School of Natural Resources Elevator Speech Contest 2016

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05/03/2016 Added

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The third annual SNR Elevator Speech Contest showcased student research in undergraduate, masters and doctorate categories. Each speaker has three minutes and one graphic to present their topic to the panel. Here are some of 2016 best presentations.

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[00:00:00.000](lively percussion and piano music)
[00:00:24.479]Welcome to the 2016 School of Natural Resources
[00:00:27.884]Elevator Speech Contest.
[00:00:30.228]I'm John Carroll, Director of the school.
[00:00:33.556]We in the science world often confuse
[00:00:36.425]being serious and professional
[00:00:39.051]with being sort of boring.
[00:00:42.058]Science conferences often have audiences
[00:00:45.058]who act like they are at a classical music concert.
[00:00:50.226]All right, tonight we're not going to do that.
[00:00:54.087]Tonight we're gonna go for the rock concert
[00:00:57.778]or something along those lines
[00:01:00.404]in terms of our audience partipation.
[00:01:05.323]I'm Matt Joeckel.
[00:01:06.724]How are you all doing tonight?
[00:01:08.651](audience responds)
[00:01:09.609]Thank you, that's great.
[00:01:10.442]I'm not, thank you for asking.
[00:01:12.342]Glad you're all here.
[00:01:14.281]It's a great event.
[00:01:15.114]I notice even I have a biography in here.
[00:01:17.900]And I'll read from it to you.
[00:01:20.032]It says here, "He is an outstanding scientist
[00:01:22.530]"with a long history of working on important issues
[00:01:25.234]in the state of Nebraska."
[00:01:26.632]Who writes this copy?
[00:01:27.910]That's what I wanna know.
[00:01:29.633]Well I'm flattered.
[00:01:31.602]I'm happy to be here tonight.
[00:01:33.661]Before we actually get into the competition,
[00:01:35.141]first I wanna ask is,
[00:01:36.416]are all the people who are doing timing and judging
[00:01:38.474]and other stuff ready?
[00:01:41.184]So, while Mark's leading 'em up,
[00:01:44.638]we'll kind of shake it off here.
[00:01:45.998]We're gonna have our undergraduates first.
[00:01:48.835]There's an old African proverb that goes,
[00:01:51.525]"If you think you're too small to make a difference,
[00:01:54.401]"try sleeping in a room with a single mosquito."
[00:01:57.529]It's not the quantity that matters,
[00:01:59.456]it's the quality.
[00:02:00.857]And that's why I chose to do qualitative research
[00:02:04.031]on the human dimensions
[00:02:05.839]associated with environmental issues.
[00:02:08.548]The purpose of my research was
[00:02:10.354]to uncover and address the barriers
[00:02:12.980]that are preventing students right here at UNL
[00:02:15.816]from achieving sustainability.
[00:02:18.117]Now, when we hear the word barrier,
[00:02:20.006]we think of something big,
[00:02:21.809]something in the way,
[00:02:22.997]things like dams or mountains, or, more recently,
[00:02:26.327]that wall that Trump wants to build, right?
[00:02:28.825]While all of these are correct,
[00:02:30.965]I'm talking about behavioral barriers,
[00:02:33.762]the things that affect the way we think
[00:02:36.107]and, in turn, influence how we act.
[00:02:38.914]In order to uncover these barriers,
[00:02:41.133]my team and I asked 50 students
[00:02:43.397]a series of in-depth interview questions
[00:02:46.104]involving the factors influencing
[00:02:48.281]their sustainable habits on campus.
[00:02:50.953]After analyzing these interviews,
[00:02:53.137]we were able to uncover the nine main barriers
[00:02:56.750]to sustainable behavior
[00:02:58.469]as well as the percentage of students interviewed
[00:03:01.230]that are affected by each.
[00:03:03.165]Now, the very last question we asked each student was,
[00:03:07.268]"Do you think your actions alone can make a difference?"
[00:03:11.050]And 100% of those interviewed said no.
[00:03:14.499]This pertains to the barrier of efficacy
[00:03:16.926]seen in the center.
[00:03:18.485]So, now how do we address this barrier
[00:03:21.276]and the remainder of the other barriers as well?
[00:03:24.323]My team and I have recently been working with facilities
[00:03:27.451]on campus to create a social marketing campaign
[00:03:31.280]that aims to address the awareness
[00:03:33.463]and skepticism behind these sustainability issues
[00:03:37.360]by showing students how they can both individually
[00:03:40.690]and collectively make an impact on campus.
[00:03:44.303]Whether that be by increasing the total amount
[00:03:47.183]of recycled material,
[00:03:48.749]which is currently around 36%,
[00:03:51.709]or decrease the 9,000 pounds of food waste
[00:03:55.233]our five dining halls generate every week.
