WKU News

Matthew J. Bowers, a Biology graduate student from Kenhorst, Pennsylvania, is the 2023-24 recipient of WKU’s John D. Minton Graduate Student Award.

Bowers is completing his master’s thesis, Climate-Smart Agriculture in Southern Kenya: An Assessment of Factors Influencing Crop Development and Productivity, as part of Dr. Bruce Schulte’s Elephants and Sustainable Agriculture in Kenya (ESAK) research program on human-elephant conflict. 

In the ESAK project, Dr. Schulte and others are working to increase food security for smallholder farmers while helping conserve elephants. “The elephants raid crops and take food, so the farmers aren’t happy,” Dr. Schulte said. “We are trying to work where they can live together harmoniously.”

For his research, Bowers lived in southern Kenya for seven months in 2023. “I studied an indigenous Climate-Smart Agriculture technique -- the zai pit -- to see what components led to its success and what actions can be done to reduce the labor demands of this technique. I also studied human-wildlife conflict, in particular, crop raiding, along the border between a wildlife sanctuary and community farmland,” he said. “Additionally, during my time in Kenya I helped lead Earthwatch Institute volunteer teams, where I trained them in data collection and educated them on the compounding issues of climate change, human-wildlife conflict and food insecurity in the study area.”

Bowers’ undergraduate work at Penn State University made him “a perfect candidate for my lab,” Dr. Schulte said. 

Bowers earned a bachelor’s degree in Wildlife & Fisheries Science with a minor in International Agriculture from Penn State University. While there, he worked as a field technician at the Penn State Deer Research Center and served as eco-chair of the Penn State Marching Blue Band. Upon graduating, he conducted raptor research for Hawk Mountain Sanctuary. Bowers also earned Eagle Scout status with the Boy Scouts of America.

“Matt has been an outstanding student, teaching assistant, researcher and leader at WKU,” Dr. Schulte said.

In his first year at WKU, Bowers was a Graduate Teaching Assistant for Introductory Biology and earned the Outstanding First Year Biology Graduate Student (Dillard/Hoyt Award) from the Department of Biology.

“I am incredibly honored to receive the John D. Minton Graduate Student Award,” Bowers said. “I've seen firsthand how hard-working and talented my fellow graduate students are here at WKU, so that makes being selected for this award even more special.”

Simon Kasaine, a Kenyan native and a research scientist for Wildlife Works in Kenya, worked with Dr. Schulte to develop the ESAK project. Kasaine was a graduate student under the mentorship of Dr. Mike Stokes at WKU from 2008-2011. “Matt’s thesis research has significantly contributed to the ESAK project, yet he has also applied his knowledge and passion for human-wildlife conflict and wildlife conservation beyond the requirements for his degree,” Kasaine said in a letter of recommendation.

Dr. Natalie Mountjoy, Associate Professor of Biology, said Bowers is a gifted researcher and has established himself as well-versed in animal behavior and human-wildlife conflict. “His project aims to add to the scientific knowledge of elephant behavior and crop production at a time when food security in Kenya is threatened by human-wildlife conflict and climate change, and when wildlife conservation is threatened by expanding human populations and overexploitation. His research could not be more vital.” 

Bowers will be recognized as part of WKU’s Spring 2024 Commencement at 6:30 p.m. on May 2 at Houchens Industries-L.T. Smith Stadium. The Minton Award, the Graduate School’s top award, is named for Dr. John D. Minton, who was a Professor of History, WKU’s first Graduate Dean, Vice President for Administrative Affairs and WKU’s fifth President.

Outstanding Graduate Students

In addition to Bowers, The Graduate School recognized the following Outstanding Graduate Students:

• College of Education and Behavioral Sciences: Alexa Naas, Ed.S. Program in School Psychology.

• College of Health and Human Services: Kristin Cartwright, Doctor of Physical Therapy. 

• Gordon Ford College of Business: Carmel “Clint” Osborne, Master of Science in Cybersecurity Data Analytics.

• Ogden College of Science & Engineering: Nima Esmaeilzadeh, Master of Science in Geoscience. 

• Potter College of Arts & Letters: Katelyn Shane Bennett, Master of Arts in Folk Studies. 

#WKUGrad series: As part of our #WKUGrad series, articles on graduating students are shared in the weeks leading up to Commencement. See all of their stories at https://www.wku.edu/news/articles/index.php?view=default&categoryid=799&multinewsid=187

-WKU-

Western Kentucky University prides itself on positioning its students, faculty and staff for long term success. As a student-centered, applied research university, WKU helps students expand on classroom learning by integrating education with real-world applications in the communities we serve. Our hilltop campus is located in Bowling Green, Kentucky, which was recently named by Reader’s Digest as one of the nicest towns in America, just an hour’s drive from Nashville, Tennessee.