My name is Michael Williams, I am a fourth-year ecology student at the university of East Anglia. I am interested in your role as an assistant ecologist. I have a keen interest in nature and sustainability, as well as land management and anything environmental. My first year at UEA, I did a foundation year in biology, before this I did biology A-level. In my spare time, I enjoyed volunteering at a wildlife sanctuary, and working with farmers to manage their land. I have had the chance to practice many surveys including such as Pitfall trapping, NVC (phase 1 and phase 2) and small mammal trapping. My first experience of formal surveys was on a field trip to Ireland with my university course. There we undertook many surveys in a variety of habitats, particularly coastal, woodland and aquatic. In my second year, I was lucky enough to go to Eswatini, a trip lead by the head of ecology (an experienced field ecologist), to survey large mammals using camera traps and tracking footpaths and scat. We also got to experience studying birds and bats using mist nets. This opened my eyes to animal surveying and how fascinating species can be in their natural environments. It inspired me to want to have a greater understanding in UK wildlife.Some of the most important surveys I have undertaken were for my dissertation, my first solo project. The topic I chose was on how cattle effect biodiversity on conservation grazing land. I planned this project thoroughly and spent 2 months collecting plant, insects, and soil acoustic data. I am practised at using statistics software such as SPSS, Canoco, Excel and R and this report was important to solidify my understanding. I am a keen learner and am enthusiastic about working outdoors. I am passionate about ecology and look forward to doing my part for the planet.