[00:03:59.098]Our campaign strategy involves
[00:04:00.990]the use of promotional appealing messages
[00:04:04.235]that not only show students how they can make a difference,
[00:04:07.689]but also the results of their efforts.
[00:04:11.312]If each one of us takes responsibility for our own actions
[00:04:15.296]and believes that they truly can make an impact,
[00:04:18.289]we will see changes happen on a campus-wide scale.
[00:04:22.598]In conclusion, behavior change in humans
[00:04:25.301]is the real barrier standing between
[00:04:27.807]the world we live in now
[00:04:29.451]and a more sustainable planet in the future.
[00:04:32.618]But we must take these steps now
[00:04:35.124]to change our actions, alter our mentalities,
[00:04:38.036]and decrease our ecological footprints
[00:04:40.426]because the future lies before us
[00:04:42.722]like a field of fallen snow
[00:04:44.864]but we must be careful how we tread it
[00:04:46.917]for every step will show.
[00:04:48.725]Thank you.
[00:04:49.827](audience applause)
[00:04:51.595]Growing up, my summers were spent
[00:04:53.530]at my my family's cabin by the lake.
[00:04:55.749]There weren't a lot of other kids around
[00:04:57.348]so my favorite pastime was turtle catching.
[00:05:01.166]There was one spot in the lake
[00:05:02.774]where I knew that the turtles loved
[00:05:03.857]to line up in the sun on a fallen log,
[00:05:06.120]and I became so good at catching them
[00:05:07.971]that I could fill the whole paddle boat up
[00:05:09.902]to go home and show my mom.
[00:05:12.001]And at the end of the day,
[00:05:12.907]we would release the turtles at the end of our dock.
[00:05:15.917]Every day I did this and every day
[00:05:19.001]the log was once again full of turtles.
[00:05:22.008]This got me thinking,
[00:05:23.906]if I release the turtles off the end of our dock,
[00:05:26.422]how do they know how to find their way home?
[00:05:28.890]Now my research focuses on the cognitive abilities
[00:05:32.882]of aquatic turtles.
[00:05:34.360]Specifically, what cues do they use
[00:05:36.544]to find their way from one place to another?
[00:05:40.454]Until recently, turtles were thought to be unintelligent
[00:05:43.741]compared to other animals
[00:05:44.975]because they performed poorly
[00:05:46.002]in past cognitive studies.
[00:05:48.271]The problem with those studies
[00:05:49.625]is that they were performed under conditions
[00:05:51.394]that might be ideal for a mouse or a cat
[00:05:54.268]but not conducive to reptiles.
[00:05:56.525]In some recent studies, tortoises have shown the ability
[00:05:58.993]to strategize and to learn simple tasks
[00:06:02.160]by watching other tortoises.
[00:06:04.305]This is fairly advanced thinking
[00:06:05.866]that was once thought impossible by reptiles.
[00:06:09.238]In my research, I've taken aspects
[00:06:11.010]of these tortoise studies
[00:06:12.329]and applied them to aquatic turtles.
[00:06:16.110]My first two trials used mazes.
[00:06:18.676]The problem with the maze system
[00:06:20.439]was that the turtles are more interested
[00:06:22.211]in exploring their new environment,
[00:06:24.794]than in finding the food at the end of the maze.
[00:06:27.477]This problem forced me to reevaluate
[00:06:29.744]and I realized that if I wanted to study a turtle,
[00:06:32.340]I needed to think like a turtle.
[00:06:34.686]So, for my current trials,
[00:06:36.003]I'm using a grid system
[00:06:37.399]set up on the bottom of each turtle's tank.
[00:06:39.831]And I feed them in the same location on the grid every time.
[00:06:43.567]Now, once they've learned where to find their food,
[00:06:46.191]I will begin changing the cues in their environment
[00:06:49.344]such as rocks and plants.
[00:06:51.394]And I'll determine whether or not
[00:06:53.168]this affects their ability to find their food.
[00:06:55.751]So far, this system has been much more successful,
[00:06:58.378]because the trials are taking place
[00:07:00.143]in the turtle's normal environment.
[00:07:04.051]Although I'm using snapping turtles for my study,
[00:07:06.108]the goal is that the this research
[00:07:07.547]can be applied the conservation of endangered species
[00:07:09.932]such as the critically endangered Blanding's turtle
[00:07:12.412]that lives right here in Nebraska.
[00:07:15.052]Knowing how turtles learn and think
[00:07:17.400]is important to help conservationists
[00:07:19.208]design conservation corridors
[00:07:21.385]that connect fragmented habitat
[00:07:23.199]and know what these animals need to navigate this new space.
