{"id":23973,"date":"2025-02-20T14:18:15","date_gmt":"2025-02-20T19:18:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quantum.esu.edu\/insider\/?p=23973"},"modified":"2025-02-20T14:18:15","modified_gmt":"2025-02-20T19:18:15","slug":"mentorship-and-social-media-esu-biology-graduate-program-helps-students-educate-others","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quantum.esu.edu\/insider\/mentorship-and-social-media-esu-biology-graduate-program-helps-students-educate-others\/","title":{"rendered":"Mentorship and Social Media: ESU Biology Graduate Program Helps Students Educate Others"},"content":{"rendered":"

Two students from East Stroudsburg University\u2019s Biology Graduate Program<\/a> are proving that science and social media can be a powerful pair.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s having a big effect on how these animals are viewed and, in many cases, has a big effect on their success in nature,\u201d LaDuke said. \u201cPeople can see that these animals are an important part of the environment and that we need to help them survive.\u201d<\/p>\n

Changing perspectives<\/h2>\n

\"Tianna-Johnson\"

Tianna Johnson a former ESU graduate student<\/p><\/div>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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve had people say, \u2018I didn\u2019t really like snakes, but your posting has changed my views,\u201d Johnson said.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Sauter said she was intrigued to learn from Johnson about Pennsylvania\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

On Johnson\u2019s recommendation, Sauter enrolled in ESU\u2019s biology graduate program in spring 2024 and immediately felt at home, she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve loved my experiences in the program so far,\u201d Sauter said. \u201cESU is a smaller school, and I like that because I\u2019ve been able to have so much close contact with faculty. Class sizes are small, and the opportunities are wide open.\u201d<\/p>\n

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 \u2013 all with a goal of educating audiences about the animals and why they are important.<\/p>\n

\u201cEducation is a big part of conservation,\u201d Sauter said. \u201cIt\u2019s something we all feel obligated to do along our journey of doing research and developing ourselves as scientists.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re extremely fascinating,\u201d Sauter said.<\/p>\n

Finding purpose and mentorship<\/h2>\n

\"Audrey-Sauter\"

Audrey Sauter a graduate student studying biology<\/p><\/div>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.<\/p>\n

This past summer, she placed transmitters on a handful of timber rattlesnakes that will send the snakes\u2019 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.<\/p>\n

Having an expert like LaDuke as a resource has made all the difference, she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve 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,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Seeing his students\u2019 growth and accomplishments never gets old, LaDuke said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe thing that\u2019s 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\u2019re studying,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Educating in National Geographic<\/h2>\n

In addition to helping Sauter find her way to ESU, Johnson also played a role in LaDuke\u2019s appearance in a National Geographic article in November 2024 titled, \u201cThe key to protecting rattlesnakes from extinction? Clearing their name and reputation.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u2019s photojournalist, Javier Aznar Gonz\u00e1lez de Rueda, she said.<\/p>\n

LaDuke\u2019s knowledge of the species and dedication to conservation made him an ideal source for the article\u2019s focus, Johnson said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe species that are largely misunderstood really need to be highlighted in that way, and the researchers who study those species also do,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cNational Geographic is an iconic publication,\u201d LaDuke said. \u201cIt 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.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":51,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[143,42,58],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23973","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-community","category-news-release","category-slider"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/quantum.esu.edu\/insider\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23973"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/quantum.esu.edu\/insider\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/quantum.esu.edu\/insider\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quantum.esu.edu\/insider\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/51"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quantum.esu.edu\/insider\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23973"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/quantum.esu.edu\/insider\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23973\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23975,"href":"https:\/\/quantum.esu.edu\/insider\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23973\/revisions\/23975"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/quantum.esu.edu\/insider\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23973"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quantum.esu.edu\/insider\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23973"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quantum.esu.edu\/insider\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23973"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}