Nicolette L. Cagle
Ecology Ph.D.
About me:
I am a dedicated environmental educator, ecologist, and researcher who grew up in northern Illinois. As a child, my life-long fascination with the natural world was encouraged by loving parents and a local nature preserve, The Grove. As a teenager, I worked at The Grove as both a naturalist and educator. I graduated summa cum laude in three years with a B.S. in Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences from the University of Illinois in 2002. After completing my degree, I spent one year as an AmeriCorps volunteer in Knoxville, Tennessee teaching high school environmental science and monitoring local water quality. In the summer of 2003, I volunteered at a sea turtle hospital in Marathon, Florida before starting my doctoral studies in ecology at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. After moving to North Carolina, I also completed my North Carolina Environmental Education Certification and successfully defended my doctoral degree in ecology. My dissertation research explored snake species-habitat relationships in the tallgrass prairie of Illinois. Now, I hope to begin a long career as a naturalist and educator in Durham, North Carolina.
I am committed to community and global service-work. My latest projects have included teaching biology and English in a small town outside of Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania and building a footbridge at Occoneechee Mountain State Park in Hillsborough, North Carolina. In my career, I seek to promote conservation and sustainable living. Eventually, I plan to open an environmental education center, a dream I have held since I was seven years old. In addition, I am fascinated by other cultures, history, and languages and have studied Italian, Spanish, French, Swahili, and Polish. I am also addicted to travel, having visited all 50 states and over 15 countries. On the weekends, I love hiking with my husband, visiting historical sites, and exploring local museums. You can learn more about my weekly nature excursions in and around the Triangle from my blog:
