Women of the Wild

Victoria McDermott is current Ph.D. student and instructor of communication at the University of Maryland and adjunct faculty at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.Jennifer M. Gee is director of the James San Jacinto Mountains and Oasis de los Osos Reserves, field research stations that are a part of the University of California Natural Reserve System and the University of California, Riverside.Amy R. May is assistant professor in the Department of Communication and Journalism at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

• Introduction to Field Stations and Marine Laboratories by Victoria McDermott, Jennifer Gee, and Amy R. MayPart I: Setting the Stage of FSMLsChapter 1: Defining the Role and Value of FSMLs by Victoria McDermott, Jennifer Gee, and Amy R. MayChapter 2: The Isthmus by Sylvia TortiPart II: Experiences in the FieldChapter 3: “Brush your hair, apply for every grant you can, get laid as often as possible”: Women’s Muted Experiences Conducting Scientific Research in the Tropics by Victoria McDermottChapter 4: Make the Approach and Get the Data: Challenges, Teamwork, and Cultures of Support for Women Who Are Scientists and Parents at Field Stations and Marine Labs by Diane DebinskiChapter 5: Experiences of a Female Leader at Field Stations and Marine Labs by Sarah D. OktayChapter 6: From the Standpoint of Women FSML Directors: Communication, Leadership, and the Impact of Gender Norms by Victoria McDermott and Amy R. MayChapter 7: Identifying Factors that Contribute to Positive and Negative Student Exp

“Women of the Wild is an empowering, engaging, and intellectually stimulating set of chapters that depict, with delightful and sometime heart-wrenching detail, how women who work in field stations and marine laboratories (FSMLs) persevere, improvise, manage, and relate to others and their environmental challenges. From interview and case studies to autoethnographies, the varied approaches build new knowledge about and practical strategies for handling these women’s everyday experiences. Their inspirational chapters speak to the passion and resilience in human endeavors.”