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Students in a wildlife class practice radio telemetry, a research technique that tracts animals that have been fitted with collars that have radio transmitters. |
Research and Extension Programs
Introduction
The School of Natural Resources (SNR) conducts basic and applied research emphasizing an ecosystems approach. In solving problems related to the environment, it addresses holistically the complex of interrelated natural and managed systems. Links with the agricultural, health and social sciences allow faculty and staff to contribute to better management in agribusiness, environmental policy, and sustainable rural and urban communities.
Extension Program
The SNR Extension Program provides research-based natural resource education and information for all Nebraskans, rural and urban. It is designed to enhance lives, families, and communities. SNR uses an interdisciplinary approach well suited to engaging the university's strengths with partners and stakeholders in natural resource education.
Research Programs
Applied Climate Sciences - basic research in climate and atmospheric systems, environmental biophysics and global environmental change; much applied research in drought monitoring, preparedness and mitigation at the regional, national and international levels; High Plains climate monitoring; micrometeorology; and severe weather (note that the 'Applied Climate Sciences' link will take you to the ACS web site).
Biological Systems - agroforestry and shelterbelt (windbreak) ecology; conservation biology of plants and animals; ecological toxicology and human exposure; fisheries science; prevention of nonpoint pollution of rivers; streamside ecology; and wildlife ecology. Specific applications include: agroecosystems; carbon storage in trees, shrubs, grass and soil; ecosystem sciences; grassland ecology; landscape ecology; river and aquatic ecosystems; urban and woodland habitats.
Earth Resources - cycling of natural and human-made chemicals; environmental soil science; geological studies; land use planning and management; microbiological systems; natural resource policy and management; and soil restoration. Applied aspects include: carbon storage analysis; geologic mapping and research to support water, wetlands, building-site, waste-disposal, climate-change, minerals and natural-hazards management; post-World War II (modern) soil surveys and updates for each county; and soil remediation.
Ecosystems - Encompassing all of the above and including the specialization areas of agroecosystems; grassland ecology and management; woodland habitats; landscape ecology; carbon sequestration; climate change; streamside and aquatic systems; and urban habitats.
Geospatial Information - geospatial analysis of cultural and natural resources; global positioning systems; natural systems simulation; and remote sensing/GIS. Specific applications include use of remote sensing and GIS in: drought monitoring, analysis of land cover/land use, surface water management and nonpoint-source pollution across watersheds, site-specific agriculture, and analysis of environmental change and biological diversity.
Human Dimensions - drought mitigation; human-wildlife conflicts; natural resource management, planning, law, and economics; and rural/urban sustainability. This is an emerging area within the current School, and one that we anticipate will grow significantly in the new unit.
Water Resources - ground- and surface-water systems and their modeling; lake and wetlands ecology; soil moisture; water quality/chemistry and isotope tracking analysis. Specific applications include: water quality analyses, particularly of nitrate, other agri-chemical and sediment pollution; and water supply for agricultural, municipal, wildlife, recreation and private use.
Learning, Discovery and Engagement
