Clayton Glasgow is a student at the University of Notre Dame, pursuing a masters in science education, a high school science teacher in the Cleveland, OH area and a participant in the most recent Young Voices of Science Spring 2026 session.
As part of his time in the program, Clayton wrote an op-ed titled “What the orangutan in Euclid Creek says about our relationship with nature” which was recently published in Cleveland’s main newspaper, The Plain Dealer. In this op-ed, Clayton encourages his readers to pay more attention to the natural world and biodiversity in thier own communities. Clayton urges us to understand the value and importance of native species that make our home the place that it is, and elevate the status of native speceis over those of charismatic tropial species, such as orangutans, who play no role in our local ecosystems. He does not argue that tropical regions and orangutans are unimportant — quite the contrary, but hopes readers will look around at the species surrounding us, take a few minutes to learn a few of their names, and understand the beauty of the native species immediately around us.
You can read his new op-ed here!
