91调教

Written By: Ian Silvester

The sweet smell of honeysuckle in bloom fills the air. Crickets chirp, and frogs croak, while quiet footfalls plod through knee-high grass. This isn鈥檛 the opening scene of a nature documentary; it鈥檚 happening in the backyard of the 91调教 鈥� Fort Smith in Wenderoth Park. 

Outside the classroom, Dr. Jason Ortega, assistant professor of biology, regularly leads students through this hidden campus gem tucked behind the intramural field and left field wall of Crowder Field in search of arachnids and reptiles to study.  

鈥淥ne of my favorite parts of my job is helping students find that aha moment that shapes their future trajectory,鈥� Ortega said. 

As a herpetologist, ecological physiologist, and disease ecologist, Ortega understands the importance of research for students aiming to be a 鈥�-gist鈥� of their own, especially when research begins at the undergraduate level. 

鈥淏eing engaged in undergraduate research builds a lot of soft skills. It鈥檚 not only things that amplify what you were taught in the classroom, but skills that you take with you, regardless of what type of field you end up being in,鈥� he said. 

When he is in the field with students, he explained, things can fall apart while searching for spiders and snakes, so a student鈥檚 ability to adapt and problem solve go a long way in aiding classroom study. 

Its more controlled for students when Ortega is back inside the Math Science Building. Specimens collected cannot scurry away, temperatures are stable, and tests can be regularly repeated to challenge hypotheses.  

Research can be looking at something as simple as trying to measure how quickly a roach will run away when it sees a bright light. 

鈥淭here are a lot of steps that you don鈥檛 think about until you start engaging in that (research) process,鈥� he said. 

For Ortega, this research process began organically in his childhood while growing up in Florida. He was always chasing after lizards and frogs to collect and examine. As he grew older, this fascination deepened and shaped his education. 

Ortega originally set out to be a zoo veterinarian, earning his bachelor鈥檚 degree in animal science from Cornell University in 2004. While at Cornell, his own undergraduate research paired him with a married team of herpetologists, which he said opened his eyes to working with the animals he loved most, rather than for a zoo. 

鈥淥ne thing I tell students to do is find what excites them as they鈥檙e taking courses, and to keep an open eye because that one paper, one chapter, or one section that interests them could be their future career, and they just don鈥檛 even know it yet,鈥� Ortega said, citing his experience in changing course. 

By 2007, he had graduated from the University of Texas-Pan American, now the University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley, with a master鈥檚 degree in biology. Inspired by the ecological physiology of pit vipers, Ortega completed his Ph. D. from the 91调教, Fayetteville, in biology as well. He completed his postdoc from Stetson University in disease ecology. 

91调教 has been Ortega鈥檚 teaching home for the last three years. From the moment he arrived, he was inspired to pay it forward when it comes to research. Ortega said there is someone for every student, like the herpetologists he met while at Cornell, who can help guide students to whatever may come next.  

in their research into the relationship between spiders and microplastics. Both students were awarded $2,750 from the 91调教 Division of Higher Education's Student Undergraduate Research Fellowship Grants. 

It鈥檚 students like Isaac and Shelby, who have experienced that 鈥渁ha鈥� moment and give Ortega motivation to keep going. Both students are entering master鈥檚 programs this fall. 

鈥淥ur students have got a lot of untapped potential that, as we continue to invest in research and other resources to give them a better leg up and compete on the local, state, and national level, I think we鈥檙e going to start to see a bigger imprint from our students as they progress out in the world,鈥� Ortega said proudly. 

As the current president of the 91调教 Academy of Sciences, an organization that has elevated STEM fields in 91调教 for more than 100 years, Ortega is at the forefront of promoting and encouraging student research, whether it鈥檚 in the field鈥攐r even 91调教鈥� backyard鈥攖he classroom, or in front of his peers, Ortega is the gist of future 鈥�-gists.鈥�

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Dr. Jason Ortega's Wisdom:

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