There’s nothing that can quite prepare you for stepping off an airplane in a foreign country of 98 million where you don’t know the language and recognize just a single face. But that’s just the position Jackson Hoover ’25 (Biology) found himself in earlier this year. He had never even needed a passport until he joined the Ron and Laura Strain Honors College. It was his capstone project which provided an opportunity to see the world with a whole new set of eyes—taking him to the stunning caves of Vietnam with the hope of discovering a new species of blind cave fish. After a bus ride of several hours, Hoover arrived at the Tiger Cave System in Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park. By volume, it’s the fourth largest cave system in the world. Discovered less than 40 years ago, it’s a UNESCO World Heritage area, filled with miles of unmapped subterranean passageways, where ceilings can stretch several hundred feet overhead. Hoover, who plans to attend medical school in the fall, is both an elite student and an elite athlete. He won the NCAA Elite 90 Award by being the wrestler with the highest GPA at the 2024 DII National Championship. It was immediately after he was done competing that he boarded the plane for his cave research over spring break, joining his capstone advisor Dr. Dean Wiseman, associate professor of biology and experienced cave explorer. Wiseman has traveled to Vietnam five times for conservation efforts. It was on one of those trips that he noticed a species of cave fish that had yet to be documented. “I think we have a fairly good shot of it being a new species,” said Hoover. Hoover and Wiseman presented preliminary findings at the National Speleological Society Convention in Tennessee in July, in part to mobilize conservation efforts in the community. Hoover hopes to complete his analysis of
ILLUMINATING SCIENCE & Igniting Passions
“Exploring the ecology of cave systems in Vietnam is the kind of unique experience that alters a person’s life in profound ways—it cannot just be found in a classroom. “ - Dr. James B. Williams, Dean of the Ron & Laura Strain Honors College
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UNIVERSITY OF INDIANAPOLIS
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