Scott A. Bonar Lab
AZ Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit
Information for Prospective Graduate Students in the Bonar Lab
Interested in joining the Bonar Lab? We seek highly motivated, energetic students. Getting into our program is highly competitive; and of course, once you are here, I want you to succeed. Here are some of the traits I look for in students - traits which will help you succeed in our profession. Fish and wildlife biologists work both alone and in groups to solve problems and must have excellent skills for getting along with people. Therefore, I look for students who have great recommendations showing a proven ability to work well with others. The desert, fisheries work AND graduate school can be tough. I look for students who are tough and do not give up easily; those who love the outdoors; and those who are practical, resourceful and have a history of carrying things through to completion. I look for leadership. Students who have been officers in clubs or other extra-curricular activities, and have interests outside work often fit quite well into our program. Being detail-oriented and organized is also important for conducting high-quality research.
Ability to excel scholastically is important. I look for students with GPA's over 3.0, and combined GRE's approaching 1200, the higher the better. And finally, because graduate school can be challenging, I look for students with an excellent sense of humor, and those who are excited about what they do.
Students who join our program take both classes, and conduct a research project. This project culminates in a Master's Thesis or a Ph.D. Dissertation.
The type of research we conduct is applied and practical. I want to give fisheries biologists tools and information they can use to help manage their fish populations. I don't want the work my students and I do to sit on a shelf, but be important in day-to-day management of aquatic communities.
A bit about Tucson and Southern Arizona. Tucson is a wonderful place to live. Known as the "Old Pueblo", the city is steeped in history. American, Spanish, Mexican, Confederate, and Arizona state flags have all flown over Tucson. Some buildings in Tucson go back to the 1700's. Tucson is one hour from Mexico, three hours from the Sea of Cortez and six hours from San Diego. It is ringed by mountains with peaks that hold snow in winter.
Tucson has wonderful restaurants, cultural activities, and museums. The University of Arizona is a fabulous place to study and conduct research, being noted for programs that study natural resources, agriculture, planets and deep space, engineering and physics, genetics, computer science and business.
Arizona has a wide variety of life zones, many containing plants and animals found nowhere else on earth. These life zones include Sonoran, Chihuahuan and Mojave desert; grasslands, chaparral, oak and pine woodland, spruce-fir forests, and at the highest elevations, tundra. Many different fishes inhabit the streams, lakes and rivers of this land, including pupfishes, minnows, suckers, black bass, panfishes, catfishes and trouts. This place is a dream for anyone who likes the outdoors.
If you fit what we are seeking in students, and you feel that you would like to study fisheries with us, please contact me at the address on the "contact" page. I look forward to hearing from you!
