Fall 2005

Snapshot from the Field...

Greenberg Strikes a Balance Between Family and Research

by Perdita Spriggs

Research scientists are well known for the intensity of their work, which often includes exhaustive hours and extensive travel. Being both a mother of five and a research scientist can make achieving the delicate balance between family and work even more challenging.

However, research wildlife ecologist Cathryn (Katie) Greenberg shows that the balance can be achieved, especially when given the right circumstances. With a USDA Forest Service career that spans nearly 15 years, Greenberg has spent most of her time at the Bent Creek Experimental Forest in Asheville, NC, where her research focuses primarily on how natural and manmade disturbances affect plants and animals. She has authored or coauthored nearly 50 publications and was touted as a “Woman of Achievement” by the Asheville Citizen-Times in 2000. So how does Greenberg—wife, mother, and accomplished research scientist— manage to do it all? A peek inside her life shows us that it’s not always easy, but it can be done.

What's your secret to balancing work and family life?

My husband, Stan, and I have four boys and a girl ranging in age from 5-year-old twins to an 11-year-old. Providing a healthy, happy life to each child takes a lot of time and work, and the tradeoff is less time spent on a career that gives me great personal fulfillment. When we began our family, I decided that I would be satisfied with doing my best— conducting research close to home and within the bounds of a 40-hour work-week. Given those constraints, I generally balance my time the same as other working mothers.

My ability to comfortably balance work and family is a union of several circumstances. First, I have a highly supportive supervisor who gives me the resources I need to conduct studies and allows me the freedom to manage my own schedule. Having the flexibility to take short days (I now work 80 percent time) or work at home in the evenings is critical when you’re a working parent, because children need time and attention. Second, I work with dedicated, competent technicians who do most of the research-related field work. I trust their high-quality work, and that frees me up to do the other half of research—study design, data analysis, and writing. Third, Stan and I are a good team; he does half the work at home. And finally, high-quality childcare arrangements give me the peace of mind to concentrate on work. (...continued...)

How did ecological research first pique your interest?

I’ve always loved nature, but I didn’t know that people actually got paid for running around in the woods! I discovered that ecology was a “respectable profession” after I’d already majored in philosophy as an undergraduate. A backpacking trip took me to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (Smokies), where I stayed for 6 months volunteering for the natural resource management division. After that, I took some classes at North Carolina State University to prepare for graduate school. I gained more field experience working as a field assistant on a small cat project in Belize, and as a technician on a vegetation crew ground-truthing satellite imagery of forest types in the Smokies. I was fascinated by the interplay between plants and animals, and realized that I could do meaningful, conservation-related work by studying how humans impact nature.

After receiving my master’s degree in wildlife ecology from the University of Tennessee, Stan and I moved to Gainesville, FL, so that he could pursue his Ph.D. at the University of Florida. I worked for 2 years as a biologist for the Florida Department of Transportation before pursuing my own Ph.D. in wildlife ecology with a minor in botany.

When did you join the Forest Service Family?

The Forest Service “adopted” me in 1990 as a co-op student with the Southern Research Station Intensive Management Practices Assessment Center (IMPAC) in Gainesville, FL. Once I finished my Ph.D., I was offered a permanent position. The unit closed in 1995, and I was given the option to move to Asheville, NC.

What are some of your current research interests?

One of the studies I’m excited about is our long-term (now in its seventh year) effort to quantify how much fleshy fruit (berries, etc.) and hard mast (acorns, hickory nuts) is produced in young, recently harvested stands compared to mature forest. Fruits and nuts are key food resources for many animals. Land managers need to know how management activities affect quantities and species of fruit and mast produced, and how production changes seasonally as young stands mature.

A Florida cooperator and I are continuing a long-term study of how fire suppression affects amphibians in Florida longleaf pine sandhills. Since 1994, we have continuously sampled eight ephemeral ponds in Florida sandhills—four in regularly burned and four in fire-suppressed, hardwood-invaded habitat. We’re also finding out how dramatically ponds differ across the landscape and over time as sources of amphibian reproduction—and the importance of conserving many wetlands within landscapes for amphibian diversity.

What are edge effects and how do your studies relate to them?

Forest, field, or roadside edges are disturbed areas with an abundance of light; these conditions can promote a high occurrence of invasive, exotic plants. One of my studies examines how animals can promote the spread of these species. We are studying whether, and how much, animals consume the fleshy fruits of exotic vs. native plants found along the forest edge. This gives us an indirect look at how fast seeds are dispersed and which species are preferred.

What do your enjoy most about your research?

I enjoy working on practical questions that yield answers that can be used by land managers. I hope that my work will help them to better understand the impact of forest management activities on wildlife and wildlife-related resources.

Where do you see yourself in the future?

For now, I enjoy doing science, and my current job fits well with my family-related obligations. In the future, I may consider research management.