UNK TODAY
18 | Saturday, August 24, 2024
ASK AN ANTELOPE Peterson brings outdoor experience to biology program
Discuss your role as coordinator of
UNK COMMUNICATIONS E new hunters. Peterson and his family harvest numerous deer each year, allowing them to give venison to others who enjoy it. The coordinator of UNK’s online master’s program in biology also opens his ga- rage to students who need a place to clean their deer. Peterson’s passion for the outdoors extends to his re- search, as well. The Omaha native grad- uated from UNK in 2000 with a bachelor’s degree in wildlife biology and 2002 with a master’s degree in biology. He enjoys providing the same research opportu- nities he had as a student. “While a student at UNK, several faculty members and mentors – and now friends – provided me with several opportunities that I could not pass up,” Peterson said. “Though my goals were to work full time in the fish and wildlife field, my cur- rent position primarily focuses on helping online students, as well as helping on-campus graduate stu- dents working in fisheries and wildlife. So, I still get the opportunity to get my hands slimy and dirty.” Currently, Peterson’s re- search is focused on white- tailed deer behavior, antler growth and morphology. After 15 years of hiking in the woods, he’s collected a “substantial” dataset of naturally cast antlers, which his students investigate. If students need to complete a project during a shorter time frame, they utilize camera traps to passively collect data while limit- ing the time required in the field. very fall and winter, Brian Peterson is in the woods hunting deer or mentoring
the online master’s program in biology. As coordinator of the online master’s in biology program, I serve as the first point of contact for pro- spective students inquir- ing about the program. My job is to advise, reassure and guide these students through the process from application to graduation. Through conferences and word of mouth, I also work to recruit new students into the Master of Science in Bi- ology program or other re- lated online master’s pro- grams at UNK. Additionally, I assist 10-15 thesis-based, on-campus graduate teach- ing and research assistant students seeking their mas- ter’s degrees within the bi- ology department. What sets UNK’s online biology program apart from other colleges and universities? UNK’s fully online mas- ter’s in biology program was the first of its kind, and in
UNK COMMUNICATIONS
Every fall and winter, Brian Peterson is in the woods hunting deer or mentoring new hunters.
Tell us more about your research. The focus of my position at UNK is to assist graduate students, so I am not re- quired to conduct research. However, I have a passion for the outdoors and inves- tigating wildlife-related research questions. There- fore, I rely on collaborations with fellow UNK biologists to assist graduate and un- dergraduate students. I’ve mentored students in the Undergraduate Research Fellows, Summer Student Research and Thompson Scholars programs. The focus of my research has changed over the years from investigating fisher- ies, zooplankton, soils bi-
ology, endangered and ex- otic species, water quality, genetics and herpetology to range expansions and white-tailed deer. Many studies resulted in peer- reviewed publications for more than 20 undergradu- ate and graduate students. It is important the stu- dents share their research findings with the field, and many of these stu- dents present their work at Wildlife Society, American Fisheries Society and UNK Research Day conferences and meetings. Each year current and former students assist me at the Fort Kearny Out- door Expo, where we teach fourth and fifth graders the difference between horns
Management Association’s Quality Whitetails Maga- zine. Most recently, I dis- cussed 15 years of research findings on the National Deer Association’s “Coffee and Deer Podcast.”
and antlers, conduct our very own shed hunt and investigate our findings. I share a lot of our findings in popular articles written for Nebraskaland Maga- zine and the Quality Deer
Please see PETERSON, Page 24
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