Meet Outstanding Sophomore George Emerson
George Emerson, a wildlife major, was selected as Purdue Forestry and Natural Resources’ Outstanding
Sophomore for 2025-26 for his academic prowess, research experience and club involvement.
“To me, this award is a recognition of all my hard work both inside and outside of the classroom,” Emerson said. “Through many early mornings and late nights of field work, faculty and other students have taught me so much and helped me make the most of my time here at Purdue. Without their help I would never have learned many of the most important skills and lessons from the last three semesters.
“This award also helps me feel that I have found a community where I truly belong. Throughout my educational career I have always felt a little out of place with my strong connection to nature, but here in Purdue FNR I have found so many like-minded students who understand my appreciation for the natural world. Going forward I hope to help provide new students the same opportunities for learning and growth that helped me get to where I am within the department today.”
The Carmel, Indiana, native has been a part of the Purdue Student Chapter of The Wildlife Society (TWS) since his arrival on campus in August 2024, acting as the club’s student council representative for the past year for both FNR’s Student Council and the College of Ag Council. Beginning in the fall, he will be the birds working group leader for TWS. George also is a member of the Purdue Student Society of Arboriculture (PSSA) and is set to become the club’s secretary next semester.
Beyond Purdue, George is a member of the Indiana chapter of TWS and the student development working group, as well as the American Society of Mammalogists and the Wilson Ornithological Society.
In the research realm, George has been a part of the Purdue Bird Banding Lab, the Northern Saw-Whet Owl (NSWO) Banding Station and the Sparrow Tracking project as well as an undergraduate technician role in the Zollner Wildlife Lab.
As a banding volunteer in the Bird Banding Lab since March 2025, George has assisted with bird extraction and banding and recorded data on banded birds. As a NSWO volunteer beginning in October 2025, he deployed and took down mist nets for owl banding and began training to co-lead the project beginning in Fall 2026. As a sparrow tracking volunteer since January, George led nightly tracking of radio tagged sparrows, identified plant species within sparrow roost sites and tracked foraging sparrow groups during the day.
In Dr. Pat Zollner's lab, he set up trail cameras at multiple sites across Indiana, then catalogued and identified wildlife in trail camera photos.
George also has gained experience outside of Purdue as a summer camp counselor and senior counselor for Hamilton County Parks and Recreation in 2024 and 2025. In those roles, he led nature hikes, taught campers using ambassador animals, set up trail cameras, mentored newly hired counselors and staffed the
front desk of the nature center. He also led activities including planting native plants, catching and identifying invertebrates and bird identification lessons, as well as assisting naturalists in caring for animals in the nature center.
Academically, George has received semester honors and Dean’s list honors from the College of Agriculture. He also participated in the Natural History in Costa Rica study abroad trip in March 2025.
In his spare time, George has volunteered to help with winterization in the community the past two years. He also had two photos of squirrels published in Purdue Exponent newspaper affiliated publications.
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