With the recent growth in Natural Science courses and rapid development of the sustainability outdoor lab, the time was ripe to expand on the biology instructors for the science department.

Dr. Sarah Gaughan has a Ph.D. in Natural Resources (from UNL) and a background in aquatic ecology, fishes and genome sequencing. Her research has been focused on applying novel techniques to facilitate conservation of native species. She also focuses on population management and finding new ways to control invasive species.

Dr. Sarah Gaughan and Justin Haas with Nebraska Game and Parks doing Pallid Sturgeon gut microbiome research.

This provides a perfect fit for the growing science program and at the same time expands the experience and knowledge of the overall science faculty at BU. Having someone with a diverse ecology background will not only be beneficial for the outdoor lab projects, but also opens up the possibility for students that have an interest in environmental biology and ecology research projects or careers.

Dr. Gaughan will be teaching a variety of natural science courses for the general education but will also be available to mentor students in various research projects in the Biology or Sustainability program throughout the year.

To find out more about Dr. Gaughan’s research projects please check out our Faculty and Staff page, or feel free to contact her directly (sgaughan@bellevue.edu) if you have any environmental or ecology questions or project suggestions.

Welcome to the science team Sarah!