Ecology master’s degree student Caroline Aikins has been selected as a finalist in the class of 2022 Presidential Management Fellows program. She is one of six current UGA students chosen for this highly competitive honor this year.

The Presidential Management Fellows program is a leadership development program for advanced degree candidates with an interest in pursuing careers in public service. It was founded in 1977 by President Jimmy Carter to attract exceptional graduate students from diverse disciplines and backgrounds “who have a clear interest in, and commitment to, excellence in the leadership and management of public policies and programs,” according to the program’s website.

A select group of finalists is chosen for the two-year program from among thousands of applications received each year. Finalists are eligible for an appointment at the many participating federal agencies, and also receive leadership and career development training during the course of their tenure.

Aikins, a “Double Dawg” who completed her BS in ecology in 2021, is studying collective behavior in monarch butterflies under the direction of Odum School Interim Dean Sonia Altizer and Assistant Professor Takao Sasaki. Her research includes exploring egg-laying behavior to ask whether monarchs use social cues, in the form of other females’ eggs, in choosing which plant to lay eggs on. She has also studied fall migratory orientation behavior to ask whether monarchs use social cues to better orient in a southwestern direction that would take them towards their overwintering sites in Mexico. 

“I discovered the PMF program through the endangered species practicum class offered by Dr. Seth Wenger here at the Odum School, and was inspired to apply by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service guest speakers,” Aikins said. “As someone who has always aspired to work in federal wildlife conservation, opportunities at the USFWS and the USFS through the PMF program are really exciting!”

Aikins is the third recent Odum School graduate to participate in the PMF program. Katherine Brownson, who received her doctorate in integrative conservation and ecology in 2019, was appointed as a watershed specialist to the U.S. Forest Service, and Kyle Connelly, who received his master’s degree in conservation ecology and sustainable development in 2021, is serving as a natural resource specialist with the Bureau of Land Management’s Southeastern States District Office.

For more information about the Presidential Management Fellows program, visit https://www.pmf.gov/.