Staff Spotlight: Angee Doerr
For this issue's staff spotlight, we are excited to feature Angee Doerr, Coupled Human-Natural Systems Research Associate.
Your interdisciplinary education has provided you a unique position here at COS. What roles have you played during your time here?
I've had the opportunity to work on a variety of different projects at COS, from developing a Stakeholder Engagement tool for CA fisheries, to co-facilitating last year's Ocean Policy Course, to helping lead our work on the Palau National Marine Sanctuary. I love the variety of work I've been able to do, and the unifying theme among them all had been an emphasis on the people that make up social ecological marine systems.
What drives your interest? What do you think is the most important part of your job?
The most interesting part of working at COS, for me, has always been the variety of people and projects we have. I love sitting down with a lawyer and a spatial ecologist and a communications expert to approach a complicated issue from a variety of perspectives, to see how our complementary areas of expertise can help advance our understanding and possibly identify opportunities or solutions. The primary emphasis of my job has changed a few times over my 3.5 years here, but throughout it all I think helping to build connections (both internal and external) has been one of my most important roles.
Tell me about your favorite project that you were involved in and what you did.
The Palau National Marine Sanctuary project is probably the most interesting, and I think it will continue to be one of our most interesting projects for the next several years. It just has so many different components, ecological and socioeconomic and political. Projects like this one are where I think COS really shines, because we can bring understanding of and knowledge in multiple areas, and identify other collaborators to fill our gaps in expertise, and approach these multidimensional ocean challenges as a team. That said, I also really loved doing the Ocean Policy Course, and hope to do something similar in the future.
Has your background and expertise in the US Navy helped in your current position?
The military teaches you to think on your feet, to continually adapt and overcome. It encourages you to think creatively to find solutions to challenges that initially seem insurmountable. And it teaches you how to work as a team, to step up and lead when necessary and to step back and follow when appropriate. All of these skills are useful in a work environment, but particularly in a work environment where we're all members of the COS 'team', and we're continuously setting higher goals for ourselves and our research.
What is something you enjoy doing on your days off?
I really like kayaking in Elkhorn Slough. The sea otters, the seals, the birds, it's incredible. I also enjoy exploring the wineries in the area. Such a great region to live in!
What is something not many people know about you?
I studied abroad in Australia. I really wanted to learn to surf while I was there, and was pretty upset to learn that this "great barrier reef" thing blocked all of the good waves. So I asked around about other options and found out a lot of people were divers. I'd never considered diving, but figured why not, and absolutely fell in love. That's what got me started on the marine science path.
Do you have any advice to a young scientist who wants to get involved in this field?
Do it! Seize every opportunity. Say yes to things that you didn't originally plan or consider. And don't be worried if your plan deviates. There's no one right way or right path to take.
