Fancy Scientist with Dr. Stephanie Manka
Episodes
OBSERVE Like a Scientist: Tips & Tools | Wildlife Biology for Kids Club
13 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Conducting accurate and meaningful observations are a CRITICAL part of being a scientist. In this video, learn how to conduct DETAILED observations in...
Plentiful Work in a Competitive Field: Wetland Conservation and Restoration with Patrick Raney
06 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It’s well known that careers in wildlife, conservation, and the environment are incredibly competitive. In fact, it’s not uncommon for a job to ha...
Leave the Leaves: Fall Leaf Science & How Leaves Help Animals | Wildlife Biology for Kids Club
02 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
t’s fall, which means the leaves are falling off the trees and soon they’ll be on the ground. But don’t throw those leaves out! Here you’ll le...
Get to Know Your Trees | Wildlife Biology for Kids Club
25 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Did you know that by modern definitions, trees ARE wildlife? Often overlooked, trees are actually living, breathing beings. In this video, we’ll exp...
Increase Your Bird Life List | Wildlife Biology for Kids Club
20 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Learn my 5 BEST and super easy tips to maximize your bird life list. That is, the number of bird species you see over your life! Birds are amazing bec...
Bird for Science with eBird | Wildlife Biology for Kids Club
11 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Learn how to conduct a real bird survey just like wildlife biologists and provide invaluable data for REAL SCIENCE.In today's episode of the Wildl...
Identify Birds by Song EASILY! | Wildlife Biology for Kids Club
04 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When studying birds, you can use two different observational skill sets: sight and SOUND.In today’s episode of the Wildlife Biology for Kids Club, ...
Beginner Birding Tips for Migration | Wildlife Biology for Kids Club
27 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Birds are around us every day, but during migration you have the opportunity to see species that are here for only short windows of time! Once you sta...
FULLY Fund Yourself for Graduate School: Interview with NSF GRFP Winner Camilla Price
22 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s podcast episode idea was inspired by an incredible success that I recently discovered from one of my students that I know you’ll be intere...
Native Bee Diversity and Pollination | Wildlife Biology for Kids Club
13 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Bees are the heavy lifters in the pollination world, but NOT the honey bees that so many of us think of! It’s native bees, with over 20,000 species ...
Maximizing Mental Health in Wildlife Work: How I Went Off Anti-Depressants
06 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
If you’re involved in the wildlife or conservation field in any capacity, whether you are a current or aspiring career professional, someone volun...
Native Plants and Pollinators | Wildlife Biology for Kids Club
30 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Pollinators NEED native plants because of their closely tied relationships that are at times millions of years in the making! In this podcast episode,...
What Is a Fancy Scientist? Embracing Diversity in Science Beyond Gender and Race
23 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Since 2017, I decided to change my social media handles from @StephSchuttler to @FancyScientist. I was given this name and I loved it! But have you ev...
Animal Pollinators Beyond Bees | Wildlife Biology for Kids Club
16 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
There’s a huge diversity in the number of animal species that pollinate plants - it’s way more than bees! And most people think of honey bees when...
Launching a Successful Wildlife Career After Losing Your Job: Interview with Wildlife Biologist Jamie Bowles
09 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Sometimes, when you think the worst happens, it can actually be the best thing. For wildlife biologist Jamie Bowles of the Oregon Department of Fish a...
What is Pollination? | Wildlife Biology for Kids Club
02 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
You’ve heard about the importance of pollinators, but what exactly is it? When you learn what pollination consists of, you’ll quickly realize it t...
From Nature to Novels: Writing Children’s Books with Rosanne Parry
25 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When we think about saving the environment, kids aren’t typically the first thing that comes to mind for most people – especially when it comes to...
The Science and Ethics of De-extinction: The Case of the Dire Wolf
17 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Chances are, you've seen the headlines that the dire wolf is no longer extinct. The company Colossal Biosciences claims to have brought it back fr...
