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Zoo InternQuest is a seven-week career exploration program for San Diego County high school juniors and seniors. Students have the unique opportunity to meet professionals working for the San Diego Zoo, Safari Park, and Institute for Conservation Research, learn about their jobs, and then blog about their experience online. Follow their adventures here on the Zoo’s website!
It's not very often you find someone that is absolutely in love with their job, yet interns were lucky enough to meet Maggie Reinbold, the Director of Conservation Education for San Diego Zoo Global’s Institute for Conservation Research. Her position requires that she supervise and support programs designed to connect people to nature and environmental stewardship. During our visit, she discussed how conservation is directly linked to saving endangered species.
The road to Director of Conservation was not an easy one. As a child growing up in Idaho, she was always interested in nature and wildlife, and constantly asked questions about anything and everything relating to science. Ms. Reinbold’s appetite for nature remained throughout her adolescence, and continued into adulthood. As a nineteen-year-old freshman in college, Ms. Reinbold traveled to London to visit her sister. During her stay, she spent five days roaming around the London Museum of Natural History, and loved listening to the exhibit interpreters. She was immediately inspired by the London Museum of Natural History, which lead her to apply for a job at the San Diego Natural History Museum.
Ms. Reinbold attended San Diego State University for a total of nine years. She spent the first six years working toward a bachelor’s degree in biology with an emphasis in zoology, and the last three years completing her master’s degree in evolutionary biology. For her graduate degree, she focused on the population genetics of desert aquatic insects across the Baja California Peninsula, specifically endangered rock iguanas. Later, one of Ms. Reinbold’s professors at San Diego State University gave the class a lecture about the fate of the planet, and it changed her outlook on the world. It was at this lecture that she first saw today’s carbon dioxide graphs depicting rapidly rising carbon emissions and declining levels of biodiversity. The lecture made her feel empowered, and she developed a strong desire to help.
Ms. Reinbold’s overwhelming desire to help eventually lead her to her perfect job: Director of Conservation Education. Ms. Reinbold truly believes in the mission of her work: generating, sharing, and applying scientific knowledge vital to the conservation of animals, plants, and habitats worldwide. In order to nurture an environment where the public understands and cares for our planet, Ms. Reinbold’s team connects and educates students, teachers, and community members to science of saving endangered species.
A typical day for Ms. Reinbold could include meeting with students, searching for funding for current and future projects, applying for and drafting grant proposals, helping with teacher workshops, and evaluating programs. Her favorite aspect of her job is getting involved with the summer programs for science teachers. She developed her first program for teachers in 2006. Ms. Reinbold and her team have impacted over 1000 science teachers over the span of eleven years through these summer workshops, and hopes to interact with many more. She strongly believes that science teachers have one of the most important jobs in the world. Science teachers have the challenge of making children believe in the science of today, even though there is a huge mistrust and misunderstanding of the subject.
It's incredible and inspiring to see the extreme love and passion Ms. Reinbold has for her job. She has opened the eyes of many individuals through her dedication and passion-- including mine.
Chloe, Careers Team
Week 1, Winter Session 2017
It's not very often you find someone that is absolutely in love with their job, yet interns were lucky enough to meet Maggie Reinbold, the Director of Conservation Education for San Diego Zoo Global’s Institute for Conservation Research. Her position requires that she supervise and support programs designed to connect people to nature and environmental stewardship. During our visit, she discussed how conservation is directly linked to saving endangered species.
The road to Director of Conservation was not an easy one. As a child growing up in Idaho, she was always interested in nature and wildlife, and constantly asked questions about anything and everything relating to science. Ms. Reinbold’s appetite for nature remained throughout her adolescence, and continued into adulthood. As a nineteen-year-old freshman in college, Ms. Reinbold traveled to London to visit her sister. During her stay, she spent five days roaming around the London Museum of Natural History, and loved listening to the exhibit interpreters. She was immediately inspired by the London Museum of Natural History, which lead her to apply for a job at the San Diego Natural History Museum.
Ms. Reinbold attended San Diego State University for a total of nine years. She spent the first six years working toward a bachelor’s degree in biology with an emphasis in zoology, and the last three years completing her master’s degree in evolutionary biology. For her graduate degree, she focused on the population genetics of desert aquatic insects across the Baja California Peninsula, specifically endangered rock iguanas. Later, one of Ms. Reinbold’s professors at San Diego State University gave the class a lecture about the fate of the planet, and it changed her outlook on the world. It was at this lecture that she first saw today’s carbon dioxide graphs depicting rapidly rising carbon emissions and declining levels of biodiversity. The lecture made her feel empowered, and she developed a strong desire to help.
Ms. Reinbold’s overwhelming desire to help eventually lead her to her perfect job: Director of Conservation Education. Ms. Reinbold truly believes in the mission of her work: generating, sharing, and applying scientific knowledge vital to the conservation of animals, plants, and habitats worldwide. In order to nurture an environment where the public understands and cares for our planet, Ms. Reinbold’s team connects and educates students, teachers, and community members to science of saving endangered species.
A typical day for Ms. Reinbold could include meeting with students, searching for funding for current and future projects, applying for and drafting grant proposals, helping with teacher workshops, and evaluating programs. Her favorite aspect of her job is getting involved with the summer programs for science teachers. She developed her first program for teachers in 2006. Ms. Reinbold and her team have impacted over 1000 science teachers over the span of eleven years through these summer workshops, and hopes to interact with many more. She strongly believes that science teachers have one of the most important jobs in the world. Science teachers have the challenge of making children believe in the science of today, even though there is a huge mistrust and misunderstanding of the subject.
It's incredible and inspiring to see the extreme love and passion Ms. Reinbold has for her job. She has opened the eyes of many individuals through her dedication and passion-- including mine.
Chloe, Careers Team
Week 1, Winter Session 2017
