Serge Koenig has a passion about protecting the outdoor environment. He encourages all kids to consider a career as a scientist. 

Exploring Madagascar as a kid

“When you know something, you want to protect it.” Hooked on the outdoors from an early age, Serge Koenig (he/him/his) continues to follow his passion: after spending a lot of time outdoors, Serge decided that he wanted those spaces to be better, and to be there for everyone, including young kids today. The first 11 years of Serge’s life was spent in Madagascar.

With his family, Serge fished, hunted, cooked, and played outdoors. They spent a lot of time swimming in the rivers, climbing trees, eating mangoes, and watching lemurs.

New places to explore

When Serge moved to the United States, his family continued to spend a lot of time outdoors. This passion for protecting the outdoor environment led Serge to pursue becoming a scientist. Not surprisingly, Serge has devoted his career as a scientist to immersing himself fully into the outdoors. Serge feels that his role as a Land and Water Resources Scientist with the Sauk County Land Resources and Environment Department fits him well.

Helping people care for Wisconsin

The area to which Serge now belongs is in southwest Wisconsin, in Sauk County, slightly north of Madison, Wisconsin. In his role as a Land and Resources Scientist, Serge spends a lot of time working with people to help them take care of their land. For example, Serge helps maintain the health of the water we drink, and the water we may swim in. In order to maintain the health of water, Serge studies: wetlands; streams; soils; trees; lakes; rivers; and, farm animals. With the goal of maintaining healthy water and land, when Serge helps farmers manage their animals’ impact on surrounding water and land, he has a positive impact on protecting the Earth.

Serge says "Go for it!"

Serge is very proud of being Black, a scientist, and an outdoor enthusiast. In reflecting on his career, Serge asserts, “In the science community, there aren’t as many African Americans. We need more diverse people in the science field.” Serge would love to change that. Therefore, Serge hopes that by seeing people like him pursue a career in science, it may spark a similar passion among more diverse groups of young people. As Serge says, “Like so many things in life - GO FOR IT! Don’t let how things look intimidate you from following your passion. Pursue it. Read about it, watch videos about it, and pursue it with passion.”