Much of what we know about the animals in this exhibit is because of people in STEM careers. All of these professionals work together to learn more about our natural world. What kind of STEM career do you think might be right for you?

Specific examples of STEM careers on the trails:

• Biologists are scientists who research living things, either in a lab or in the environment. Wildlife biologists study how species behave and survive in the wild.
• Mammologists are biologists who study mammals, like the coyote, gray fox, or antelope ground squirrel.
• Ornithologists are biologists who specialize in birds, like the American kestrel, phainopepla, Costa’s hummingbird, greater roadrunner, red-tailed hawk, Gambel’s quail, northern saw-whet owl, sharp-shinned hawk, lesser goldfinch, turkey vulture, or great egret.
• Entomologists are biologists who study insects like the honeybee, gray hairstreak butterfly, white-lined sphynx moth and caterpillar, pallid-winged grasshopper, metallic wood-boring beetle, apache cicada, tarantula hawk wasp, blue dasher dragonfly, or paper wasp.
• Biologists who study arachnids, like the desert tarantula, jumping spider and funnel-web spider are called arachnologists. They also study mites, ticks and scorpions.
• Herpetologists are biologists who study reptiles, like the desert spiny lizard, tiger whiptail, red racer, or side-blotched lizard, and amphibians, like the relict leopard frog.
• Plant biologists, or botanists, focus on plants and can help animal biologists better understand the plants some animals eat or use in their habitats.
• Climatologists are scientists who study weather patterns and help us better understand and track our changing climate’s effect on the natural world – including us!
• Engineers use science and mathematics to design and build things, often fixing problems. Examples include people who designed raptor perch protectors on power lines, tracking devices used to observe various animals, or the path of underground water pipelines in our community.
• Mathematicians help all of the sciences by developing the formulas that scientists need to evaluate data and test their theories. Similarly, coders and computer programmers create the software to help analyze and organize data.

The Springs Preserve could not exist without its staff in STEM careers. They include zoologists, wildlife biologists, botanists, horticulturists, archaeologists, engineers, accountants, computer technologists, museum scientists, hydrologists and more!