[00:07:27.817]It's also very important to me
[00:07:29.913]so that some day
[00:07:31.021]when my children fill the paddle boat up with turtles,
[00:07:33.115]and want to know how they'll find their way home,
[00:07:35.335]this time I'll have the answer.
[00:07:37.350]Thank you.
[00:07:38.251](audience applause)
[00:07:43.700]The cosmic ray neutron method.
[00:07:46.523]Sounds pretty cool doesn't it?
[00:07:48.439]It's not bad.
[00:07:50.158]Now, this is a revolutionary technology
[00:07:52.162]in mapping soil moisture.
[00:07:53.837]The golden standard in the approximate five decades
[00:07:57.847]prior to the cosmic ray neutron method
[00:08:00.179]was a single point measurement.
[00:08:02.484]We have that single point measurement
[00:08:04.039]and we are looking at soil moisture
[00:08:05.631]based on an entire field.
[00:08:08.332]With the cosmic ray neutron probe,
[00:08:09.930]we can look at the soil moisture
[00:08:11.770]across a thousand foot radius
[00:08:13.610]and about 30 centimeters into the soil
[00:08:15.990]and accurately equate that
[00:08:17.916]to the soil moisture in an entire field
[00:08:20.246]rather than just one point.
[00:08:22.128]Now, the problem that we face is a simple one.
[00:08:26.186]As we increase in our population,
[00:08:28.025]we have an increase in need for food production.
[00:08:31.053]Now, when we have that increase
[00:08:32.970]for food production, we have to find a way,
[00:08:34.600]how do we increase our yield,
[00:08:35.823]how do we continue to be able to feed
[00:08:37.991]the people that we need to feed?
[00:08:39.346]And we believe that water,
[00:08:40.778]water is the answer to that.
[00:08:42.045]So, if we can accurately quantify
[00:08:43.477]how much water is in the soil where we have our crops,
[00:08:47.867]then we can optimize how we use that water.
[00:08:52.216]Now, we have a couple different tools that we use
[00:08:55.136]when we are using our cosmic ray neutron probe.
[00:08:58.957]And one of them is this nifty little backpack down here.
[00:09:01.825]It's the bane of my existence.
[00:09:04.211]The backpack is about 60 pounds
[00:09:06.827]and walking around in the corn
[00:09:08.795]in about 115 degree micro climate,
[00:09:11.377]not the most comfortable thing to do,
[00:09:13.755]but it gives us some pretty good data.
[00:09:15.229]It gives us data on a field scale basis
[00:09:17.645]like you see down here.
[00:09:19.366]And we can equate that to,
[00:09:22.503]again, how much soil,
[00:09:24.307]or how much water is in the soil in that field.
[00:09:27.680]And the way we apply that
[00:09:30.169]to a real world application
[00:09:32.798]is we can use a technology called variable rate irrigation.
[00:09:37.470]And we can our water maps that we are creating
[00:09:39.598]to that technology that farmers are using
[00:09:43.393]and without our water maps,
[00:09:45.309]you don't know when or where you need to water.
[00:09:48.500]But if you apply our water maps,
[00:09:50.672]then we can increase yield
[00:09:53.505]by knowing when, where, how much, how little to water
[00:09:57.056]in that specific field.
[00:09:58.856]Now, we don't believe that the cosmic ray neutron probe
[00:10:01.848]is the answer to all of our water issues,
[00:10:05.242]our food issues, but we absolutely believe
[00:10:07.284]that it is a step in the right direction.
[00:10:09.416]Thank you.
[00:10:10.518](audience applause)
[00:10:11.896]Let's give another round of applause
[00:10:13.294]for all of our undergraduate speakers.
[00:10:21.404]And as we get ready here for the graduate students
[00:10:24.828]I wanna remind them I have this
[00:10:27.583]and I'm not afraid to use it.
[00:10:29.719]Something that has come into many things is a heart.
[00:10:31.282]I have a heart, you have a heart,
[00:10:34.244]and, despite what social media tells us nowadays,
[00:10:36.134]even most politicians have a heart.
[00:10:38.076]Well, for ecotourism (laughs),
[00:10:41.121](audience laughs)
[00:10:43.918]Well, for ecotourism,
[00:10:44.751]an environmentally and culturally responsible
[00:10:46.533]form of tourism,
[00:10:47.516]that heart is the ecotour guide.
[00:10:49.486]Guides play a very important role.
[00:10:51.005]They educate guests, keep them safe,
[00:10:52.816]and make sure they have an enjoyable experience.
[00:10:55.200]They also play a key role in minimizing
[00:10:56.837]the negative environmental impact of tourism.
[00:10:59.553]However, there is very little research
[00:11:01.278]outlining what types of training
[00:11:02.558]best prepare guides to play all of these roles.
[00:11:05.307]This past summer, I took on that challenge.
