UNL College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources

For a record 150 upper-middle and high school students from across the Midwest, Big Red Summer Academic Camps offered a chance to experience college life at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.

This year, students enrolled in one of nine camps, including Animation, Digital Media, Engineering, Esports, Food Systems, Math & Data Science, Robots & Drones, STEM Odyssey and Unicameral Youth Legislature. Each camp provides hands-on, real-world experience in its field, offering insight into what future education and careers could look like.

“It’s a readiness program for college-bound youth,” said Greg Fritz, camp director. “There’s an intentional, desired outcome that students find their spark. ‘Spark’ is a 4-H term where something inside of a young person just clicks that makes them want to learn more."

https://news.unl.edu/article/big-red-camps-prep-students-for-college-careers

As Maddy Vasquez listened to awards being called out at the School of Natural Resources spring banquet last year, she thought about how cool the Graduate Student Meritorious Award was for a master's student.

"I was like, 'Wow, I would really like to win that someday. I hope I do enough to warrant that award.' And then I got that this year," she said.

The award notification came as a surprise, arriving by email while she was talking with her research partner, Ava Britton, and one of their advisors, Mark Vrtiska.

https://newsroom.unl.edu/announce/snr/20383/108265

Eight University of Nebraska–Lincoln students are spending part of their summer immersed in Nebraska communities as Rural Fellows.

The students are living and working alongside residents in Curtis, Hastings, York and Knox County, contributing to local projects while gaining hands-on experience.

https://ianrnews.unl.edu/article/rural-fellows-relaunches-with-eight-students-serving-across-nebraska

Hello New Husker 👋

Mallory Hottell is from Kimball, Nebraska has chosen to come to the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources because she's always had a passion for agriculture and the opportunities it creates. She really values the strong sense of community within CASNR, as well as the hands-on learning experiences and connections that can help her grow both personally and professionally.

"To me, being part of the Husker community means being part of a close nit community. Especially being apart of the ALEC community, I've already made so many connections and friends! It also means I get the opportunity to work alongside people who are passionate about making a difference in Ag and support each other both in and out of the classroom."

She plans to major in agricultural education and hopes to work directly with people in the agricultural industry and play a role in strengthening and supporting the industry.

"The college experience I’m most looking forward to is meeting new people and getting involved in organizations and clubs. I’m excited to step out of my comfort zone, meet new people, and make the most of these next four years! Plus, I’m pretty excited to learn how to swing dance along the way!"

The warm winter, prolonged drought and spring freezes have combined to make this a punishing year for western Nebraska wheat growers. The challenges are steep, but new wheat and triticale varieties developed by the University of Nebraska–Lincoln with producer input provide hope for future seasons.

https://news.unl.edu/article/new-husker-developed-wheat-triticale-varieties-support-nebraska-producers

Each year, hundreds of whooping cranes migrate more than 2,500 miles from the Texas Gulf Coast to Canada’s boreal forest, following a path known as the Whooper Highway. Nebraska sits about halfway along the route. This year, two conservationists are traveling the migration path on bicycles.

“For me, it’s a journey of discovery,” said Michael Forsberg, who has been photographing the whooping crane for the past seven years. “You don’t necessarily know what you’re going to learn until you’re out there doing it. And then sometimes you’re not sure what you learned until you get to the endpoint and you look in the rearview mirror.”

https://news.unl.edu/article/husker-duo-bikes-whooper-highway-to-spotlight-endangered-cranes

The civic engagement principle is based on research Lindsay Hastings conducted with other rural Nebraska communities. The basic idea is that communities thrive when they intentionally reduce the intimidation around civic involvement — known as the “come with me” concept. Hastings found that, across Nebraska, the communities that have successfully increased leadership capacities among their residents, instead of solely among a few select individuals, include residents who intentionally invite others to join community conversations with them.

The model is being put into practice in Seward, where researchers and Nebraska Extension educators are working alongside local leaders as they pursue a hotel development project and examine ways to broaden civic engagement, shared ownership and community leadership.

https://news.unl.edu/article/husker-team-reimagines-leadership-development