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Education

High School Science Academy

Youth Education Nature Bison Science
Bison Herd at Nature Conservancy of Nebraska
Applications for the 2025-2026 School Year are open until July 25th, 2025!

NWR's High School Science Academy aims to give Omaha metro area high school students the opportunity to participate in college-level lectures and field/lab work, and nurture their interest in the biological sciences before leaving high school to support our vision of youth becoming inspired leaders in environmental conservation and the sciences. 

Previous lecture/lab topics include: Ornithology, Wildlife Medicine, Herpetology, Aquatic Ecology, Entomology, Beekeeping/Apiculture, Fungal Diversity, Forensic Entomology, Prairie Ecology and more!

All materials are provided and students are served meals and snacks at every session. If students and their families do not have access to transportation to and from sessions, it can be provided from school pick-up points at no charge in most cases

School Year Programming: (Open Registration, beginning in May)

Sessions will occur once monthly during the school year on one Tuesday Evening and one Saturday per month. Tuesday is dedicated to lecture and discussion and Saturday will consist of a corresponding lab or field work activity. 

Please note, this program runs all school year. We also do two annual field trips— one weekend overnight to see the Sandhill Crane Migration in the spring, and one 5-day trip to UNL's Cedar Point Biological Station at the end of the school year. Opportunity to attend field trips is dependent on attendance to other events. 

 

 

High School Science Academy in Action

  • Students 'suit up' to learn about apiary techniques from Dr. Carol Fassbinder-Orth from Creighton University.

  • The Nature Conservancy's Director of Science, Chris Helzer, gathers students to study prairie plants in the Nebraska sandhills.

  • Dr. James Wilson of University of Nebraska-Omaha shows our academy students how to trap and study small mammals in the field.

  • Students who join us to Cedar Point Biological Station in Ogallala get to stay for 5 days on this beautiful campus!

  • Students study small invertebrates through microscopes at Creighton University.

  • Students from the summer 2021 Cedar Point trip take a moment to watch the sun set over Lake Ogallala.

  • Canoeing in Lake Ogallala!

  • Students get hands-on experience with native wildlife under the direction of wildlife professionals.

  • Students set turtle traps under the guidance of herpetology extraordinaire, Dennis Ferraro of University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

  • Jon Garbisch of UNL takes students on a hike focused on local geology.

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We will be accepting applications starting in May 2025 until August 1, 2025 for 2025-2026 school year programming. All prospective candidates must fill out the below 'Student Interest Form' and have a teacher, counselor or mentor fill out the 'Teacher Referral Form'. Applicants must have completed at least one high school level science course and be located in the Omaha Metro area. Questions? Email education@nebraskawildliferehab.org.

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