[00:11:07.448]I traveled to South Africa to research EcoTraining,
[00:11:10.617]one of the oldest and most reputable
[00:11:12.010]guide training programs on the continent.
[00:11:14.652]While I was there, I had the opportunity
[00:11:16.060]to go through a guide training course
[00:11:17.622]seeing first hand how guides learn
[00:11:18.898]how to handle everything from angry elephants
[00:11:21.036]to grumpy guests.
[00:11:23.055]I also had the opportunity to conduct surveys with
[00:11:24.944]and interview trainers, current and former students.
[00:11:29.212]Through this qualitative and quantitative data,
[00:11:31.027]I was able to gain valuable insight
[00:11:32.678]into the training philosophy
[00:11:34.537]and the methods adopted by EcoTraining
[00:11:36.562]as well as the outcomes and limitations
[00:11:37.919]of their program.
[00:11:39.155]I'd like to share a couple of those key findings with you.
[00:11:42.362]First of all, EcoTraining students do not spend their days
[00:11:45.340]sitting in lectures.
[00:11:46.308]They spend six to eight hours a day out in nature
[00:11:48.685]using all of their senses, including taste,
[00:11:51.184]to learn their trade.
[00:11:52.498]Trust me, you'll never forget why most animals
[00:11:54.384]do not eat silver cluster leaves
[00:11:55.901]after you've chewed on a couple.
[00:11:59.021]Another key characteristic
[00:12:01.153]of EcoTraining's program are it's instructors.
[00:12:03.498]During a course, students have up to
[00:12:04.895]13 different instructors.
[00:12:06.500]Each one is different but all are highly passionate
[00:12:08.679]and experienced guides.
[00:12:10.036]My instructors were so good at their job
[00:12:11.560]that they can make us as excited
[00:12:12.754]about species like lichen or millipedes
[00:12:14.978]as we were about elephants and lions.
[00:12:17.989]Spending time with these instructors
[00:12:19.012]in this amazing environment
[00:12:20.081]has a huge impact on students.
[00:12:22.178]More students reported having a stronger connection
[00:12:24.363]to nature and a stronger desire
[00:12:25.892]to protect it after training.
[00:12:28.441]These impacts were also evident in the survey data.
[00:12:30.497]I found that once they become guides,
[00:12:32.105]most students practice environmentally responsible behaviors
[00:12:34.588]most or all the time.
[00:12:36.029]I also found a statistically significant correlation
[00:12:38.249]between transformational leadership scores
[00:12:40.725]and or guiding competency scores
[00:12:42.662]suggesting that once students succeed in training,
[00:12:45.523]they have a high potential for becoming leaders
[00:12:47.130]in their field, capable of influencing
[00:12:48.656]the environmental ethics of other guides
[00:12:50.387]and their tourists.
[00:12:52.615]So, based on my research,
[00:12:53.931]it is clear that EcoTraining's program produces
[00:12:55.814]competent guides that are motivated
[00:12:57.288]to put their heart into their career.
[00:12:59.269]This research is very important
[00:13:00.669]because if we can uncover how to create
[00:13:01.940]more training opportunities like this one,
[00:13:03.871]we will be able to keep the heart
[00:13:05.103]of this environmentally responsible industry beating strong.
[00:13:07.617]Thank you.
[00:13:09.138](audience applause)
[00:13:11.256]All right, thank you.
[00:13:12.450]So, I study the factors that affect recreational fishermen,
[00:13:15.506]or angler, fishing location within a water body.
[00:13:18.935]To improve angler satisfaction,
[00:13:21.126]we first need to understand where and why anglers fish.
[00:13:24.831]Now, a satisfied angler is an angler
[00:13:26.689]that's gonna return year after year
[00:13:28.254]and purchase a fishing license.
[00:13:30.024]And that translates into funds for conservation.
[00:13:32.906]So, if we improve angler satisfaction,
[00:13:35.002]we increase funding for conservation.
[00:13:37.921]So, a simple explanation might be
[00:13:39.971]that anglers choose to fish,
[00:13:41.412]either where there are fish
[00:13:43.055]or where they catch fish.
[00:13:45.071]So, in these scenarios we would expect
[00:13:47.210]that within a water body,
[00:13:48.609]if we were to look at the distribution of anglers,
[00:13:51.238]it would match the distribution of fish or catch rates.
[00:13:55.306]However, multiple studies have shown,
[00:13:57.971]that even after we take into account differences in skill
[00:14:02.054]and an imperfect knowledge of where fish are,
[00:14:05.344]anglers do not match distribution of fish.
[00:14:09.583]So, instead I decided to tackle the question of catch rates.
[00:14:12.664]And I did this in a put and take fishery.
