My Work is Wild
This 2021 Zoom series will explore non-traditional careers working with wildlife and animals. Each month will feature a new expert who will share with us via Zoom their educational and career path - experts like wildlife veterinarians, conservation officers, zookeepers, herpetologists and more! Geared toward high school students, but open to the entire family, My Work is Wild will be online once a month starting in January. Click on the links below to learn more about our speakers and to register!
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This event has already occurred, but you can still view it here!
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This event has already occurred, but you can still view it here!
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This event has already occurred, stay tuned to our YouTube for the recording if you missed the event!
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Chris Helzer is a conservation ecologist, photographer and published author. His photographs and essays can be seen in NEBRASKAland Magazine, Wildflower Magazine and in media for The Nature Conservancy. Chris has created ‘The Prairie Ecologist’ (prairieecologist.com), a highly successful blog about prairie ecology and education and has authored two books published by the University of Iowa Press – “The Ecology and Management of Prairies in the Central United States'' and “Hidden Prairie: Photographing Life in One Square Meter”. These all coincide with his goal of introducing the beauty, diversity and value of grasslands to everyone.
Chris is originally from Aurora, Nebraska and holds Bachelors and Masters degrees from University of Nebraska- Lincoln in wildlife biology and landscape ecology respectively. He is a member of the Nebraska Chapter of The Wildlife Society and the Grassland Restoration Network. He has studied, restored and photographed prairies for more than 25 years!
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With a Masters and PhD in Entomology, you could say Dr. Wu-Smart knows her ‘bug stuff’. But when she learned about the rainbow-colored ‘Orchid Bee’ early in her career, she became immersed in the beguiling world of bees.
Dr. Judy Wu-Smart is a California native who currently works at University of Nebraska-Lincoln in the Entomology department. She has co-written an arms-length of scientific papers and won several awards in her field- she focuses her career on pollinator health and conservation. She is also the current president of the American Association for Professional Apiculturists, an active member of the Entomological Society of America, and a board officer of the Nebraska Beekeepers Association.
When not ‘saving the bees’ she strives to incorporate art, science and nature into her everyday life and has presented at dozens of scientific conferences, guest lectures, industry conferences and public events.