Andrew Wilk is a Data Manager supporting REWI’s work to track and assemble datasets collected at renewable energy facilities. He applies his background in quantitative ecology to support the research program by acquiring data and assisting research to address stakeholders’ needs. Andrew has worked as a researcher with the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute and the Great Rivers Research and Education Center focusing primarily on conservation questions of wildlife distribution and abundance in response to disturbance. He received an M.S. degree in Wildlife Science from The Ohio State University and a B.S. degree in Forestry, Fisheries, and Wildlife, also from The Ohio State University.
Andrew sat down with REWI Communications Manager Julia Worcester to discuss his goals as he moves into this new position.
Julia Worcester: What attracted you to this role at REWI?
Andrew Wilk: I’ve been aiming for the position I’m in now since I started working in the environmental field. A lot of people who work in wildlife love to be in the field – and don’t get me wrong, I love that too – but I also noticed that many people don’t like to work with data or crunch numbers. I’ve always had a head for that and a willingness to dive into those things. I see myself as someone who can do that job to contribute to the larger goal of wildlife conservation. This position feels tailored to the skills I’ve built for the past 6-7 years. It felt like a real opportunity for me to help enact meaningful change and contribute to decision-making around wildlife conservation.
JW: How did you originally get into wildlife conservation?
AW: When I was 18, I decided I didn’t want to be an engineer because I didn’t want to sit behind a desk all day (but I guess that’s what I do now!). I knew I liked Biological Sciences and for me that led to two options: become a doctor or get a general biology degree and work in a MicroBio lab or become a teacher. I wasn’t interested in either of those paths, so I did more research and wildlife is something that stuck with me. I remember watching the birds at the feeder as a kid and poking around under logs; I had always felt like wildlife conservation was important to me because it had a large impact on the way I viewed the world and interacted with it.
JW: What are some skills and experiences you’re bringing to REWI from previous work?
AW: Most recently I worked at the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRREC). It’s a nonprofit that works at the local and state level in Illinois. In that position, I did data management and data visualization for several projects so I’m bringing those skills as well as an understanding of how wildlife field work is done and its associated difficulties.
Additionally, during my time at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, I worked on a project to aid in collecting data on species occurrence from experts through an interactive web interface. Between these two jobs and various field positions, I’m bringing an understanding of different ways data are generated, stored, and analyzed.
I also bring a willingness and excitement to develop new data sharing infrastructures. I have a practical background in the field that many other computer scientists may not have, but I also have an interest in computer science that a lot of wildlife conservationists don’t have.
JW: Where do you see energy-related data coming into this? You have a strong background in wildlife; have you also worked on energy, or what are you excited to learn about regarding the intersection of renewable energy and wildlife?
AW: I have not worked on energy previously, but there are overlaps between my orientation to wildlife work and REWI’s National Solar Wildlife Research Plan, for example. The Plan takes an ecological or ecosystem perspective, and most of my work has been from a landscape perspective. I try to understand how different landscapes alter how species interact with those landscapes. How does human modification change where species exist and how do they move? Although I haven’t worked with energy facilities, some of the concepts we’re investigating, especially with solar and wildlife interactions, are relevant to my background. The angles that I’ve looked at are natural disturbances including wildfire and historical anthropogenic disturbance.
JW: Building on that, I’d love to hear what you’re excited to see the REWI research program do in the next few years.
AW: That’s a good question. I’m excited by the prospect of creating SolSource – a comprehensive location where anybody who wants to ask questions about how wildlife and solar energy are interacting can find everything that’s known in one place (subject to confidentiality agreements). Researchers, industry partners, and governmental organizations can share this knowledge base. It’s almost like a living review paper and that really excites me. The challenge will be ensuring enough people are actively using it.
JW: One last question. What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
AW: I love to learn. Something that I really appreciate about this job, too, is that I get to learn a lot of different things. I like to read. I also enjoy exploring the city that I live in; my partner and I recently moved and there’s still quite a few places to explore. I’m also making some different websites just for myself, which I find fun, and I’m creating a tabletop game with my friend. It’s been in the works for a long time, but it’s something that I like to put work towards from time to time. Aside from that – I do this less for fun and more because I need to – I am working on getting more of my graduate research published.