Student Spotlight Brenna Whitten Name: Brenna Whitten Majors and Minors: Global Studies, French, Political Science with minors in National Security Studies Hometown: Elkhorn, Nebraska Year at UNL: 4th Why these majors and minors? In high school I was deeply interested in language learning and how language can change how you think and who you are. I took both Spanish and French and I decided I wanted to continue with this in college. This led me directly to taking French and global studies classes here at the University. The French faculty at UNL are incredible! They care deeply for their students and have supported me and my French major since before I declared freshman year! I was sold on a global studies major after taking GLST 201 Introduction to Global Studies because of how wide Global Studies reaches and how it allows me to study many areas I care about like climate change, human rights, and global security. Many of my classes are political science classes so it made sense to add an additional major! The most interesting class I’ve taken at the University has been an Honors 395H seminar titled “Literacy Across Nebraska”. It completely changed my understanding of literacy and how it impacts every area of society and every person. In fact, it inspired my undergraduate thesis and the area of my future studies! My favorite classes I’ve taken on the French track have been grammar classes including FREN 301 and FREN 203 and 204. Some of my other favorites I have taken are POLS 472 State Terror, POLS 469 International Law, NSST 391 Threats to World Order, and NSST 390 Nuclear Politics Seminar. Extracurricular Experiences: This past summer I was awarded the Critical Language Scholarship from the U.S. Department of State to study Hindi in Jaipur, India! I spent two months in an intensive language immersion. I stayed with a host family, met twice a week with a language partner, and had some fantastic teachers and peers. Other students should apply for the CLS because it is a fantastic opportunity to get exposure to and learn critical languages that are not taught at the University or in Nebraska at large. I have also studied abroad in Angers, France through the UNL French department! This was a one-month French language immersion. This program allowed me to be a French major because it covers six credits of French classes. I absolutely loved exploring Angers, a smaller city in France that speaks very little English. I also got to meet students from all over the U.S. and the world who were studying French! I have completed a wide array of internships during my college career covering government and non-profit realms. I have completed an internship with the Intern Foundry program as well as at Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, the Great Plains Methodist Conference, and Lincoln Literacy. My best piece of advice: Apply! It’s worth it. On campus I am involved in UNL Intelligence Community Scholars, UNL French/Francophone Club, and UNL United Methodist Campus Ministry. Off campus I am involved in the Saint Paul Chancel Choir and Justice in Action. I have gotten to speak at some pretty cool community events like the Ignite Lincoln in partnership with the E.N. Thompson Forum on World Issues and the Nebraska Ecumenical Legislative Briefing Day. What are you post-graduation plans? I am hoping to continue my studies! My area of interest is how language and literacy impacts international relations. @unlmodlang @unlglobalex

Our third CAS Inquire talk of this year around the theme of "The Future of the Good Life" is on Nov. 3. Geographer Andrew Husa will show that people stay in Nebraska as an active, intended, and deliberate choice made based on cultural, familial, and moral values, as well as socio-economic opportunities. Visit our website for details.

Congratulations to Sarah Gervais (psychology) and Laura Muñoz (history and ethnic studies) who were selected for Big Ten Academic Alliance leadership programs! Gervais will participate in the Department Executive Officers Program. Fellows will attend a hybrid program of online sessions and an in-person event at the Big Ten Conference Center in Rosemont, Illinois. Program topics will cover conflict resolution, mentoring, faculty development, performance reviews and group problem-solving. Muñoz will participate in the Academic Leadership Program. Fellows attended a virtual welcome session in September and will attend in-person seminars held at Michigan State University in October, Northwestern University in February, and the University of Michigan in April. They will also participate in conversations with campus leaders throughout the academic year. @unlhistory @bigtenacademic

Major: Biological Sciences Minor: Business Hometown: Lincoln, Nebraska Michelle Li, a sophomore from Lincoln, Nebraska, is majoring in biological sciences and minoring in business in the College of Arts and Sciences. "I chose biological sciences and business because they will give me a strong foundation of knowledge that is essential to the career I'm pursuing," Michelle said. She noted that her favorite course to date is Life 120: Fundamentals of Biology I. "I found the topics interesting, and I loved learning about how the world around us works," Michelle said. This last summer, Michelle participated in the College of Arts and Sciences Undergraduate Research Experience and documented her role as a research technician for the School of Natural Resources. "I would describe this experience as engaging and enjoyable, as I learned a lot about how research is conducted and the challenges that come with it," Michelle said. "I assisted in different ongoing vegetation and soil research projects, which is what the experiential learning research class was documenting." She also values the mentorship and support she received throughout her summer research experience. "The staff members I worked with contributed to my positive experience, as they were compassionate and kind," Michelle said. The knowledge Michelle gained through her experiential learning research was beneficial, and she anticipates it will inform her post-graduation plans. "This research experience allowed me to explore and discover what I’m passionate about, which allows me to contemplate different future career paths that may be suitable for me," Michelle said. @UNLsbs

Geology major Kyra Mauntel spent two weeks in the Paraguayan wilderness as part of an international research team studying what happens to bones after they reach the ground. Kyra and her fellow researchers documented bones on the landscape, recorded their condition and used GPS to track their locations so they could return in future years and measure how they changed. Ultimately, the study is designed to help scientists better understand how fossils are formed. The opportunity came from connections and experiences at Nebraska, including: ⬇️ An internship with Ashley Poust, a paleontologist and curator at the University of Nebraska State Museum, learning fossil preparation, cleaning and repair, and spending time in the museum’s Visible Laboratory. ⬇️ Working with Shane Tucker, who runs the University of Nebraska State Museum’s Highway Paleontology Program, gaining the confidence to identify even broken bone fragments in the field. Next, Kyra will attend the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology meeting in November, where she hopes to meet researchers who specialize in reptiles. From there, she will build relationships that will open the door to graduate school and, eventually, a doctorate. Read the full story on our website. #experientiallearning

Meet Briley Martinez, a senior turning her passion for history and anthropology into hands on museum experience! From working with artifacts to museum research through UCARE, discover how she is preparing for a future career: go.unl.edu/ps97 @ANTH_UNL @UNLHistory

We were proud to host and support this event at @unlincoln with our @BigTen peers! Shout out to Associate Dean June Griffin and faculty member Chad Brassil.

