DR. SUSAN TSANG
BAT RESEARCHER AND SCIENCE DIPLOMAT
From Dr. Tsang: “I study and protect giant fruit bats in Southeast Asia. I work both in the lab using genetics to understand the evolutionary history of these bats, and in the field, hiking around mangroves and forests to track them down and to understand their natural history.
“I also work on making sure that animals do not get taken illegally from the wild. I do this by helping governments train wildlife protection units, understand how environmental laws can protect wildlife from illegal trade, and how scientific tools can generally contribute to supporting government regulations.
“The science I do crosses many international borders and also helps us understand each other better as a culture and society.”
Her card was developed by CAPTS and former Hoover High student Arianna G.
Follow her on Twitter: @batgirl_susan
Further Resources
Feature on Dr. Tsang from The Graduate Center City University of New York
Southeast Asian Bat Conservation Research Unit website: Bat and conservation information related to Dr. Tsang’s work
Short STEM Star Interview
Q: What was your favorite subject in K-12?
A: Art.
Q: Did you have a favorite teacher growing up?
A: My favorite teacher was my homeroom teacher in second grade. She was a wonderful Puerto Rican lady who nurtured me and encouraged me even when I first moved to America and barely spoke any English. She was just the sweetest person and made me feel very welcome in a new country.
Q: Who inspired you growing up? Why?
A: I admired Stephen Jay Gould, an evolutionary biologist, a great deal. I read his essays on natural history in books I borrowed from the library, and he used a lot of his experiences from where he grew up as a working-class boy in Queens, NY, which is also where I grew up. His success in the field despite his working-class upbringing was an inspiration to me, and I could empathize with his background easily because they were all familiar places to me, too.
Q: Do you have any nieces or nephews?
A: I am the "cool aunt" to most of my friends' children (most of which are under 5 currently), and I am often used as an example by them to their kids, especially young girls, for a female scientist. As a field biologist, I defy a lot of the societal expectations of women, and I can act as a role model to their young children.
Q: Do you have pets or a favorite animal?
A: I have two dogs, one of which sadly passed away recently at the age of 14. :( I love being a pet owner because we can create real connections to these animals, and they are family to me. Of course, that does not preclude that my favorite animal is still a flying fox because I think bats are super cool.
Q: What is your favorite non-work activity, hobby, or way to relax?
A: When I am not working, I like to rock climb or play video games, depending on my mood.
Q: What is the weather like where you live? Is there anything interesting about it?
A: I live in Washington, DC, where it is very humid. DC was built on a swamp, so it has higher humidity than other places at a similar latitude.
Q: Did you have a favorite game or song as a child?
A: My favorite game as a child was a video game for Playstation called Final Fantasy Tactics. It was a tactical strategy game with a great story (though terrible translation from the original Japanese), and is the kind of video game I like to play the most.
Q: Is there anything interesting you’d like us to share on our webpage not covered in the topics above?
A: I am originally from Hong Kong and moved to New York City when I was quite young. My mom does not really speak English, so at home we mostly speak Cantonese. Because the rest of my family lives in Hong Kong, I visit them at least once a year, even if it is only for a few hours during one of my layovers on my way back from fieldwork.