Science and Engineering Scholarships and Fellowships Blog

Joshua Atwood is a devoted traveler, he notes: “The world is too incredible to not be seen first-hand.” This love of traveling and the outdoors, hiking, backpacking, kayaking, and even skydiving, led him to his current research, Invasive Plant Ecology. He participated in an undergraduate study abroad program in New Zealand, where he examined successional changes in floral communities on landslide slopes. After graduating from Bowdin College, he was able to travel as an environmental educator and work with invasive plant managers in a variety of locations. The diversity of plant life and competitive strategies he encountered during this experience inspired him to pursue research at the graduate level.

He recommends K-12 students who might be interested in ecology or biology spend a lot of time outdoors, until they discover their specific passion. If they’re interested in studying a plant or an animal, it’s important that they learn about it first and see it in nature. He also recommends volunteering with someone who is doing research in your particular field.

Joshua is studying the evolution of competitive ability in invasive plant populations at the University of Rhode Island. Specifically, he is looking at adaptations in competitive traits associated with the invasion of island habitats characterized by low biotic pressure.