. The summer program has gotten bigger. When I first started it was fairly big, but it wasn’t as cohesive a community. A lot more research project-focused, rather than student experience-focused. There was so much potential, and it’s been really satisfying to grow into a role where I can make decisions. I love being able to help drive where the summer experience goes.

How does Tyson feel similar or different from other research jobs you’ve had?

It feels similar. I’d never worked at a field station, but I’d worked at research facilities that do all different kinds of biology and ecology. I loved being part of those communities, and I think Tyson has a similar fun vibe. I enjoy this job because I get to meet so many different people. Maybe that's just my personality, but I think that if you’re in science, you’re always moving around to different schools for different research projects, and you have to build a lot of relationships. You get out of it what you put into it.

What is something your team has accomplished together this summer?

The first week, on day one, we had them in the field setting up audio monitors. It was very treacherous. I feel like it might not have been the best idea, but it’s what we had to go with. We had our hardest field work in the first week, it was kind of sink or swim. But we did it, and we collected them in half the time it took to set them up, and they actually took data. That is a huge win. [Beth laughs] We’ve used these techniques before, but never on that scale with all these new people. So we were winning from that first week. We’ve honestly finished most of our field work already, and now we’re just working on independent projects.

What activities or moments have made you feel most connected to the Tyson community?

I really enjoy having everyone on Slack, sharing pictures of funny things. Even though it’s an online platform, I think it bridges a lot of gaps between different teams. In years past, I’ve loved the Tyson Olympics, the Thursday seminars, and seeing people from outside the Tyson community who I collaborate with come here. And honestly, the weird stuff that happens at Tyson. If you’re around here long enough, you witness a lot, and it can start some great conversations. The weird visitors, the trespassers, strange phone calls. Weird history, weird bunkers. It’s a common ground for building community.