Patrick Gonzalez is a Scientist!

Dr. Patrick Gonzalez is a forest ecologist (a scientist who identifies trees, tracks where trees grow, and examines what makes trees thrive or die). He is at the University of California, Berkeley. He says about his research, "Trees, animals, and natural places are wonders of life, but pollution from cars and power plants is causing climate change, which is damaging nature. I conduct research to understand climate change and to develop ways to get people to pollute less to save plants, animals, and all of nature." He has done field research in the savannas of Senegal in West Africa, the rainforest of Peru in South America, and the Sierra Nevada mountains of California in the United States.

A scientist's job is to ask questions that we don't know the answers to and then work to find the answers through observation, experiments, and careful thinking. One of the questions that Patrick would like to answer is, "How can we get more people to walk, bike, and ride buses and trains so that we can stop climate change and save nature?"

You can learn more about Patrick and his research here.

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