Wild turkeys: what we’re learning that we thought we already knew
Main Speaker: Michael Chamberlain
Terrell Distinguished Professor of Wildlife Ecology and Management , Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources at the University of Georgia
Date: 9/6/2023
Time: 3:30 PM
Location: 107 South Hardin Hall (Auditorium)
Abstract
Wild turkeys have been extensively studied throughout their geographic range. Despite decades of foundational research, ongoing work continues to demonstrate that our working knowledge of the species’ mating system, behavior, and response to anthropogenic activities is lacking. I will present contemporary research on how hunting impacts various aspects of wild turkey behavior and vital rates, how female behavior during reproductive periods is more nuanced and complex than previously believed, and how social structure within populations reveals that dispersal in wild turkeys doesn’t function as previously inferred. Collectively, my presentation will reveal that we continue to learn many aspects about wild turkeys that we believed we already knew.Speaker's Bio
Mike Chamberlain is the Terrell Distinguished Professor of Wildlife Ecology and Management in the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources at the University of Georgia. Mike has been with the faculty at UGA for 12 years, after spending 11 years in a similar position at Louisiana State University. He obtained a B.S. from Virginia Tech, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Mississippi State University. Mike has conducted research on various wildlife species throughout his career, with much of his work focused on applied questions directed at management of those species and the landscapes they inhabit. Since his days as a graduate student, Mike has consistently conducted research on wild turkeys, with that research now spanning 25 years. In recognition of his work on wild turkeys, the National Wild Turkey Federation has presented him with the Henry S. Mosby Award for excellence in research, and the Tom Kelly Communicator Award for his social media and outreach efforts focused on wild turkey research and management.Video
Opportunities for PIs and Students in NASA Earth Science Division
Main Speaker: Jessica Burnett
AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow , National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Date: 9/13/2023
Time: 3:30 PM
Location: 107 South Hardin Hall (Auditorium)
Abstract
About NASA Earth Science NASA’s Earth Science Division (ESD) missions help us to understand our planet’s interconnected systems, from a global scale down to minute processes. ESD delivers the technology, expertise, global observations, and applications that help us map the myriad connections between our planet’s vital processes and the climate effects of ongoing natural and human-caused changes. Using observations from satellites, instruments on the International Space Station, airplanes, balloons, ships and on land, ESD researchers collect data about the science of our planet’s atmospheric motion and composition; land cover, land use and vegetation; ocean currents, temperatures and upper-ocean life; and ice on land and sea. These data sets, which cover even the most remote areas of Earth, are freely and openly available to anyone. ESD offers end-to-end development, launch, data collection, analysis, and application of its missions, including those with partners in U.S. and international government, and the private sector. ESD also sponsors research and extends science and technology education to learners of all ages, inspiring the next generation of explorers. This informational talk will feature the key ways in which UNL PIs, UNL students, and state and local decision makers (e.g., NE DNR, NGPC) can engage with the NASA Earth Science Division. Jessica will provide a brief overview of the organization of ESD, highlight the most relevant current and upcoming satellite and airborne missions, and will provide examples of projects previously funded by the NASA Biological Diversity Research & Applications program & the Ecological Conservation Applications Area. She is eager to discuss student and early career opportunities at NASA (e.g., internship program, graduate student fellowship, early career researcher award), and can provide insights on the AAAS STPF.Speaker's Bio
Dr. Jessica Burnett is a AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow and an Associate Program Manager at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. She supports the Ecological Conservation Applications Area through program management, strategy development, interagency relationship building, and targeted outreach. She plays a key role in curating relationships with government and non-government conservation partners and coalitions in North America and, especially, the U.S. She currently serves on numerous interagency committees and initiatives, including the National Invasive Species Council, the Climate Change and Biodiversity Assessment, America the Beautiful (30x30), and the National Plan for Civil Earth Observations. Jessica earned a Ph.D. in Natural Resource Sciences from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a M.Sc. and B.Sc. in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation from the University of Florida and is an alumnus of the Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit. Her disciplinary expertise centers around the intersection of applied ecology and software development.Video
Mammalian evolution, biodiversity conservation, and One Health
Main Speaker: Andrew G. Hope
Assistant Professor , Kansas State University | Division of Biology
Date: 9/20/2023
Time: 3:30 PM
Location: 107 South Hardin Hall (Auditorium)
Abstract
We, as humans, are inextricably connected to global biodiversity through our shared environments and interactions. My program of study investigates the evolutionary ecology of wildlife, with two primary goals being to 1) enhance conservation of biodiversity within increasingly perturbed environments, and 2) explore the evolutionary legacies of host-parasite-pathogen relationships. Together these priorities are adding important insights to how environmental changes shape evolutionary trajectories. In particular, we have identified numerous species, and intra-specific lineages of concern for ongoing management; shifting evolutionary relationships between hosts, parasites and disease; and important geographic regions that may be considered evolutionary hotspots for emerging host-parasite interactions, with implications for disease risks.
