Through the fall semester, Associate Professor of Biology Dr. Joshua Neely's Vertebrate Structure class conducted first-hand research, observing animal behavior at the St. Louis Zoo. The class split into groups and were assigned an animal to study, including puffins, geese, snakes, red pandas, and harbor seals. For the next month, the students observed the animals for 90 minutes each week, recording how different variables affect animal behavior. This authentic experience gave students firsthand insight into the way research is conducted in the field.

Torrie Ens, a fourth year Biological Sciences major, participated in the project and appreciated the opportunity to conduct her own research. Ens studied the Zoo's beloved puffins, observing their aggressive behaviors towards each other. Ens believes the insight into real life research was an invaluable educational experience. Ens describes the project as "one of those learning experiences where you learn something because it's interesting. You learn to be a scientist, a researcher. We like to get a question and find an answer."

Ens relates this research experience with Lindenwood's mission, saying, "Dr. Neely gave us for the first time a real experience within our field." Aspiring to a career in healthcare, Ens says working with the Zoo has given her confidence to seek new challenges and internship opportunities.

With widespread approval from students, Neely hopes to extend this opportunity to students in future classes. Neely also expressed his own takeaways from the research, saying "it made me aware of the conservation function that the Zoo fulfills."

Neely's commitment to making connections that give students real experiences is also evident in his Plant Biology course which works with the Slotkin Laboratory at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center. "The point of authentic undergraduate research experience is to provide our students with a beginning to their lives as working scientists," Neely said. "It's a story that will serve them well as they go forward and retell it in their grad school application or first professional job interview. This hands-on training prepares them for what comes next, when they will be expected to find their own answers to problems."