herpetology/wildlife biology job shadow presentation

Person Shadowed

• Dennis Ferraro 
• Professor at UNL for 24 years
• Interested in becoming a herpetologist since third grade
• Went to Iowa State and got two degrees, then transferred to UNL 

While at unl i...

• Got a tour of the campus.
• Was shown Dennis's office, lab, and classrooms.
• Met a couple of his students, Dylan and Paige.
• Was shown what Dennis does for UNL.
• Got to see the animals and various experiments at the university.

I learned that...

• UNL has animals native to Nebraska
• UNL gets animals from the humane society and nurses them back to health
• Students that work in the lab at UNL get paid $10 per hour
• Students get to plan out and conduct their own experiments

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Career

• Career Cluster- Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
• Related Occupations: Wildlife Ecology, Botany, Biological Technician 
• Work Setting: Indoors in a laboratory or outdoors collecting data
• With working outdoors, you have to deal with the weather conditions

Main Tasks of a Herepetologist

• Feed and water the animals.
• Provide treatment to sick or injured animals
• Do facility cleaning- clean animal cages
• Examine animals to check for sickness
• Collect and record animal info- weight, size, physical conditions, etc.

MAin tasks of a Wildlife biologist

• Provide habitat services
• Perform duties relating to wildlife management
• Write technical documents for wildlife hazard management 
• Evaluate habitat conditions, collect data and recommend management
• Develop solutions to restore lost habitat/animals

More CAreer Information

• Skills Needed: Speaking, Negotiation, Math, Listening and more 
• Education Required: Bachelors Degree minimum
• Schools: Schools with strong background in Science, Math and English
• Wages: Median Pay of 2012- $57,710
• Job Outlook: 5% (slower than average)

Three different colleges

• Examples of schools that offer this major:
• University of Arizona in Tucson
• Colorado State in Fort Collins
• Kansas State University in Manhattan

Helpful high school courses

• Chemistry and Physics
• Mathematics
• Computer Science 
• Communication 

Positive ASpects

• Work to benefit humans and animals
• Get to work indoors and outdoors
• Work to save/keep biodiversity 

Negative Aspects

• Lower pay
• Have to work in weather conditions such as rain or the heat
• Sometimes have longer hours than usual

My Plans

• Attend College- not decided on specific schools
• Go into the career field of Wildlife Biology or Mechanical Engineering

Soucres

• http://www.bls.gov/ooh/life-physical-and-social-science/zoologists-and-wild...
• http://www.emporia.edu/biosci/undergraduate-programs/high-school-preparatio...
• http://www.ssarherps.org/pages/careers.php
• http://home.comcast.net/~wildlifebio/map.htm
• http://www.uri.edu/roadmap/uri/departments/wcb/index.html