Forestry & Natural Resources
FNR Field Reports Heltzel
Throughout the summer, Purdue Forestry and Natural Resources will be featuring various students and their work in the field.
Amanda Heltzel, a junior studying Wildlife and minoring in Fisheries & Aquatic Sciences, is working as a seasonal research technician at the University of Missouri. Her responsibilities consist of conducting avian point counts and vegetation surveys in the Mark Twain National Forest.
The data that she and her colleagues are collecting will be used to inform management of pine-oak woodland restoration by the U.S. Forest Service and brown-headed nuthatch reintroduction.
“I'm enjoying my time in the Ozarks where I have observed wildlife I don't normally see such as elk and armadillo,” Heltzel said. “My favorite experience so far was target netting for eastern whip-poor-wills that were previously equipped with GPS tags. This was part of a research project being conducted on whip-poor-will migration by a PhD student. I'm excited for the opportunity to gain further career experience while working in a different part of the country than what I have before.”
Heltzel was named as the wildlife junior academic merit award winner, the Durward Allen Memorial Award and Stanley Coulter Leadership award honoree for 2019-20.
Check back throughout the summer to see what other FNR students are up to as they take their studies from the classroom to the field.
Featured Stories
Meet Outstanding Transfer Student Tam Tran
Tam Tran, a December 2025 graduate with a major in wildlife and minor in aquatic sciences, has...
Two prestigious awards, one global mission
Bryan Pijanowski, professor in Purdue University’s Department of Forestry and Natural...
Fellowship helps natural resources professionals build digital skills
Digital tools are transforming how forests and natural resources are managed. A new fellowship...
When nature’s song returns
Spring Break season is here, and many Indiana residents are boarding planes and flying south to...
Tales From FNR with Professor Emeritus Michael O. Hunt
Dr. Michael O. Hunt came to West Lafayette in February 1960 as an assistant professor and...
Department of Forestry and Natural Resources appoints its first Conservation Scholar
Andrew DeWoody, professor in the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources (FNR), has been...