Facts Don’t Change Minds: What Actually Works in Science Communication
08 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Are you somebody who really cares about wildlife and conservation and you're trying to get people to change their behavior? Reduce their carbon fo...
Wildlife Careers in Crisis: Surviving Trying Times
04 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
I’m not going to lie…things seem pretty dire here right now in the United States for the environment, conservation, and wildlife. Because of what ...
Conversations and Connections: Tips for Navigating Conservation Post Election
09 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We recently had an election here in the United States, and now have just started this new administration. For so many of us out there, especially in t...
Wildlife Internships: What They Are and How to Get Them
23 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
I’ve been seeing a ton of great PAID wildlife internships being posted so I thought it would be a great time to go over how to get an internship for...
Becoming a Wildlife Professional: Your Free Guide to Landing Your Dream Career
05 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As someone who has spent two decades in the wildlife field, published nearly 30 peer-reviewed papers, and worked across multiple continents in various...
Wildlife Crossings and Conservation: Interview with Natural Resources Manager Matt Howard
23 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In the fiercely competitive world of wildlife biology and conservation, insider knowledge isn't just an advantage—it's a game-changer. That&...
Managing Eco-Anxiety: Finding Strength in the Face of Environmental Challenges
08 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This Fancy Scientist podcast episode is quite literally years in the making. I first got the idea when one of my students in the Successful Wildlife P...
Why Conservation Needs Optimism: Interview with Conservation Optimism Director Jon Taylor
24 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Working in the conservation field innately involves loss from which is often accompanied by feelings of sadness, grief, anger, and even depression. Th...
Language Justice in Conservation: Interview with Ana Yi Soto
10 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
I first came across Ana Yi Soto's work through a LinkedIn post she created on language justice that went viral and due to its importance, she late...
The Ethics of Scientist-Animal Selfies: An Eye-Opening Conversation with Dr. Cassie Freund
27 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As early as the second episode of the Fancy Scientist podcast, I’ve been talking about the negative impacts of "animal selfies.” This refers ...
Shifting the Scarcity Mindset: Thriving in Wildlife Careers on Limited Resources
13 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As someone who's been in this field for 20 years, I know what it’s like to be in your shoes - from struggling graduate students to successful wi...
Becoming Unstoppable: Traits of a Successful Wildlife Professional
01 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What does it take to be successful in wildlife careers?You might be thinking: Lots of experience in far away placesHaving a strong network of top sci...
Breaking through Wildlife Career Despair: Why Helpless Thinking Won’t Actually Help
16 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
If you’re like most people pursuing a wildlife career, at some point, you’ve felt like you’re giving it your all, but going nowhere. Like a fiel...
Wildlife Career Salaries: The Hidden Costs Behind Job Postings
02 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On the surface, it seems like careers in wildlife are pretty financially solid. If you search online for how much wildlife biologists make, you’ll d...
9 Networking Mistakes Aspiring Wildlife Professionals Need to Avoid
18 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Networking is super important. As someone who has been in the wildlife field for over 20 years and has attended countless scientific conferences since...
Best Scientific Conferences for Wildlife: What are They and Why Attend
04 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Have you heard of scientific conferences, but are not sure what they are? Do you think you should be attending, but aren’t sure exactly why? Or are ...
Powering Conservation: Interview with The Nature Conservancy Scientist Dr. Liz Kalies
21 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
When I was working as a postdoctoral researcher studying wildlife using camera traps, I had the pleasure of working alongside Dr. Liz Kalies who was i...
Unplugged Adventures: The Art of Nature Journaling with John Muir Laws
07 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As someone who deeply values the importance of connecting people with nature, I was thrilled to have John Muir Laws as a guest on the latest episode o...
From Science to Storytelling: Interview with Communications Specialist Hannah Mulvany
24 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week, I’m continuing to turn the tables on conservation podcasters by interviewing them. I had the great pleasure of sitting down with one of t...
Inspiring Powerful Forces for Nature: Interview with Science Communicator Crystal DiMiceli
09 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
I was instantly captivated when I first discovered Crystal DiMicelli's podcast, Forces for Nature. You know that feeling when you find someone who...
