The College of Western Idaho’s Center for Invertebrate Science is pleased to welcome two new faculty affiliates. Assistant Professors Hollie Leavitt and Dusty Perkins both joined the Center in 2014 and are already contributing to our students’ success through new projects.
Professor Leavitt is working with a student to identify aquatic and terrestrial insects for an eastern Idaho company that is interested in understanding the diversity of organisms inhabiting their commercial plant production facility near Rexburg. This work will allow North Fork Native Plants to ship their products across state boundaries with the confidence that they are not also shipping non-native species!
Professor Perkins is working with several students on a new project at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge. This project is attempting to map the available habitat for monarch butterflies at the refuge. The monarch is a species of interest to conservation biologists and was recently petitioned for protection under the United States Endangered Species Act.
Both Hollie and Dusty are making meaningful contributions to our students’ success at CWI through their mentoring but, perhaps more importantly, they are also setting these students up for future opportunities in their chosen careers. Undergraduate research is an important experience for students that can provide the skills, contacts, and confidence to open doors in the future. Indeed, the purpose of the Center is to provide authentic research experiences for our students, advance knowledge, and support our community in the Treasure Valley and beyond. For more information on the Center for Invertebrate Science, or how you can become involved, please contact Steve Lysne (563-3360, stevelysne@cwi.edu).
A very warm CWI welcome to Professor Leavitt and Professor Perkins!
