Gretel Schueller '97: Merging Two Passions - Journalism and the Environment

Gretel Schueller thought she wanted to be the next Jacques Cousteau, traveling to the Galapagos, studying endangered marine life and living on the sea. After completing two years of graduate-level lab work in marine biology at SUNY Stonybrook, Schueller realized it wasn’t Cousteau’s research she was interested in – it was the stories. In 1995, she left the lab for New York City and began her studies in the science and environmental reporting program in the journalism department. She graduated with an MA in 1997.

The change has suited Schueller well. Today she lives in Vermont and is an assistant professor of journalism at SUNY Plattsburgh. After four years of teaching, she has made her mark on the small but growing department, leading the creation of a magazine program for the University which includes courses in travel writing and science reporting. Academia has proven a nice respite from freelancing and reconnected Schueller with many of the issues in journalism she studied at NYU.

“I was a fulltime freelancer and was looking for something that would still give me freedom to do what I wanted to do,” said Schueller. “I felt like a copy machine when I was freelancing. You feel you have to say yes to every job.

“Teaching reminded me of the issues you tend to forget when you’re focused on writing. Reading student’s work makes you aware of why we do journalism in the first place, and why our jobs are so important. I like the enthusiasm of the students.”

Schueller remains actively involved in reporting and writing about environmental issues. Her work has appeared in publications as diverse as Popular Science and Ski Magazine. Throughout her career, she wrote for Audubon Magazine, Natural History Magazine, Today’s Science on File and Earth Magazine.

With more freedom to select her freelance jobs, she revels in the variety of topics on which to report and the myriad outlets to publish in this niche field.

“I like the variety and diversity, meeting and interviewing everyone from dairy farmers to extreme athletes,” said Schueller.

Much like her first hero, Schueller still enjoys exploration and experiential reporting on scientific issues. Three years ago, she traveled to Arizona to examine the environmental effects of our eating choices. Learning that most food we eat is harvested 4,000 miles away, she explored our own natural resources in the desert. Her experiences eating cacti and food that was grown on local organic farms and food reservations appeared in a article in Discover magazine.

National Wildlife is publishing Schueller’s work on Lake Champlain this fall. She is also on the planning committee for the Society of Environmental Journalists’ annual conference taking place in Burlington, Vermont in 2006. Water pollution, farming and tourism will be some of the conference’s panals.

Check out some of Schueller’s favorite links and her personal website:

National Association of Science Writers
nasw.org

Gretel H. Schueller Personal Page
http://home.earthlink.net/~gschueller/index.html