I will review some recent highlights of research and educational outreach from my lab, and outline some ongoing research directions for expanding mammalian molecular ecology and wildlife disease perspectives into the future. Emerging “One Health” perspectives emphasize that human well-being critically relies on healthy ecosystems and intact functional linkages among species, but as yet the overwhelming focus has been on human biomedical research: Our current and future work instead emphasizes the importance of considering human health concerns from the perspective of biodiversity in a changing world.
Speaker's Contact Information
- ahope@ksu.edu
Video
From Ideas to Images: Translating science and environmental issues into pictures for National Geographic
Main Speaker: Jim Richardson
Photographer , National Geographic
Date: 9/27/2023
Time: 3:30 PM
Location: 107 South Hardin Hall (Auditorium)
Abstract
For 35 years Jim Richardson has covered complex and challenging stories around the world for National Geographic Magazine. In this presentation he will discuss the challenges of translating science and research into compelling images that tell rich stories. Richardson became an acknowledged master at tackling difficult — but important — subjects. (His fellow National Geographic colleagues name him their “Photographer’s Photographer.”) Topics in this lecture will range from food and agriculture, soil, Scottish moors, Tallgrass Prairie, light pollution, Neolithic archeology, GMO foods, Mount St. Helens, the Ogallala Aquifer and (perhaps) the cultural and linguistic impact of the translation of the King James Bible in 1611. If prompted he will also report on his favorite Scottish islands and preferred single malt whiskies.Speaker's Bio
Jim Richardson has built his photographic career around visual storytelling by creating groundbreaking work in documentary, resource issues, environmental photography, and the critical concerns of feeding the planet. Before concentrating his working life at National Geographic for the last 30+ years he was noted for his innovative documentary narratives of rural life and adolescence that won him special recognition in the World Understanding contest three times (1975, 1976, 1977) and the Crystal AMI for best multimedia presentation in the world in 1983. For National Geographic he pioneered fresh visual narratives of water issues in the 1990’s before beginning his work on food, agricultural development, and the problems surrounding feeding our growing (and hungry) world. He speaks world-wide on food issues and his longtime fascination with the culture and landscape of Scotland. Among numerous awards he is proudest that his fellow National Geographic photographers named him their “Photographer’s Photographer” in 2014 and the people of Cuba, Kansas (Pop. 186) named him their “Honored Citizen.” He is co-founder of Eyes On Earth, an educational initiative that seeks to inspire a new generation of visual storytellers for the Anthropocene era. In 2017 Kansas State University bestowed an honorary doctorate for his work in cultural and environmental communications.Wildfire Effects on Primary Production and Lake Ice Dynamics in Sandhill Lakes
Main Speaker: Daniel Gschwentner
Doctorate of Philosophy candidate in Natural Resource Sciences with a specialization in Applied Ecology , Univerisity of Nebraska-Lincoln | School of Natural Resources
Date: 9/29/2023
Time: 3:00 PM
Location: 107 South Hardin Hall (Auditorium)
Abstract
Long ago, in a time forgotten, a wet climate threw the dunes of the Nebraska Sand Hills out of balance. Grasslands proliferated, stabilizing dune complexes as upwelling groundwater birthed a horde of shallow lakes. In a land where temperatures can exceed 100 Fahrenheit and plummet well-below freezing across the solstice seasons, change is afoot. The cold is returning, and in the frozen wastes of the Nebraska Sand Hills, ice is amassing across lakes. Yet, summer grassland wildfires abound initiating novel environmental circumstances for Sand Hill lakes. At the center of these events lies climate change, a disturbance as harsh and unyielding as the windswept and sun-bleached Sand Hills.
