UW Students to Join Wyoming Wildlife Fellowship Program This Fall

Five incoming or current University of Wyoming undergraduate students are the latest cohort selections for the Wyoming Wildlife Fellowship Program, which supports students pursuing careers in wildlife and fisheries sciences.

A young person with short straight brown hair and light skin holding two coils of barbed wire. She has one over her shoulder and another in a gloved hand. — Current Wyoming Wildlife Fellow Sarah Doyle, a University of Wyoming student from O’Fallon, Ill., carries barbed wire while working on a habitat restoration project near Sybille Canyon. The latest Wyoming Wildlife Fellowship Program cohort was recently selected, with the five UW students beginning their program this fall. Photo by Taylor Wagstaff.

Students selected are Robert Anderson, of Burlington, Ill.; Luke Hohn, from Cheyenne; Kelly Karnes, of Blanco, Texas; Jacob Love, of Edmond, Okla.; and Tavia Ossa, from Casper.

Each Fellow is studying wildlife and fisheries biology and management or a related natural resources subject. Over the next several years, students will participate in a semester seminar about the wildlife field, learning technical skills or conducting research; hold two paid summer internships with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department; and participate and volunteer for various relevant experiences and opportunities in the wildlife field. Fellows also receive a scholarship of about $3,000 each semester.

In addition to studying in UW’s wildlife program, some of the new cohort members also have minors, such as in honors and outdoor leadership.

“We are excited about the diversity of experiences the incoming cohort brings with them, and we are excited to get to work with them over the coming years,” says Rhiannon Jakopak, coordinator of the Wyoming Wildlife Fellowship Program.

The new student cohort will join nine other current Fellows from the previous three years on campus this fall. Five Fellows who have participated in the program have now graduated from UW.

For more information, email UW’s Monteith Shop lab coordinator, Taylor Wagstaff, at tkennah1@uwyo.edu or visit the Wyoming Wildlife Fellowship website.

Applications for the next Fellows cohort open next spring.

This story was originally published on UW News.