[00:14:15.384]In a put and take fishery,
[00:14:17.522]recreationally sought-after, catchable size fish
[00:14:20.441]are stocked, or put, for recreational anglers to take.
[00:14:25.994]Now, if you look behind me to my upper right,
[00:14:28.049]you'll see our water body.
[00:14:29.451]The darker areas represent where higher rates
[00:14:32.784]or more fish per hour were being caught.
[00:14:35.334]The lighter areas represent fewer fish per hour.
[00:14:38.085]And those blue dots represent
[00:14:39.812]where the anglers were during this time.
[00:14:42.081]Now, the anglers watched the fish go into the water body
[00:14:44.595]and they're able to watch other anglers
[00:14:46.405]on that water body catching fish.
[00:14:48.544]So, they can use that information
[00:14:50.068]on other anglers' catch rates
[00:14:51.790]to decide where they wanna fish.
[00:14:53.641]However, even though most anglers appear to be distributed
[00:14:56.561]where we think they would be with high catch rates,
[00:14:58.573]a substantial number are in less than ideal locations.
[00:15:01.819]As we move through time
[00:15:03.216]and our catch rates they start to become equivalent
[00:15:05.434]throughout this water body,
[00:15:06.669]we see that more and more anglers
[00:15:08.606]are redistributing themselves.
[00:15:11.849]Now, this isn't surprising when we consider
[00:15:13.987]what's going on here.
[00:15:14.987]Recreational angling is just that.
[00:15:17.284]It's recreation and the point of recreation
[00:15:19.214]is to gain satisfaction.
[00:15:21.150]And while it's obviously satisfactory for an angler
[00:15:23.746]to catch a fish, it isn't the only factor.
[00:15:26.902]Other factors, including fishing
[00:15:28.515]in a pleasing, aesthetic environment
[00:15:30.439]or fishing further away from other anglers
[00:15:32.824]to gain a sense of solitude are also important.
[00:15:35.905]Now, each individual angler
[00:15:37.346]is weighing these different variables,
[00:15:39.124]and they're trying to maximize their satisfaction.
[00:15:41.718]We see this because, as the catch rates drop,
[00:15:43.646]more and more anglers choose to move to a new site
[00:15:46.524]that maximizes that satisfaction for them.
[00:15:49.361]So, how do we manage for this?
[00:15:51.209]We wanna think about how to manage for satisfaction
[00:15:53.626]and in a put and take fishery,
[00:15:54.813]the answer is surprisingly simple.
[00:15:56.619]We can think about stocking multiple locations
[00:15:58.886]throughout the entire water body
[00:16:00.528]to increase these catch rates for all anglers
[00:16:02.916]while allowing them to fish where they prefer.
[00:16:05.972]In doing so, we can use catch rates
[00:16:07.908]as a tool for satisfaction
[00:16:09.757]and increase funding for conservation.
[00:16:11.528]Thank you for your time.
[00:16:13.012](audience applause)
[00:16:15.830]Raise your hand if you've ever caught a fish.
[00:16:18.231]Awesome, so most of you know the exciting feeling
[00:16:20.249]of finally reeling in a catch.
[00:16:21.707]What do you think about?
[00:16:23.114]If you're a skilled angler,
[00:16:24.062]you're probably thinking about the fight.
[00:16:26.168]If you're like me,
[00:16:27.072]you're probably just excited
[00:16:28.223]that there's something other than bait
[00:16:29.500]at the end of your line.
[00:16:30.965]But, do you ever contemplate what drove that fish
[00:16:32.532]to take the bait?
[00:16:33.813]Was it hungry, was it naïve?
[00:16:35.631]What about it's personality?
[00:16:37.776]Laugh if you want, but fish have personalities.
[00:16:40.209]It might not be like yours or mine,
[00:16:41.988]but they exhibit repeatable behaviors across contexts.
[00:16:44.961]And these behaviors
[00:16:47.951]are best measured on a boldness continuum.
[00:16:50.133]So, some fish are more bold, active and aggressive,
[00:16:52.857]and others are more shy, inactive and timid.
[00:16:57.473]So, who cares?
[00:16:58.306]Why does it matter if fish have personalities?
[00:17:00.442]Well, there's a lot of reasons
[00:17:01.801]but I'm gonna focus on a few.
[00:17:02.997]First, bold fish are more likely to be caught by anglers.
[00:17:06.628]And this is important because if we're selecting
[00:17:08.602]for a specific personality by removing bold fish
[00:17:11.366]more often than shy fish,
[00:17:12.807]then might ultimately end up with populations
[00:17:14.633]full of shy fish.
[00:17:16.410]This can have a lot of implications
[00:17:17.816]for population dynamics like reproduction.
[00:17:21.397]Additionally, it's thought that bold inviduals
[00:17:23.665]might be better dispersers.
