Exploring Chipmunk Ecology as a Science Communicator and Activist

​By: Cheyanne Lewis
 @chylew

Kwasi Wrensford, PhD candidate in the Department of Integrative Biology and the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology at the University of California Berkeley.

In celebration of #BlackinSciComm week, I interviewed Kwasi Wrensford (@kwasiscientific on Twitter), a behavioral ecologist and science communicator studying the behavioral ecology of chipmunks in response to rapid environmental change. Not only will I delve into his past as a lover of nature, but I will share his story on building community and his tips for self-care in the midst of social injustice.

Intersection of Nature and Science Communication

Born in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Kwasi found himself traveling from St. Thomas to Albany, Georgia at the young age of 3. He was always surrounded by science and nature, and growing up with two chemists for parents, it was no surprise that he wanted to become a science educator. Not only was he an active member of The Boy Scouts of America, but he volunteered at the zoo as a teenager where he learned how to communicate science to the public through various outreach and education programs.

Science communication became a major part of his journey through higher education as he took part in BASIS (Bay Area Scientists in Schools), a volunteer program aimed at connecting scientists with younger students. Many volunteers within the program are graduate students from UC Berkeley who design their own curriculum to make learning fun and encourage children to delve into scientific exploration. Kwasi tells me that during one of the programs, he was able to teach about tooth shape and how teeth vary depending if an animal was a herbivore or carnivore as a reflection of their respective diets. This was just one of the many lessons he was able to teach through this program, and it was during this time that he realized how much he enjoyed working as an educator for younger children.

The most exciting part of these ventures has been sharing his love for nature with these students. Particularly for young, Black students, Kwasi wanted to show that a real scientist can look just like them.

With the reality of the pandemic, in-person workshops and programs are limited. Instead, he has been pouring time and energy into various writing projects. Writing has always been something that he loved doing, and as a graduate student, writing is a major part of what he does. Unfortunately for him, the pressure of having to write for school has only made it more difficult to write for fun. 

Not only does he have his personal blog, but he also contributes to a collaborative blog called Dark Matter. For him and a few of his high school friends, one major benefit of the blog is to stay connected. Not only are they updated on each other’s lives, but they are able to create a space for other Black scholars in STEM to discuss their experiences and opinions. In one piece called “Anti-Racism and the Academy: Reckoning with Black Excellence”, Kwasi tells of his experience growing up Black and shares his thoughts on George Floyd, mass incarceration, and inequity in academia. 

He poses the question, “How do we, as academics, particularly us Black folks of privilege, use our positions to truly be anti-racist, to help not just the exceptional, but the most vulnerable as well?” 

Although he is unsure of the answer, he emphasises that it isn’t a fluke that Black scholars are making it into academia, and regardless of talent and determination, Black students belong there just as much as anyone else. He wants nothing more than to help others, especially those who have minimal exposure to university and the lifestyle that is often associated with it.

Chipmunk perched on a rock. Photo courtesy of Kwasi Wresford.

Building a Supportive Community

At the University of Connecticut, he was seldom able to find a community to talk to and share his struggles with, and he admits that when it comes to being one of the only Black people at a predominantly white institution (PWI), “it wears on you after a while.” It wasn’t until 2015 when he was encouraged by one of his professors to attend a solidarity protest with the students of Missouri. Once he returned, this particular professor opened up the conversation to ask how the rally went, and Kwasi expressed how “that one interaction was huge”. When he looks back at that moment, he realizes how important it was in making him feel comfortable in that space.

It had taken until his junior year to experience that kind of encouragement - one that would ultimately lead him to seek out a community of other Black scholars and scientists who share similar experiences.

One such community has been through Twitter. Having started with #BlackBirdersWeek, he was excited to see other Black folks who do this kind of work for a living (as well as for fun). He got to see many people network and support each other while sharing loads of information either through workshops or simple personal introduction posts. He also found himself following #BlackMammologists week, and though he was not one of the co-organizers, he was able to help a few of his colleagues at UC Berkeley by partaking in panel events to talk about conservation in the context of his field of study.

Although there have not been a lot of positive events that have happened in 2020, having these #Blackin___ weeks has truly helped build a community during uncertain and traumatic times.

Kwasi’s Tips for Self-care

During the week of September 20th through the 26th, #BlackinMentalHealth week kicked off, and although there were many discussions regarding research and important advocacy work, a large portion was sharing personal coping skills and healthcare tips. Especially during a  pandemic and times of unrest, learning ways to take care of ourselves has been vital.

Kwasi shares that one of his most important tips is to find comfort in ourselves and others: “I’ve had to learn how to be more careful with my time and my energy… know your boundaries, but seek out that community, seek out that help”

In May, following George Floyd’s murder, he threw himself into organizing and joining the first round of protests. Quickly after, he found himself burning out. And unfortunately, in academic spaces, specifically in PWIs, he explains that “people will let you run yourself ragged.” It became a juggling act to manage projects while also trying to support the movement. There are often unrealistic expectations that Black folks must maintain some sort of professionalism, even when our own people are losing their lives. And this is something that has always been the case. These experiences can be isolating, frustrating, and draining, so self-care and mutual support are more important than ever.
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“I have a habit of, you know, when things get hard, I turn inward… It’s easy for me to get unmoored and kind of float off when I’m feeling hopeless or I’m in a dark spot. And so it’s important to kind of check in with yourself and chat and have a check in with other people.”

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Editors Note: An earlier version of this article misspelled Kwasi's last name. The correct spelling is Wrensford, not Wesford. We apologize for the error and any confusion it might have caused.