Keller Kopf

Hi, I'm Keller Kopf, a 2003 graduate of the School of Natural Resources as a fisheries and wildlife major.

I’m from Lincoln, Nebraska, and my father always encouraged me to do something that I would enjoy. Since I’ve always loved the outdoors, the study of fisheries and wildlife seemed like a good match. I considered other universities, but after talking to professors in the School of Natural Resources at UNL, I decided that they were the most interested in me as a person, not just a statistic.

UNL is sort of a small-college atmosphere, with plenty of personal interaction with teachers, but you still get the benefits of a major research university. You can work with professors on their research and get lots of hands-on experience. For example, I worked with pallid sturgeon, an endangered fish on the Platte River, and sturgeon chub, another endangered fish. The thing I remember most about my years at UNL is the field work on the Platte River with Dr. Peters. I was also part of a research project that studied the habits of brown bats.

One of the most memorable field trips was to the wildlife research center near Estes Park, Colorado. Nebraska’s central location is ideal for field trips south to warmer climates or to the Rocky Mountains and Minnesota’s lakes and woods for the other extreme. I was also an active member of the UNL Wildlife Club and its president.

I’m most interested in fisheries, especially marine fish, so after graduating from UNL, I decided to attend grad school where I could study those species. I am currently a graduate student at Massey University in Palmerston North, New Zealand. My research involves the feeding biology and capture stress of striped marlin off the coast. I'm hoping to eventually work as a fisheries biologist conducting research on and assisting management of pelagic (open-sea) fishes.

The broad core education that I received in fisheries and wildlife management at the School of Natural Resources will apply anywhere.