Mentorship and Social Media: ESU Biology Graduate Program Helps Students Educate Others

Two students from East Stroudsburg University’s Biology Graduate Program are proving that science and social media can be a powerful pair.

Using skills honed under Thomas C. LaDuke, Ph.D., associate professor of biology, Tianna Johnson and Audrey Sauter use their digital platforms and first-hand experiences in nature to encourage audiences to appreciate and protect wildlife.

Dr. LaDuke, who started teaching at the University in 1991, credited the rise of social media, coupled with a general shift in how people regard snakes, reptiles, and amphibians, for making it easier than ever for mass audiences to learn about animals and their livelihoods.

“It’s having a big effect on how these animals are viewed and, in many cases, has a big effect on their success in nature,” LaDuke said. “People can see that these animals are an important part of the environment and that we need to help them survive.”

Changing perspectives

Johnson, a former student who learned under LaDuke in the biology graduate program, has spent years building an online presence as a science communicator that she uses to safeguard the location of timber rattlesnakes.

The species, an area of expertise for LaDuke and a frequent topic of study in the program, can often fall prey to poachers or have their habitats disrupted by visitors, Johnson said. Her work online not only protects the species from harm, but also helps audiences better understand it.

“I’ve had people say, ‘I didn’t really like snakes, but your posting has changed my views,” Johnson said.

At a meetup of herpetologists in 2023, Johnson met Sauter, who had recently earned an ecology degree from Bowling Green State University and was considering graduate school.

Sauter said she was intrigued to learn from Johnson about Pennsylvania’s efforts to protect the timber rattlesnake population in contrast to her native Ohio and surrounding states like New York and New Jersey where the species is classified as either endangered or threatened.

On Johnson’s recommendation, Sauter enrolled in ESU’s biology graduate program in spring 2024 and immediately felt at home, she said.

“I’ve loved my experiences in the program so far,” Sauter said. “ESU is a smaller school, and I like that because I’ve been able to have so much close contact with faculty. Class sizes are small, and the opportunities are wide open.”

Like Johnson, Sauter leans on social media to document and share her experiences in nature. She uses her platforms to show up-close images of box turtles, spotted salamanders, Australian green tree frogs, and plenty of timber rattlesnakes – all with a goal of educating audiences about the animals and why they are important.

“Education is a big part of conservation,” Sauter said. “It’s something we all feel obligated to do along our journey of doing research and developing ourselves as scientists.”

Being on social media also allows us to help clear up misconceptions about species people may be wary of, particularly snakes, she said. The timber rattlesnake, for example, feeds almost solely on rodents which can carry disease, reducing the risk of something getting passed on to people or other animals, she explained. Because these animals can carry ticks, timber rattlesnakes also help slow down the spread of Lyme Disease, she said.

“They’re extremely fascinating,” Sauter said.

Finding purpose and mentorship

Sauter has parlayed that fascination into her graduate studies at ESU. Her research towards her thesis focuses on underground chambers called hibernacula that timber rattlesnakes retreat to in the winter to hibernate.

This past summer, she placed transmitters on a handful of timber rattlesnakes that will send the snakes’ temperature data to her. Her goal is to use that data to learn more about the conditions inside the hibernacula and what makes the snakes emerge in the spring at the time that they do.

Having an expert like LaDuke as a resource has made all the difference, she said.

“I’ve heard from peers that sometimes other graduate students are largely left on their own to develop their thesis, but Dr. LaDuke has been an excellent mentor to me and the biology department here has given me great resources to work with,” she said.

Seeing his students’ growth and accomplishments never gets old, LaDuke said.

“The thing that’s most fulfilling for me is introducing students to science, and a type of science that involves concepts of conserving nature but being out there and being intimately familiar with the nature that you’re studying,” he said.

Educating in National Geographic

In addition to helping Sauter find her way to ESU, Johnson also played a role in LaDuke’s appearance in a National Geographic article in November 2024 titled, “The key to protecting rattlesnakes from extinction? Clearing their name and reputation.”

Johnson recommended him for the article through a series of connections, first with Brent Schulze, who works for Asclepius Snakebite Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to improving outcomes for snakebite victims, and ultimately the article’s photojournalist, Javier Aznar González de Rueda, she said.

LaDuke’s knowledge of the species and dedication to conservation made him an ideal source for the article’s focus, Johnson said.

“The species that are largely misunderstood really need to be highlighted in that way, and the researchers who study those species also do,” she said.

In the article, LaDuke helps the author locate and observe timber rattlesnakes along the narrow ridgelines of Hawk Mountain, a 2,600-acre reserve west of Allentown, where the professor and his students have spent years studying the timber rattlesnake population through meticulous tracking and tagging.

“National Geographic is an iconic publication,” LaDuke said. “It was a remarkable accomplishment for not so much the scientific value, but more so being able to talk about my interest in conservation and helping these animals continue to survive.”

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