“Not only would winning benefit Husker students in such a big way, but we’d be saving so many lives — that’s why this work really touches my heart.” As a history major, Taylor Hostert likes to look at the bigger picture. When she learned that there had been a nationwide blood shortage since 2020 and that a single donation could save up to three lives, she knew she wanted to help. As Taylor began her role as a student ambassador, she was struck by how many situations require blood. It’s not only used after accidents or for certain illnesses. Blood transfusions can be critical during childbirth, surgeries and other medical emergencies. Taylor is asking Husker Nation to roll up its sleeves for the Abbott We Give Blood Drive. Visit the UNL website for details. @unlhistory

🚀 4 days of #BigRedBoost left! With your support, we can provide CAS graduates with "So...What Now?", a customized guide for life after college filled with practical resources for life beyond campus. Thank you for investing in the next generation of Husker alumni. go.unl.edu/casbigredboost @nfund

Keith Cruise, director of the Center on Children, Families, and the Law (and a prof. in the Dept. of Psychology), shared his expertise for this story. @UNLCCFL

Meet Dorothea Mason! A junior passionate about learning from people and their life stories. From research and internships to campus involvement, she's finding meaningful ways to connect with history, culture, and the world around her. Read more: cas.unl.edu/news/meet-doroth… @unlhistory

Peter Angeletti of @UNLsbs is giving the CAS Inquire talk in the Gaughan Center Ubuntu Rm. Shout out to the 60 people on Zoom and 52 in the room joining us!

Meet Chloe Charbonneau, a junior with a passion for museums, art conservation, and discovering new things. Her experiences studying museums in Japan and lemurs in Madagascar are helping shape her future career and fueling her love of learning. Read more here: go.unl.edu/9hv6 @unl_clrs @unlmodlang

Tomorrow at 5 p.m., Peter Angeletti (biological sciences) will give the second talk in this year's CAS Inquire series, "The Future of the Good Life". He'll explore the parallels between the chaos of societal conflicts and microbial-scale conflicts which promote chronic inflammation and cancer. Join us in the Gaughan Center or via Zoom! Details: go.unl.edu/inquireangeletti @unlsbs

Your donation to our #BigRedBoost project is funding a practical tool put directly in young alumni's hands: “So...What Now? A CAS Guide to Life After College” 📕 It will help them: ✅ Prepare for their first professional role ✅ Build financial confidence ✅ Navigate major life decisions ✅ Stay connected to the CAS alumni community Learn more and give at go.unl.edu/casbigredboost @nfund

Jay Storz, biological sciences, will give the next Nebraska Lecture (Chancellor’s Distinguished Speaker Series) Oct. 6 at 3:30 p.m. in the Nebraska Union's Swanson Auditorium (livestream also available). What are the environmental limits of animal life? Storz and his South American collaborators are conducting extreme high-elevation surveys of Andean animals. The talk will explore their work and Indigenous Andean cultures' relationship to sacred Andean peaks. Visit our website to read more.

With a nearly $875,000 grant from the National Science Foundation, Dai Shizuka and Faiza Hafeez will investigate whether communication facilitates a deeper social relationship between birds, or whether pre-existing social ties foster enhanced communication. They will use new acoustic and tracking technologies, as well as artificial intelligence-based tools, to follow colonies of breeding red-winged blackbirds at Cedar Point Biological Station near Ogallala, Nebraska. The researchers are interested in signal propagation, which refers to how information, such as an alarm call, spreads through a group of birds. Shizuka has long explored birds’ social networks through the lens of time and place, examining how flock mates’ relationships with each other shape their use of resources and responses to environmental conditions. Hafeez brings acoustics expertise to the study. “What’s different about this study is the merging of the communication network idea and the social network idea,” Shizuka said. “Applying technology to the question of signal propagation is also pretty new. People are using sound localization techniques and microphone array systems to study individual behavior in birds and monitor populations, but we’re taking the next step and using it to parse out the social dynamics of communication.” The pair is also collaborating with the Johnny Carson Center for Emerging Media Arts to develop a museum exhibit that recreates how a red-winged blackbird colony communicates. Read the full story on our website. @unlsbs

"Being a resident assistant at Schramm Hall has truly changed my life for the better in two major ways: 1. It has taught me transferable skills that have and will continue to set me up for success in the real world, and 2. It has amplified the connections and community that I have built here on campus." Read more from political science major Amisha: go.unl.edu/ae6u @unlpolisci @unlstudentlife

From Psychology student to helping the next generation of Huskers! ❤️ Meet Shaundra, a 2026 Psychology graduate who is now working in UNL Admissions while pursuing her Masters in Higher Education Administration. Passionate about mentoring students, she hopes to help others find their place at UNL. Read more about Shaundra's journey here: psychology.unl.edu/news/alum…

What are the parallels between the chaos of societal conflicts and microbial-scale conflicts which promote chronic inflammation and cancer? In one week, Peter Angeletti (biological sciences) will give the second talk in this year's CAS Inquire series, "The Future of the Good Life". Join us! Details: go.unl.edu/inquireangeletti @unlsbs