Journey from Nepal to a Master's degree in the US: Interview with Turtle Researcher Chitra Rekha Basyal
19 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
When it comes to careers in wildlife, one of the things you’ll hear me say over and over again is that you need to go after what you want - you can’...
Breaking Through the Conservation Career Trap
06 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week’s episode of the Fancy Scientist podcast was inspired by an extremely honest and vulnerable article by Georgina Mayhew called The Conserva...
Reviving the Soul of Science: Lessons from Braiding Sweetgrass
09 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The wisdom of Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer's book Braiding Sweetgrass has lingered in my mind and heart for quite some time. This episode of the Fancy ...
From Rescues to Releases: Wildlife Rehabilitation Interview with Joey of the Jungle
12 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
I have so many followers interested in careers in wildlife rehabilitation so I am especially excited about this week’s episode of the Fancy Scientis...
Coexisting and Resolving Conflicts with Carnivores: Interview with Petros Chrysafis
28 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Around the world, carnivores have been and still are heavily persecuted. Although the percentages are low, they do kill livestock, pets, and even peop...
Journeys into the Wilderness: Interview with Explorer and Science Writer Jon Waterman
07 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
I'm thrilled to bring you another exciting episode this week on the Fancy Scientist podcast with National Geographic explorer and science writer J...
Ensuring Your Own Success in Wildlife Careers
24 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week’s podcast is a little different - instead of interviewing a guest or even doing a solo episode, it’s an excerpt from a professional deve...
Road Ecology and Wildlife Conservation Challenges in Brazil's Cities: Interview with Fernanda Teixeira
27 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A big lesson that I learned from studying abroad in Kenya is that the key to understanding a place's wildlife and conservation issues is to conne...
Leadership Lessons from the Animal Kingdom: Interview with Julie C. Henry
12 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Lots of people think that the only way you can work in conservation and make a difference is by studying threatened animals to learn more about them s...
What if Cities Weren’t the Bad Guys? Exploring Urban Wildlife for Conservation: Interview with Dr. Seth Magle
01 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
After recently moving to the Chicago area, I have been captivated by the urban wildlife in the area, particularly the coyotes. Seeing them in broad da...
Resilience in the Face of Setbacks: Interview with Nicole Blankertz
01 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Navigating career paths can be a daunting challenge. We pour our time and effort into applications, only to be met with rejection after rejection. Man...
Volunteering Abroad for Wildlife Biology: Interview with Matt Snider
08 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Experience is critical to build your career in wildlife, ecology, or conservation biology. When you’re just starting out though, this can be hard to...
The Power of Tiny Changes in Atomic Habits in Your Wildlife Career
24 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As a wildlife professional, I understand the struggles that many professionals in this field face when trying to secure a job. It’s easy to become o...
Never Give Up on Your Wildlife Dream Job: Interview with Francisco Llauger
27 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
I love hearing success stories from people who have finally landed their dream jobs, especially after challenging and twisty career paths. I always l...
Finding Your Identity in Wildlife Work
21 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
When I give advice to young wildlife professionals or those aspiring to go into this career, I always tell them to reverse engineer it. To “start wi...
From Web Developer to Starting an Environmental Career: Interview with Melina Shak
07 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever thought about starting an environmental career, but instead chose a more “safe” and “secure” route? Or maybe you are currently t...
30 years of Wildlife Career Advice: Interview with fisheries biologist Scott Putnam
10 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It’s no secret that the wildlife or conservation field can be competitive, and many of you have always asked me, “How do I get my foot in the door...
How I Wrote My First Books and You Can Too!
30 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
You may have heard me on social media talk about how I am writing a kids’ book and unless you are new to the podcast, you will already know that I w...
9 Biggest Mistakes Struggling Wildlife Job Seekers Make
23 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
I know that so many of you out there are struggling to get jobs in wildlife biology. I see all of these posts in the wildlife Facebook groups, and whe...
