Alumnus 杰克·沃恩 l和s opportunities on his current career path by stepping out of his comfort zone—和 encourages others to do the same.
On Friday, November 30, 2018, 杰克·沃恩 (2017 B.S. 环境研究) visited INSTP 370 to talk about his internship at Shaver’s Creek 和 his current research with timber rattlesnakes. We asked Vaughn to elaborate on his path from his time spent at 十大网投平台信誉排行榜阿尔图纳分校 through post graduation.
当沃恩刚到十大网投平台信誉排行榜阿尔图纳分校时, he wasn’t entirely sure what he wanted his major to be. 然而. after signing up for ENVST 100 with Ian Marshall 和 meeting students 和 faculty at the welcome campfire, he found he had similar interests as those who were in the program. He decided it was something he too wanted to be a part of.
Fast forward: when it came time to do his internship, Vaughn l和ed a position with the local Juniata Valley Audubon Society from August 2016–May 2017. 在他任职期间, there he focused on the conservation of central 宾西法尼亚’s native species 和 their habitats. The internship had two research components: digitizing the history of the organization 和 care 和 study of snakes at the Shaver’s Creek center. 在此期间, Vaughn also got a chance to visit several local schools in the area with the snakes 和 taught students the benefits of venomous snakes in our ecosystems.
Additionally as part of his internship, Vaughn had to develop his own conservation outreach project. Because he has always been interested in snakes, he chose to study venomous snakes native to PA. 在生物学教授吉姆·朱利安的帮助下, Vaughn quickly made connections with the animal care program director at Shaver’s Creek, 杰森·比尔. 在比尔的指导和专业知识下, Vaughn assisted in the creation of a venomous snake safety protocol for Shaver’s Creek animal care staff. Vaughn’s current project on the timber rattlesnake came about through the same channels made during his internship as well as his experience educating others about rattlesnake care.
Currently, Vaughn is maintaining a steady flow of seasonally directed positions since graduation. Seasonal work is expected due to the nature of the herpetological field. 虽然这不是长期工作, the connections 和 ongoing projects have kept him busy 和 provide great experiences. His field-related positions on the timber rattlesnake had him stationed at University Park this past summer, 由克里斯·豪伊执导. In order to do this job, he was trained in safe h和ling methods. The goal then was to work in teams to track seven snakes at different study sites using radio telemetry. A significant amount of time was spent taking mark-recapture samples of other rattlesnakes in the study site.
When asked about his favorite course or memory from his studies at 十大网投平台信誉排行榜阿尔图纳分校, Vaughn reflects fondly on a trip of a lifetime to Vienna, Austria he took in January 2017 to present his research from his snake education project at the ÖGH (Austrian Herpetological Society) annual meeting. It was a collaborative effort among faculty members Jutta Gsoels-Lorensen, 吉姆·朱利安, 和马克·邦塔. 在他们的指导下, Vaughn was able to create a suitable presentation, 和, 最重要的是, 为旅行筹集资金. 他在奥地利的时候, Vaughn spent several days exploring the city 和 culture, meeting herpetologists 和 reptile/amphibian enthusiasts from all over Europe—和 he even got to practice his German.
When asked what his one piece of advice to current students would be, 沃恩分享了这一点, “愿意走出你的舒适区. I never would have thought that I would travel outside of the country. When I was first offered the opportunity to travel to Austria, I nearly said no. If I had decided not to go, I would have missed the chance of a lifetime. [One] that ultimately, has helped me get positions in the conservation field.”
艾琳·纳赫特曼,2010年,环境研究专业