BOB RATAJCZAK JR.
Research Coordinator II
Forest Resources

JOB DESCRIPTION: “I manage the day-to-day operations of a fish ecology research lab for Dr. Gary Grossman. I’m responsible for data collection and analysis for the lab’s long-term research projects, as well as assisting graduate students with the design, setup and implementation of their master’s or Ph.D. projects. I mainly help students work out the logistics of performing their research—developing time lines and budgets, and figuring out if their research ideas are feasible. As one past student put it, I help them distinguish between what is idealistic and what is realistic.

“I also manage the budgets for various grants, keep up with equipment and handle supply purchases. In addition, I handle collection permit applications and compliance, and supervise a number of undergraduate lab workers.

“I began serving a one-year term as president of Staff Council last month. My main goal for the staff advisory organization is to improve and increase the communication the Council has with the administration and also to streamline the information flow from the Council representatives to all the staff they represent. We need to let the staff know about the Council’s accomplishments, and that there are mechanisms in place to work for needed changes.”

YEARS IN CURRENT POSITION: “Ten. Before that I was a research coordinator I for five years.”

PREVIOUS WORK EXPERIENCE: “I worked for Great Lakes Laboratory in Buffalo, N.Y., for three years collecting fish from Lake Erie, Lake Ontario and the Niagara River for analyses of contaminants, radio telemetry, food habits and life history.”

IF I WASN’T DOING THIS JOB, I WOULD MOST LIKE TO: “Teach people about nature, especially children. I would like to work in a national or state park as a naturalist. This will likely be an option for me when I’m retired. I would also spend time camping and hiking with my wife, Bridget, and our two—soon to be three—children.”

OFF-THE-JOB INTERESTS: “During the spring and summer, I host weekly pick-up volleyball games for faculty, staff and students in my department. In the fall, I enjoy bow hunting, camping with my family and—like everyone around here—watching football. Although I’m a Bulldog fan, pro football is my favorite sport, and my allegiance lies with my hometown team, the Buffalo Bills. I try to make it to at least one game a season.

“During the year, I enjoy playing with my kids and volunteer work. I work with the Adopt-a-Highway program every three months, and work special events at the Sandy Creek Nature Center a few times a year. I also teach parent baptismal classes at the UGA Catholic Center and sometimes go to elementary schools and do demonstrations for the kids.”

FAVORITE MUSIC: “Classic rock— ZZ Top and 38 Special—anything from the late ’70s to the early ’80s.”

THE PERSON I MOST ADMIRE: “My father, Bob Sr., because he exposed me to the beauty of nature when I was young. He took me camping and taught me how to hunt and fish. That’s what eventually led me to a career in fisheries. He always stressed that we need to respect wildlife and that the goal of any hunting or fishing trip was the experience—not the trophy.”

THE ISSUE THAT CONCERNS ME MOST ABOUT TODAY’S WORLD: “The growing animosity toward the United States from many people in the world, and the instability that it may bring to our country. I’m also concerned about the widening gap between the haves and the have-nots in this country and the world.”