[00:17:25.641]So, in light of things like climate change,
[00:17:27.187]we may be harming the population by removing individuals
[00:17:29.854]that are more likely to colonize elsewhere.
[00:17:37.054]If those aren't enough reasons
[00:17:38.537]to care about whether or not a fish is bold or shy,
[00:17:41.252]what if I told you that an individual's personality
[00:17:43.599]may affect the outcome of your next fishing trip?
[00:17:46.307]Research shows that catch and release oriented
[00:17:49.208]sport fish populations
[00:17:50.366]may alter their behavior to avoid future capture.
[00:17:53.152]And if this is true,
[00:17:53.985]if fish are altering their behavior
[00:17:56.080]to avoid the negative stimulus of being caught and released,
[00:18:00.008]then perhaps this has something to do
[00:18:02.178]with their personality.
[00:18:03.458]If a bold fish is more likely to get caught,
[00:18:05.728]is it also more likely to get repeatedly caught?
[00:18:08.157]What about shy fish?
[00:18:09.555]These are the questions that my Master's research
[00:18:11.246]is hoping to shed some light on.
[00:18:13.514]To do this, we set up a series of experiments
[00:18:15.283]in the lab with individual rock bass
[00:18:17.307]and they go through behavioral tests
[00:18:19.248]to determine their individual personalities.
[00:18:21.436]Then they're fished over seven consecutive days
[00:18:24.323]to see if they alter their behavior
[00:18:26.099]to avoid the negative stimulus of being caught.
[00:18:31.234]We hope to see, we're using different treatments
[00:18:34.172]so, in some cases we have wax worms
[00:18:36.273]and in some cases we have a lure with a wax worm
[00:18:38.218]to attempt to tease out
[00:18:39.620]what complicates and what facilitates learning.
[00:18:42.703]Additionally, we're looking at hunger
[00:18:44.752]to see it's overall role in the process.
[00:18:47.056]Hopefully at the outcome of my research,
[00:18:48.617]we'll have a better idea of how these individuals respond
[00:18:51.960]to the negative stimulus of being caught and released.
[00:18:54.518]Whether or not that has anything to do
[00:18:56.631]with their individual personalities
[00:18:58.652]and maybe the next time you go fishing,
[00:19:00.470]you'll be a little bit more curious
[00:19:01.876]about what drove the fish on the end of your line
[00:19:03.568]to take the bait.
[00:19:04.933]Thank you.
[00:19:05.766](audience applause)
[00:19:08.377]Very, very nice.
[00:19:10.208]Let's give it up for all of our Master's candidates here.
[00:19:13.917](audience applause)
[00:19:20.857]We're going on to our PhD students, and hi.
[00:19:25.108]Challenge only becomes an obstacle when you bow to it.
[00:19:28.247]I love this quote and it applies to many things in life.
[00:19:31.800]As an insect biologist, I often get the question,
[00:19:34.440]"Why do you study those stupid little insects
[00:19:37.002]when you could study cool mammals or reptiles?"
[00:19:40.267]But what if I told you
[00:19:41.669]that a small beetle can better cope
[00:19:43.111]with climate change and pollution than us humans?
[00:19:45.721]And by studying them, we can use their strategies
[00:19:49.109]to solve our problems.
[00:19:51.085]Let me tell you how.
[00:19:53.025]Imagine that you're a small beetle
[00:19:54.920]and you have to fight over food in order to stay alive.
[00:19:56.939]Now, in front of you is a pool
[00:19:58.918]full of delicious dead insects.
[00:20:01.224]The problem?
[00:20:02.169]It's a thermal pool in Yellowstone National Park
[00:20:04.486]of about 160 degrees fahrenheit
[00:20:06.961]and full of toxic heavy metals like lead and mercury.
[00:20:10.602]But if you you're able to survive,
[00:20:12.246]you can enjoy an all-you-can-eat buffet.
[00:20:15.202]Quite the challenge, isn't it?
[00:20:16.685]Well, that's exactly what the Wet Salts tiger beetles
[00:20:19.001]were able to do.
[00:20:20.199]But how in the world are they able to survive
[00:20:22.386]in this water?
[00:20:23.719]It's a unique behavior that's never been documented before
[00:20:26.672]and discovering its secrets will be my challenge.
[00:20:30.302]This summer I'll be going to Yellowstone National Park
[00:20:32.825]to investigate this.
[00:20:34.141]So, basically imagine me laying on the ground
[00:20:36.783]observing these beetles for hours
[00:20:38.722]in an area full of bears, bison, wolves,
[00:20:41.613]and steaming hot water.
[00:20:43.798]So, yeah, health insurance.
[00:20:46.145](audience laughs)
[00:20:48.211]One technique the beetles might use to prevent overheating
[00:20:50.726]is the use of a water bubble.
