Natural Science Daily Kelby Leary

This week was one of the funnest interviews I've done thus far. We sit down with one of my idols: Erskine Academy science teacher Holly Tripp. Tripp was the first confident woman scientist I ever had as a role model. Having her as such a prominent figure in my life during my senior year of high school really helped me spring board into starting my college career. The interview bounces around from topic to topic, however the overarching theme is how hard this woman works to help students not only become better scientists, but better mini-adults as well. We talk transitioning into college, all things pandemic educating, and everything in between. So I hope you enjoy hearing what she has to say as much as I did!

After a little mini vacation from interviews I'm back with six of the coolest fourth year wildlife students I know. The goal for this episode was to share some first hand accounts of what it's been like trying to get through college during a pandemic. It hasn't been easy and the struggle is far from over. However these six individuals are resilient and I know they'll go far as time goes on. So sit back and enjoy!

This week we go on a field trip (while maintaining a safe social distance) to meet Chase Gagne while he does some early spring moth trapping. Chase is one of the most passionate people I know when it comes to his field of study, so there is no other entomologist I’d want on the show to crack into a bugs life on the podcast. We talk about what it’s like to collect and work with insects, as well as how they gained his interest and took him all the way to grad school. I hope you guys set aside your potential bug phobias and learn something new with this episode! As always be sure to follow @Natural_science_daily on Instagram to see photos from the interview!

This week is our third Minisode! We'll kick this week of with A NATURE FACT OF THE WEEK! Then I sit down with my partner.... who also happens to be my quarantine partner..... who is ALSO a logger, to talk about some often misused terms in the forest industry. Some of you may recognize Jack from the first Minisode, if not well then go listen to it lol. We wrap things up with some would you rather and Jack's advice for must haves when working in the woods. 

This week I sit down with Bradford Bower. We talk about all that goes into monitoring threatened and endangered species. We also dive into what his experiences as part of the LGBTQIA+ community has been like thus far in a field that may pride itself on studying diversity, but isn't always known for being made up of diversity. The episode is wrapped up by one of my favorite installments of would you rather. I hope you all enjoy!

This week I sit down with the incredible PhD student Bryn Evans as we talk about her research at the University of Maine. I think it's important to note that grad students such as Bryn are so valuable to the undergraduate communities at Universities. She's easy to approach, always willing to talk with you, super eager to help out with projects (like teaching a camera trapping class for the 2019 Northeastern Student Conclave), but also gives undergrads opportunities to better themselves through volunteer experiences with her research. Though these things may seem small it helps normalize relationships between undergrads and grad students to make a stronger force of scientists that can work together. So I hope you sit back and enjoy this episode as much as I did!! 

As usual please remember to follow the podcast on Instagram at @natural_science_daily!