Getting a Wildlife Career with NO Wildlife Experience: Interview with Ron Lewis
18 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
One of my favorite podcast episodes to share with people is #46: Starting a Wildlife Career at 40: Interview with Jeffrey Hunter. In this episode, I ...
What Do Careers with Endangered Species Look Like?
03 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Whenever I talk to someone who wants my help, I always ask them “What is your ultimate career goal?” and frequently the answer is “something wit...
How Do Scientists Choose Their Research?
19 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Students always ask me – how do I choose my research? When I was in graduate school, this question lingered over me for the first six months. How in...
Should Wildlife Professionals Start a Side Hustle?
13 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
I was having some struggles in my business – specifically how to talk about my program to potential student.I was thinking about purchasing a new co...
Money Mindset in Conservation and Your Career
14 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's podcast, I talk about a hot button issue and one you probably wouldn't expect from a wildlife biology and conservation based po...
Being Productive for Wildlife Conservation
01 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Productivity seems to be more of a career-oriented topic, but this is actually really important in wildlife and conservation work, and it’s somethin...
7 Ways to Become a Better Biologist on Your Own
15 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In mid 2020 when COVID shut so many things down ( virtually everything), a lot of people lost their volunteer positions, internships, or seasonal posi...
Creating a Vision to Accelerate and Amplify Your Wildlife Goals
01 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Hello everyone. And welcome to the Fancy Scientist. We’re still pretty new into the new year, about the end of January. And I am going to talk about...
Focus on What’s Important By Saying No
18 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Hi guys. I am back. Yes. It's been a minute. If you are a regular listener to this podcast, you will remember. At the end of September, I said I w...
The Best is Yet to Come: Thoughts on Getting Older and Life Changes
28 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Is age really just a number? But not me! Instead I developed a mindset to appreciate my age and be grateful for every day I have here.In this podcast...
Is Work-Life Balance in Science Possible?
21 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This is a science podcast, so why am I talking about work-life balance? Because so many scientists are bad at it!I can’t even tell you how many scie...
What Makes a Good Mentor?
14 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Everyone should have a mentor when trying to achieve something difficult in life. In science, mentors are unavoidable. They play an essential role. Y...
4 Tips for a Successful Academic Year in Graduate School
07 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Last week on the Fancy Scientist podcast, I went over what graduate school was like and what it’s all about. This week, I talk about how you can hav...
Training to Be a Scientist: Graduate School
02 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It’s the beginning of the school year so I thought it would be the perfect time to talk about where aspiring scientists go to train to be scientists...
Elephant Tourism: What’s Best for Elephants
12 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The inspiration for all of my writing and videos stems from animals. So often people want to become a wildlife biologist because they want to help ani...
Working in Education with Erin Apple
04 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The inspiration for all of my writing and videos stems from animals. So often people want to become a wildlife biologist because they want to help ani...
Your Biggest Struggle in Wildlife Careers: Part 3
28 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week’s podcast episode covers the second most popular answer to the question, “What is the problem you are struggling with most in regard to ...
Your Biggest Struggle in Wildlife Careers Part 2
21 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week’s podcast episode covers the second most popular answer to the question, “What is the problem you are struggling with most in regard to ...
Your Biggest Struggle in Wildlife Careers
13 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A couple of months ago, I put this post on social media asking for people in wildlife biology, ecology, or zoology careers to help me out with some re...
Sustainable Beach Vacation Tips
30 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It’s summer time here in the US, which means lots of people head to the beach for vacation. With parties, holidays, and leisure happening at the bea...
Sea Turtles and Straws with Christine Figgener
22 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Several years ago, I went on a trip to Hilton head, South Carolina, and I woke up in the morning really early and went to the beach. This is something...
Financial Realities of Wildlife Careers with Emily Roberts
16 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
You get a degree and then a job, right? That’s how it is supposed to work. But in wildlife biology, ecology, and conservation careers, it’s not so...
