On February 15-16, School of Natural Resources presenters Amanda Bergeron-Bauer and Carly Johns spoke to high school students about potential natural resource career paths. Bergeron-Bauer and Johns were among several presenters participating in UNL’s 15th annual Nebraska Women in Science conference. 16 panelists from various scientific backgrounds spoke about their industries and offered particular tips to youths interested in entering scientific fields.
Amanda Bergeron-Bauer, SNR’s recruitment coordinator, hosted activities to spur interest in SNR programs. These activities included a trivia wheel that focused on SNR majors and the National Drought Mitigation Center’s "Meteoropoly," a game that teaches about weather-related phenomena. Additionally, fisheries and wildlife senior Carly Johns spoke about the different opportunities available to students through the SNR.
The visiting students’ reactions to SNR’s events appeared positive. “Participants seemed to enjoy the trivia,” said Bergeron-Bauer. “They kept wanting to spin our wheel.”
The high school students also participated in activities ranging from DNA extraction to plant pathogen experiments. In total, students from more than 20 schools attended the event.
This event was the 15th Nebraska Women in Science Conference, which offers high school girls the opportunity to explore scientific fields and interact with professional women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Approximately 100 local high school girls attended this weekend’s conference.