Sweeping from a harsh land of cold to a summertime of scorching heat, A Study of Ice and Fire tells a tale of lake ice cover, nitrogen, phosphorous and algae, who come together in the unrelenting maelstrom of biogeochemical cycles and environmental change. Here, groundwater inputs and evaporation form complex and nutrient-rich brines; seasonal and interannual variability carries limnologists off into madness; algal biomass proliferates; dissolved oxygen is consumed entirely under ice cover, ferrying fish beyond the Wall; wildfire ash blunts the advance of light into aquatic environments; nitrogen-limited lakes remain unspoiled by the hot tongue of fire; and lake ice cover waxes and wanes in accordance with atmospheric temperatures.
Amid sinking watercraft and labyrinths of undocumented R code, lab and field work, cruel budget cuts and victorious grant applications, committee meetings and conspiratorial coffee breaks, allies and crafty PhD supervisors, the story of the Sand Hill lakes unfolds, as intrepid students endeavor to survive that deadliest of conflicts: graduate school.
Speaker's Bio
Daniel received his bachelor’s degree from Loughborough University, UK, where he was introduced to limnology and the study of lake sediments. At UNL, Daniel has studied the ecology and chemistry of alkaline and saline Sand Hill lakes in western Nebraska. His research focuses on the interactions between primary production, nutrient cycling and water chemistry in lake systems as well as lake response to environmental disturbances. Daniel is grateful to have received funding from the Daugherty Water For Food Institute, the USGS, and the NSF through the STOICH-project.Mammal Ecology
Main Speaker: Shawn Crimmins
Assistant Professor of Wildlife Ecology , University of Alaska | Biology and Wildlife
Date: 10/4/2023
Time: 3:30 PM
Location: 107 South Hardin Hall (Auditorium)
Speaker's Contact Information
- smcrimmins2@alaska.edu
Nebraska Water climate and health
Main Speaker: Jesse Bell
Claire M. Hubbard Professor of Water, Climate and Health , University of Nebraska Medical Center | Department of Environmental, Agricultural, and Occupational Health
Date: 10/18/2023
Time: 3:30 PM
Location: 107 South Hardin Hall (Auditorium)
Speaker's Contact Information
- jesse.bell@unmc.edu
Temporal Trend and State Changes in Selected Reservoirs in Nebraska
Main Speaker: Uchechukwu Ogbenna
Doctorate of Philosophy candidate in Natural Resource Sciences with a specialization in Applied Ecology , Univerisity of Nebraska-Lincoln | School of Natural Resources
Date: 10/20/2023
Time: 3:00 PM
Location: 107 South Hardin Hall (Auditorium)
Range expansion and ecology of birds in the Great Plains
Main Speaker: Jacob C. Cooper
Assistant Professor , Univeristy of Nebraska-Kearney | Biology
Date: 10/25/2023
Time: 3:30 PM
Location: 107 South Hardin Hall (Auditorium)
Speaker's Contact Information
- cooperj2@unk.edu
TBD
Main Speaker: Katie Pekarek
Water Quality Extension Educator , Univerisity of Nebraska-Lincoln | School of Natural Resources
Date: 11/1/2023
Time: 3:30 PM
Location: 107 South Hardin Hall (Auditorium)
Speaker's Contact Information
- kpekarek2@unl.edu
Nebraska NRCS program
Main Speaker: Britt Weiser
State Resource Conservationist , Natural Resources Conservation Service | USDA
Date: 11/8/2023
Time: 3:30 PM
Location: 107 South Hardin Hall (Auditorium)
Speaker's Contact Information
- britt.weiser@usda.gov
Global Hydrological Intelligence
Main Speaker: Jerry Wegiel
Support Scientist , National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Date: 11/15/2023
Time: 3:30 PM
Location: 107 South Hardin Hall (Auditorium)
Speaker's Contact Information
- jerry.w.wegiel@nasa.gov
Seminar & Discussions Archives
The School of Natural Resources, its faculty and affiliated programs sponsor various seminar and discussion series. Unless otherwise indicated, all are open to the public.