Whether it’s an internship, an assignment for a class or just volunteering for a professor or graduate student, there are a lot of hands-on and lab-based opportunities for students here
Aujarai Ivy
- Graduate Assistant
- Student
Quail
Aujarai Ivy knew from an early age that she wanted to work with animals. She watched shows like Animal Planet and Nat Geo Wild and wished she could join the wildlife professionals on her TV. Upon arriving at A&M-Commerce, Ivy wanted to be a veterinarian but soon realized that the wildlife and conservation science program was a better fit for her interests and knew she'd found the right path. Although she never planned to work with quail, after joining a census trip she found the endangered birds to be incredibly cute and worth the challenging work involved in researching their ecological significance.
Aujarai recently graduated with her bachelor's in wildlife and conservation science and is now pursuing a master's degree in biological sciences.
A Conversation with Aujarai Ivy
What are your career goals and how does your degree program fit into your career goals?
I want to be a wildlife biologist and A&M-Commerce’s wildlife program is ranked sixth in the state of Texas for my desired field. While here, I’ve had multiple hands-on opportunities to work with wildlife at the artificial wetlands on campus. Whether it’s an internship, an assignment for a class or just volunteering for a professor or graduate student, there are a lot of hands-on and lab-based opportunities for students here, which is perfect because having experience is vital to finding a job in the wildlife field.
What research projects have you worked on? What was your role?
I’ve helped with a couple of census trips for Dr. Reyna’s quail laboratory. Dr. Whitt drives a few students down to a ranch in South Texas to do call counts. There are 12 data collection points (DCP) and we access them via UTV while using a digital GPS device to navigate. At each DCP, we record the time, weather, barometric pressure, wind speed, cloud cover and dew point using a kestrel. Then, we set a five-minute timer, listen for the distinct bobwhite call, and mark where we heard them on a worksheet. The process repeats at the remaining DCPs. It’s fun. While listening for the quail, we see snakes, deer, hogs, rabbits and lots of other wildlife, which is also fun.
Honors and Awards
- Dean’s List, Texas A&M University-Commerce, Fall 2021
- Dean’s List, Texas A&M University-Commerce, Spring 2020
- Dean’s List, Texas A&M University-Commerce, Fall 2019