Going Zero Waste with Alexa Smith
08 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
When I scroll through my Pinterest home feed, zero waste is a common word that comes up among eco-friendly bloggers. I always wanted to try it, but pr...
Corporations and Climate Change with Lavaniya Das
02 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Through my 17 years in research, one of the biggest lessons I learned is that science alone cannot solve the biodiversity crisis. We need people to ca...
Getting a Job in Science Communication
25 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
When I was in graduate school, everyone was talking about how if you didn’t want to go into research, you could get a job in science communication –...
Handling the Haters in Science Communication
18 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
I was recently featured on an Instagram live hosted by @shine.science and I was asked the question, “How do you handle negative comments on social m...
Sustainable Seafood with Jackie Marks
12 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What you eat has a huge impact on wildlife and that’s true for the ocean too. Commercial fishing can have large-scale negative impacts on dolphins, ...
Garden for Wildlife with David Mizejewski
06 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Do you have a backyard? Front yard? Balcony? Access to a rooftop? Then you can help wildlife!I invited naturalist David Mizejewski on the podcast to t...
City Nature Challenge with George Gehrig
29 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
George Gehrig subscribes to the Fancy Scientist and responded to an email of mine asking about the impact of iNaturalist data on science. I thought th...
Extinction of Experience: The Core Threat to Nature Conservation
22 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
I became a wildlife biologist because I wanted to save species from extinction. But I’ve learned over my nearly two decades in this field, that we r...
Welcome Mammals Into Your Yard the Right Way
14 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Last week I talked about how you can make your front and backyard wildlife-friendly, and this week, I’m talking specifically about mammals! Lots of...
How to Make a Wildlife Friendly Backyard
08 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
When most people think of conservation, they tend to think of faraway animals like tigers, elephants, and jaguars, or faraway places like the Amazon r...
Climate Change Empowerment: Changes You Can Make for Maximum Impact
01 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The inspiration for all of my writing and videos stems from animals. So often people want to become a wildlife biologist because they want to help ani...
Foraging for Food and Medicine with Mark “Merriweather” Vorderbruggen
24 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week I talked to Dr. Mark “Merriweather” Vorderbruggen about foraging for your own food. I’ve blogged and podcasted before about having...
Academic Coaching with Katy Peplin
17 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In today’s podcast, I talk to academic Coach Dr. Katy Peplin of Thrive Ph.D. Katy founded Thrive PhD in 2017, where she started out coaching acquain...
Animal Care to Self Care with PJ Beaven of ZooFit
11 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, I interview PJ Beaven, a zookeeper for over 15 years. PJ created a program called ZooFit where she incorporates health and fitness wi...
Big Game Biology with Rebecca Mowry
04 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
I invited my friend and colleague Rebecca Mowry for a conversation about her job as a big game wildlife biologist on my podcast. Rebecca is the Bitter...
Mastodons’ Impact on Mice with Mammalogist Mike Cove
25 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
My colleague and friend, Dr. Mike Cove reached out to me to have a discussion about something he had been thinking about for some time: how mammals of...
Conservation Careers with Nick Askew
18 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is a must listen-to for anyone who wants to go into wildlife or conservation careers. I interview Dr. Nick Askew, founder of Conservation...
Effective Communication in Conservation with Ben Christ
11 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Communication is huge in conservation and wildlife biology careers. People tend to only think of the species, ecosystems, or research that scientists ...
You are NOT Too Old! Interview with Jeffrey Hunter
03 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A couple of weeks ago, I hosted a Facebook Live entitled, “Are You Too Old for a Career in Wildlife Biology? When I advertised for this event on my ...
Science Filmmaking with Rob Nelson
27 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This podcast features a fantastic interview with science filmmaker Rob Nelson. Rob is a friend of mine and we both appear together on the Science Chan...
Nova Conservation with Laura Marsh:Connecting People to Fieldwork
21 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This podcast features an amazing interview with scientist and founder of Nova Conservation: Laura Marsh. Nova Conservation is a brand new organization...