Career Trajectory Launched at Jessup

JASON PETERS

Back in 2016, alumnus Jason Peters was the first graduate from Jessup’s environmental science program. Peters education prepared him well for his career pursuits and his connection to the University remains strong to this day. “For me, Jessup was a good solid choice,” the outdoor enthusiast explained. “I grew up hunting and fishing so I wanted to align my career with something outdoors,” he said. “The best thing about my education was the support I received on a personal level from my professors and the Jessup staff as a whole. It was extraordinary.”

Fast forward seven years. Peters is living in the Reno area, mainly working remote for ICF as a senior regulatory specialist/biologist. He started his career thanks to a connection Jessup’s Science Honors Program and the Institute for Biodiversity and the Environment (IBE) Chair, Dr. Michael McGrann, has with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. The connection resulted in a job for Peters where he deployed camera traps and bird recorders in addition to monitoring project work that looked at diversity of birds and mammals. That position opened the door to other environmental science jobs leading to his current position and helped Peters recognize his keen interest in the regulatory aspects of his field.

Peters also earned his master’s degree at California State University, Sacramento and worked closely with Dr. McGrann and Jessup’s IBE on his graduate thesis research. The research was aimed at utilizing an environmental DNA (eDNA) survey method to detect and restore the Chinook salmon (king salmon) populations in western Placer County’s Racoon Creek, Doty Ravine, and Auburn Ravine. This research ultimately contributes to identifying how and where restoration of these fish populations in these watersheds is possible. Peters research is ongoing and he finds himself continuing to partner with Jessup’s IBE to this day.