A rangeland specialist in the University of Wyoming Extension has received an early career honor from the Wyoming Agricultural Experiment Station (WAES).

Assistant professor Derek Scasta in the Department of Ecosystem Science and Management was presented the Early Career Research Achievement Award last month. WAES is the research office within the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Wyoming.

“Scasta has an applied research program that is diverse in terms of subject matter because of the complexity of plant-herbivore interaction ecology and his desire to create useable science for stakeholders,” said John Ritten, WAES interim director.

Scasta previously served as a county extension agent with Texas A&M University for seven years before starting his career at UW in 2014.

His research is focused in individual animal characteristics and stresses, herd-level management decisions, landscape features, disturbance and seasonality and policies and public opinion.

Scasta has published over 49 journal articles and 22 extension bulletins. His research has been cited more than 100 times annually in the last two years.

Scasta is also the associate editor for Rangeland Ecology and Management, the journal for the Society for Range Management.