Andrew Rothschild Averbach

Undergraduate Fellow, Forest Biodiversity Team

Andrew Rothschild Averbach joined Team Forest to be a part of a research project with a global impact. 

“The ForestGEO project [Smithsonian Forest Global Earth Observatory] is ecological research that is taking place on over 70 different plots, globally. It is cool to be contributing to such a large set of data that can be used to pursue answers to bigger questions about climate change and how global forest dynamics are changing, which is hugely relevant. We need forests.” 

What is it like being outside in the field all day?  

“It’s pretty tough, sometimes it depends on the day. A lot of the time, I do enjoy it, but when I have a particularly bad day in terms of the amount of ticks I get, that can bring down my morale. But overall, I don't mind it. It is nice to be outside.”

Team Forest’s work is not for the faint of heart, so Andrew appreciates the time outside of the field to connect with the greater Tyson community. 

“Everyone at Tyson is very supportive and open, which is important. I have my tightly-bonded smaller community in the forest, and then Tyson hosts weekly colloquiums and happy hours where I can expand and interact with others which is great.”