Benjamin Yanda

Benjamin Yanda

Natural Resources/GIS Specialist

Santa Fe, New Mexico

Biology '03

What have you done after college and what are you doing now (especially related to biology)?

I worked as a TA for the Star Lake Program. I studied at the University of Wyoming for two Master's degrees (Environment and Natural Resources & Geography) where I conducted 1 year of field based research on cultural land use and political ecology in the Rukwa Valley, Southwestern Tanzania. I have been employed for the last two years as an environmental consultant at Permits West based in Santa Fe, NM. At Permits West, I am involved in T&E monitoring, conduct field surveys and Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs), work a great deal with the implementation of NEPA (the National Environmental Policy Act), and work in project management for energy companies seeking to develop both renewable and traditional energy resources on public lands in the Intermountain West.

My wife Carina and I attend Holy Trinity Orthodox Church in Santa Fe. Carina and I, along with several other friends from Houghton (Toby, '03 & Erin, '03 (Galloway) Cushing), are working with a couple of NGOs on a community-based orphan care project in East Africa.

What factors and influences have guided your path to this point in your career?

Having a clear goal of what I wanted to do in grad school and not settling until I found a program that would both allow me to do my own research and fund me in the process was critical to my choice of a graduate school and also provided me with great opportunities. Luck, a well rounded education and the need to pay back loans from Houghton led me to my current position as an environmental consultant.

How did your studies and Houghton experience prepare you?

I think I was a harder worker, had been pushed to excel, and exposed to a great deal more than many of the students I encountered in grad school. The field experiences, work as a TA, and study abroad opportunities I had while at Houghton have been critical to my academic, personal, and career "paths."

What advice can you give others interested in Biological Studies?

I am really a generalist with grounding in ecology. I have specifically pushed myself to be interdisciplinary and multi-disciplinary. This has proven successful for me. Writing skills and the ability to work and manage groups have also been more important than I could have imagined.