Jorge Ramos receives the 2023 Eugene P. Odum Award for Excellence in Ecology Education
Congratulations to JRBP Executive Director Jorge Ramos, recipient of the 2023 “Eugene P. Odum Award for Excellence in Ecology Education” from the Ecological Society of America!
As Associate Director for Environmental Education at Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve from 2019 to 2022, and as Executive Director since 2022, Dr. Jorge Ramos has been an agent of change for expanding opportunities in education, research, and conservation in environmental sciences to all people. Jorge’s efforts are centered at Jasper Ridge but radiate nationwide as he instructs, mentors, and forms friendships that coalesce into movements for advancing science education and conservation experiences for all. The Ecological Society of America recognized Jorge’s many years of service and broad impact in its announcement on April 12, 2023:
"Odum Award recipients demonstrate their ability to relate basic ecological principles to human affairs through teaching, outreach and mentoring activities. This year’s Odum Award for Excellence in Ecology Education is presented to Jorge Ramos, instructor in the Department of Biology at Stanford University and executive director of the Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve. Ramos manages the preserve’s day-to-day operations, research grants and supervises a committed team of scientists, educators, technology specialists and operations personnel to accomplish the overall mission of understanding the Earth’s ecosystems through research, education and protection of natural resources. Prior to taking the role of executive director, Ramos served as the preserve’s associate director for environmental education and was the co-instructor of the keystone course “Ecology and Natural History of Jasper Ridge,” which has trained students and community members to become docents of the preserve since 1975.
Ramos is an engaging educator with a passionate dedication to science outreach. Before working at Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve, Ramos worked at Conservation International as a science advisor and manager for policymakers, scientists and local communities worldwide to develop community conservation carbon projects for the organization’s Blue Carbon Initiative. He has served in leadership and outreach roles for many nonprofit organizations, educational programs and community groups, including Latino Outdoors, Save the Redwoods League, the National Science Foundation’s GK-12 Sustainability Schools Program, the American Geophysical Union’s Mentoring365 program, Organization of Biological Field Studies and the Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science.
He has also advanced educational initiatives and provided supportive mentorship within ESA. He has been an inspiring mentor in the SEEDS program for more than 16 years, including as a national advisory board member; past chair of the ESA Student Section and Environmental Justice Section; and was a steering committee member for EcologyPlus, an ESA pilot program supporting the career pathways for diverse college students and early career scientists.
Ramos is an active leader and communicator within the profession. Working at the intersection of ecology and education at a biological preserve has allowed Ramos to uniquely advance the field of ecology through hands-on research and educational experiences with a focus on diversity, equity and inclusion."
