Development and mentoring of young biologists through natural history field experience

Dr. Keith Geluso has a track record of engaging undergraduate biology students at the University of Nebraska Kearney in relatively small, but relevant naturalist fieldwork to encourage their professional development. Dr. Geluso recently completed a 3-year contract with the Institute during which he mentored several undergraduate students on such projects, including herpetofauna and small mammal inventories, effects of prescribed fire, reporting of species occurrences outside their known distribution, small mammal habitat associations, and unique natural history observations (see project 2265 – Young Professional Development: Mammalian and Herptofaunal Inventories with Notes on Natural History). The Institute supports the experiential training and development of young students as vital to inspiring future generations of scientists, building knowledge, driving critical thinking and resolution of current and emerging issues, encouraging diverse perspectives and approaches in science, and promoting innovation. The objective of this project is to continue the development and mentoring of young biology students at the University through naturalist opportunities on Institute properties and subsequent analyses and publication of the field data. Specific projects will be developed by University and approved by the Institute, and some initially approved projects include: reporting on a mass turtle die-off in the Nebraska Sandhills; inadvertent mortalities of vertebrates in metal stock tanks; herptofaunal and small mammal surveys on Vermejo; investigating unusual occurrences of breeding dickcissels in foothill valleys at Vermejo; and lizard surveys in the Nebraska Sandhills.