[00:20:52.586]If you take a close look at the top left picture,
[00:20:55.141]you might be able to see a water bubble
[00:20:56.794]underneath the beetle's body.
[00:20:58.696]It reduces heat, similar to when humans sweat
[00:21:01.048]to release heat.
[00:21:02.371]A different possibility is the use of
[00:21:04.227]heat shock proteins shown in the bottom figure.
[00:21:07.704]On the left you have a normal folded protein.
[00:21:10.104]And with extreme temperatures it will unfold.
[00:21:13.072]Then heat shock proteins are released
[00:21:14.560]and they will attach to this protein
[00:21:16.457]and help it refold again,
[00:21:17.858]therefore restoring the cell's function.
[00:21:20.833]Humans also have heat shock proteins
[00:21:22.855]and through unraveling the mystery for the beetles,
[00:21:25.080]we could reduce the risk of overheating for humans as well.
[00:21:29.704]Also, heavy metals are very bad for the environment
[00:21:32.846]and through learning how these beetles can cope
[00:21:34.860]with these extreme levels,
[00:21:36.220]we could reduce the risk to our environments.
[00:21:39.099]Then lastly, climate change is causing some areas
[00:21:41.523]to get warmer, some colder, some drier,
[00:21:43.949]and others more wet,
[00:21:45.472]and if we look for animals with similar traits
[00:21:47.537]and behaviors to the the Wet Salts tiger beetles,
[00:21:49.845]we could predict which animals can better cope
[00:21:52.115]at higher temperatures
[00:21:53.679]and, therefore, allocating the right funding
[00:21:55.831]to help save the right animals.
[00:21:58.997]A challenge only becomes an obstacle when you bow to it.
[00:22:02.344]These beetles were able to overcome a huge challenge.
[00:22:05.433]So, my question is,
[00:22:07.244]are we going to let climate change and pollution
[00:22:09.507]become an impossible obstacle to us?
[00:22:12.355]I say, "Hey, challenge, bring it on."
[00:22:16.686]Thank you.
[00:22:17.631](audience applause)
[00:22:19.742]You're probably all familiar
[00:22:21.145]with the canary in the coal mine.
[00:22:23.349]If miners notice that their caged canary coworkers
[00:22:25.996]kicked the bucket while they were under ground,
[00:22:27.936]they knew it was time to get the hell out of Dodge or die.
[00:22:31.360]I am most passionate about identifying and understanding
[00:22:34.044]the patterns of nature that occur in areas
[00:22:35.567]where humans thrive, cities.
[00:22:38.498]Generally, my research asks questions like,
[00:22:40.468]which wildlife species die, survive, or thrive
[00:22:43.960]in urban areas and why?
[00:22:46.474]To approach questions like this,
[00:22:48.005]I work with a delightful, yet gang-like
[00:22:50.328]group of bird species some people like to call trash birds.
[00:22:54.047]And you probably already guessed it,
[00:22:55.575]my favorite trash bird species is the House Sparrow.
[00:22:58.876]Now, historically, the House Sparrow has thrived
[00:23:00.975]wherever humans are.
[00:23:02.378]From your family farm to the downtown McDonalds dumpsters,
[00:23:05.932]they were there.
[00:23:07.212]However, the House Sparrow seems to be losing its ability
[00:23:09.892]to coexist alongside humans.
[00:23:12.111]Over the past 20 or 30 years,
[00:23:14.059]the House Sparrow has been declining in cities worldwide
[00:23:16.666]and researchers just don't know why.
[00:23:19.189]Have any of you heard that old joke,
[00:23:21.486]"How many PhDs does it take to screw in a light bulb?"
[00:23:24.205]Well, in the case of the declining House Sparrow,
[00:23:27.052]it's taken at least 30 years worth.
[00:23:29.191]My Master's thesis research at the University of Florida
[00:23:31.916]took me down that path,
[00:23:33.282]trying to understand why they're declining in cities.
[00:23:36.084]Generally, I found that House Sparrows aren't doing
[00:23:38.504]so good in our backyards.
[00:23:40.030]And I found evidence suggesting
[00:23:41.675]that House Sparrows may be responding negatively
[00:23:44.185]to an increase in canopy cover.
[00:23:46.490]In other words, the more trees there are
[00:23:48.626]in your neighborhood and the bigger those trees are,
[00:23:50.558]the worse off this bird may be.
[00:23:53.231]Now, I know that none of us probably agree
[00:23:55.702]that the House Sparrow is the most majestic species alive,
[00:23:58.621]but I hope that we can agree that the House Sparrow
[00:24:00.924]represents something pretty important.
[00:24:02.864]And that is the ability of other species
[00:24:04.800]to live alongside us.
