An Interview with Jordyn Jones and Sean Landsman, Hutton Junior Fisheries Biology Program Alumni

Abstract

Each summer, high school students gear up to get hands-on experience in the field of fisheries science through the Hutton Junior Fisheries Biology Program. This paid summer internship and mentoring program, sponsored by AFS, seeks to engage, inspire, and diversify the next generation of fisheries professionals. For more than 20 years, the Hutton Program has worked to stimulate interest in careers in fisheries science and management among groups underrepresented in the fisheries professions today. We were able to meet two alumni of the Hutton Program via video conferencing and learn about how their experiences as Hutton Scholars influenced their lives.Sean Landsman is one of the early Hutton Scholars in the program's history, going through his internship in 2004. Jordyn Jones completed her internship more recently in 2016. Both say they had an overwhelmingly positive experience with the program, and were very happy to talk with us in more depth.How did you find out about the Hutton Program? SL: My father knew John Epifanio, a scientist with the Illinois Natural History Survey, via their involvement in a local bass fishing club, and got me connected with John. It was through talking to John that I discovered the Hutton Scholar Program and I put in an application to work with him.