As a forest disturbance project manager at Earth Lab, Tyler McIntosh flies drones, measures trees, and facilitates learning experiences for students and early career scientists. His research investigates the recovery of forested ecosystems following fire and other disturbances. McIntosh is passionate about cross-discipline work, and he needs both spontaneity and routine in his life. When he’s not in the field or office, he enjoys reading and writing poetry. “Recently I've been writing and publishing a lot of short-form poetry inspired by the Japanese traditions of haiku and related forms,” McIntosh said.

Humans of CIRES Q&A

Q: What do you work on at CIRES?
At CIRES, I fly drones, measure trees, and facilitate learning experiences for students and early career scientists. In other words, I manage two NSF-funded projects in the Earth Lab. Both of these projects investigate the recovery of forested ecosystems following disturbances such as wildfires and use remote sensing and drones as a way to scale ecological research.

Q: What are you most passionate about professionally?
I'm very excited about untangling relationships in complex social-ecological systems by integrating methods from varied disciplines. I see work as essential to providing scientific insight that can inform a sustainable future.

Q: Do you like spontaneity or do you like routine?
I've been discovering that both spontaneity and routine are important to me: spontaneous movement through my life brings joy, while routines are key to me feeling relaxed and content.

Q: Tell us about a hobby of yours.
I enjoy both reading and writing poetry. Maybe off-brand for a scientist? Recently I've been writing and publishing a lot of short-form poetry inspired by the Japanese traditions of haiku and related forms. There is a lot more to a haiku than a set number of syllables!