Dr. Stewart Skeate Awarded First Whalen Master Teacher Grant

Dr. Skeate, professor of wildlife biology and coordinator of the Wildlife Biology Program at Lees-McRae College, has received the Whalen Master Teacher Grant to fund student research projects for the Belize Foundation for Research and Environmental Education (BFREE). As a scholar involved in tropical research for many years, he understands the challenges and is working to improve the student experience.

“Ecological research projects require data input over a long period of time, and unfortunately, spending long periods of time at a tropical research station is challenging for faculty and students,” he said. “The goal of this project is to develop long-term, collaborative studies that create opportunities for visiting students to contribute their findings during a brief stay at the BFREE field station.”

Dr. Skeate’s grant will enable a tree fruit phenology study to record the presence or absence of ripe fruit, and a large mammal camera trap project to track species diversity and habitat usage. Both are designed to involve visiting students in long-term data collection.

As the data from these projects accumulate, students will be able to access this information on the BFREE website prior to their trip to the field station, and then follow new research after returning to the States. The BFREE field station will be the first to adopt the approach of using student groups to collect data over time.

A Whalen Master Teacher is a faculty member who is committed to engaging in research and scholarship that leads to the development and implementation of an innovative pedagogical or applied technique or method recognized in his or her field. The technique or method must be proven to enhance teaching and learning in a particular area of study and presented at a national or international conference or comparable educational venue.