Student Focus - Joe Pekol
Hailing from deep in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania, I grew into a love of forest sciences during my undergraduate time at Penn State. I spent much of my time growing up on our family cabin where we grow Christmas trees. It was here I developed my environmental ethics through my family on hunting and land stewardship, as well as a work ethic of ‘do it well, do it right.’ Interestingly, I started my college career in electrical engineering, because, as my high school teachers put it, “I was good at math.”
Well, now I find myself as a student under Aaron Weiskittel, starting a M.S. project focused on growth and yield modeling. With knowledge of forests as a natural resource and some pretty good quantitative skills, I hope to do my part in the advancement and sustainable use of forests in a world where resources are becoming scarce.
When I’m not reading scientific journals and learning R, I enjoy a host of other activities. I get outside everyday with my girlfriend…hiking, camping, and cross-country skiing this winter. I also love to cook, and have recently discovered it’s not all that hard to make wicked good homemade bread.