[00:24:06.412]Now, it's really easy to assume
[00:24:08.348]that we as humans are alone
[00:24:09.829]in these urban jungles we call cities,
[00:24:11.596]but we are, in fact, drivers and passengers
[00:24:14.391]in the many processes occurring in nature,
[00:24:17.033]and because urbanization directly affects these processes,
[00:24:20.914]it's vital that we identify
[00:24:22.478]which wildlife species die, survive, or thrive
[00:24:26.118]in urban areas and why.
[00:24:28.431]So, the next time you're feeling disconnected from nature,
[00:24:31.611]I suggest going downtown, dropping a Dorito on the ground,
[00:24:35.081]and watching a couple of House Sparrows fight it out
[00:24:37.539]over that Dorito.
[00:24:38.819]And ask yourself this question,
[00:24:40.507]is the House Sparrow the canary in our urban coal mine?
[00:24:43.682]Thank you.
[00:24:44.961](audience applause)
[00:24:46.399]You may not realize it,
[00:24:47.458]but bats are everywhere in Nebraska.
[00:24:49.795]They're nestled in the leaves above you
[00:24:51.355]as you walk down the sidewalk,
[00:24:52.947]and they're under the dead bark of the tree
[00:24:54.921]at your favorite fishing hole.
[00:24:56.686]In fact, Nebraska has 13 species of bats.
[00:25:00.180]They vary in size, shape and color.
[00:25:03.140]Some hibernate in mines and caves during winter,
[00:25:06.509]while others migrate to unknown locations.
[00:25:11.923]When they return in spring,
[00:25:13.731]these bats eat up to their body weight
[00:25:16.159]in insects every night.
[00:25:18.091]That's the equivalent of you or me
[00:25:19.982]eating about half a cow's worth of steaks every day.
[00:25:23.684]Their voracious appetites contribute
[00:25:26.908]about three billion dollars
[00:25:28.147]to U.S. agricultural industry in the form of pest control.
[00:25:32.875]And about 1 billion dollars to worldwide corn production.
[00:25:36.479]Unfortunately, we may be noticing more buzzing
[00:25:40.141]in our backyards and seeing more damage to our crops
[00:25:43.097]in the coming years.
[00:25:45.072]Experts fear that bat populations
[00:25:47.702]will be unable to recover
[00:25:49.035]from the devastating effects of a disease
[00:25:50.949]called white-nose syndrome
[00:25:52.501]and the cumulative impacts of wind energy development.
[00:25:56.694]While renewable energy and wind energy
[00:25:59.277]are important parts of our future,
[00:26:01.545]there is no question that wind turbines kill bats.
[00:26:04.577]In the Great Plains, it is estimated that each turbine
[00:26:08.193]kills four to eight bats every year.
[00:26:11.600]The cumulative impact across the United States
[00:26:14.350]is estimated to be almost one million bats every year,
[00:26:18.220]a number that is rapidly rising
[00:26:20.572]as more and more turbines are placed on the landscape.
[00:26:25.588]It is important to balance our energy needs
[00:26:28.178]with those of conservation.
[00:26:31.682]My research asks the simple question
[00:26:34.854]of when and where bats are migrating.
[00:26:37.988]Since these species are the most impacted
[00:26:40.247]by wind energy development,
[00:26:42.144]answering these questions may help us
[00:26:44.818]reduce the impact to bats.
[00:26:49.544]To answer these questions,
[00:26:51.298]I've placed bat detectors
[00:26:52.569]that listen for the ecolocation calls of bats
[00:26:55.319]across the east central Nebraska landscape.
[00:26:58.197]By examining the activity levels
[00:27:00.414]in relation to landscape features and weather patterns,
[00:27:04.109]I hope to discern areas and times
[00:27:06.619]when bats are most likely to be killed by wind turbines.
[00:27:10.599]My hope is that this information could be used
[00:27:13.234]to reduce the threats wind turbines pose to bats.
[00:27:17.367]For example, if bats migrate along rivers,
[00:27:19.915]and bluff lines, we can avoid placing wind turbines
[00:27:23.035]in those areas or shut down turbines
[00:27:25.303]when bats are most likely to be killed.
[00:27:28.631]Answering these simple questions
[00:27:30.279]about the basic biology of bats
[00:27:32.214]may be the key to saving them.
[00:27:34.026]Thank you.
[00:27:35.261](audience applause)
[00:27:36.561]That's great.
[00:27:37.394]We're done with our speakers for the evening,
[00:27:39.518]but I think all of them collectively deserve
[00:27:41.826]yet another round of applause.
[00:27:43.551]Let's give it to 'em.
[00:27:45.073](audience applause)

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School of Natural Resources Elevator Speech Contest 2016

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