Researcher. Leader. Catalyst.
Awards & Honors
I am an award-winning scholar, artist, and writer. My work has been described in the following ways:
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"Bethann is a visionary and natural leader."
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"Her intellectual contributions, found in extensive, transdisciplinary publications and scholarly products, demonstrate exceptional advancement of our discipline."
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"She knows what works, what doesn’t, what’s most impactful and what’s potentially harmful. Her science communication training, scholarship and practice are evidence-based, and she has directly empowered thousands of scientists to embrace evidence-based communication tools to share their work with the world."
2024
Elected. Early Career Fellow. Ecological Society of America. Details here.
Invited. Partnerships and Innovation Advisor. National Science Foundation Program for Enabling Partnerships to Increase Innovation Capacity (EPIIC).
Invited. Faculty Advisor. The Alliance of Students with Disabilities for Inclusion, Networking, and Transition Opportunities in STEM, Wyoming Institute for Disabilities. (declined)
Creative approaches to writing proposals. Residency lead, with A. Hagy. University of Wyoming-Neltje Center for Excellence in Creativity and the Arts, Banner, WY. May 2024. Our residency proposal was selected through a competitive application process.
2023
Invited. Renewed for a second term, Associate/Subject Editor of Integrative Sciences/Science Communication, and Zoology, for the peer-reviewed journal FACETS, Canadian Science Publishing. Royal Society of Canada. FACETS is the flagship journal of the Canadian Royal Society’s Academy of Science.
Invited. Science editor for peer-reviewed journal Prompt: A Journal of Writing Assignments. (Declined)
2022
Honorary Coach Award, Office of Academic Support, Athletic Department, University of Wyoming. Nominated by science communication student. Context: “Being nominated as an Honorary Coach means that you have made a significant impact on our student-athlete’s education and life.”
Outstanding Associate Editor Award. Natural Sciences Education peer-reviewed journal, Alliance of Crop, Soil, and Environmental Science Societies. Selected by editorial board.
Invited. UW Task Force, Carnegie Engaged Institution application. (Declined due to prior commitment to co-facilitate/advise on communications for UW strategic planning.)
Nominated. Presidential Fellowship program, University of Wyoming.
Nominated. Early Career Research Achievement Award. Wyoming Agricultural Experiment Station Research Awards.
2021
Invited. People’s Choice Judge. Visualizing Science image contest, Canadian Science Publishing, Academy of Science, Royal Society of Canada.
Nominated. Promoting Intellectual Engagement in the First-Year teaching award; blind nomination by students. University of Wyoming.
Invited. Professional Mentor. Early Career Leadership Program, Genetics Society of America. (Declined)
2020
Antell Diversity Award. OWN IT Women in STEM Award. University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming.
Invited. Associate/Subject Editor. FACETS, Canadian Science Publishing. Royal Society of Canada. FACETS is the flagship journal of the Canadian Royal Society’s Academy of Science.
Invited. Mentor. COVID-19 Intervention, Faculty Support in Transition to Teaching Online, Ellbogen Center for Teaching and Learning, University of Wyoming. One of 20 faculty recruited campus-wide.
Featured woman in STEM. Lifeology Women in STEAM Biography Series, LifeOmic, Indianapolis, Indiana. Nominated by a graduate student; accepted through competitive review process. View here.
Decelerator Residency, The Strange Foundation, New York. Co-PIs: K. Schwarz and E. Cook. Selected through competitive application process.
Outstanding Associate Editor Award. Natural Sciences Education peer-reviewed journal, Alliance of Crop, Soil, and Environmental Science Societies. Selected by editorial board.
Official Tour Selection, Colorado Environmental Film Festival, for Deer 139 film.
Official Tour Selection, Environmental Film Festival in the Nation’s Capitol, Deer 139 film.
Official Tour Selection, Gutsy Girls Adventure Film Tour, Deer 139 film.
Official Tour Selection, No Man’s Land Film Festival, Deer 139 film.
Official Tour Selection, Wild and Scenic Film Festival, Deer 139 film.
2019
Honorable Mention. Education Section Publication of the Year Award, Ecological Society of America. Award received for Januchowski-Hartley, S.R., N. Sopinka, N., B.G. Merkle, C. Lux, A. Zivian, P. Goff, and S. Oester. 2018. Poetry as a creative practice to enhance engagement and learning in conservation science. BioScience. Vol 68(10): biy105.
Shortlist (1 of 5 teams, out of 220 submissions). Art in Public Buildings Project for University of Wyoming Science Initiative new research facility. Potential contract: $90,000.00. Co-PIs: B. Gellis and M. Thompson Stanton.
Invited/Nominated. Associate Member of Sigma Xi – Research Scholarship Honors Society.
Best in Show Award, 40th Annual Map Competition, Cartography and Geographic Information Society for Wild Migrations: Atlas of Wyoming’s Ungulates.
Best Atlas Award, 40th Annual Map Competition, Cartography and Geographic Information Society for Wild Migrations: Atlas of Wyoming’s Ungulates.
Official Tour Selection, Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival, Deer 139 film.
Wildlife Publication Award for an Edited Book, The Wildlife Society for Wild Migrations: Atlas of Wyoming’s Ungulates.
2018
Invited. Advisory council member. Science Communication Professional Development for Scientists Initiative. Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium.
OCEANDOTCOMM professional science communicators residency. 42 accepted out of 75 applicants. Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium.
2017
Creative writing residency. Shortgrass Steppe Long-term Ecological Research Station, University of Colorado, Nunn, CO.
2016
University of Wyoming, Alumni Association Graduate Student Award
Creative writing residency. AMK Ranch, University of Wyoming/National Park Service Research Center
Promoting Intellectual Engagement in the First-Year teaching award; blind nomination by students; 170+ nominees, 26 awardees; University of Wyoming
Selected for inclusion in Poems Across the Big Sky (2), a 2016 anthology, ed. Lowell Jager, Many Voices Press; >1,200 submissions, ~250 poems selected.\
2015
Best Environmental Reporting (3rd place) for article “An eel is an eel is an eel, or is it?” Québec Community Newspaper Association (QCNA)
University of Wyoming MFA in Creative Writing Program (2015-2017); one of ten admitted out of >300 applicants
2014
Best Special Section, 1st place, Québec Community Newspapers Association (QCNA) award for 250th anniversary special edition magazine I edited/coordinated for the Québec Chronicle-Telegraph, North America's oldest newspaper
Best Community Newspaper Promotion, 1st place, QCNA award for year-long 250th anniversary campaign I coordinated for the Québec Chronicle-Telegraph
National journalism award, Newspapers Canada/Canadian Tire Jumpstart Foundation
Feature photograph on back cover, Montana Outdoors annual photography issue
2013
Best Business Column or Feature, 1st place, QCNA
Best Investigative or In-depth Reporting, 2nd place, QCNA
Best Newspaper Promotion, 2nd place, QCNA
Best Special Section, 3rd place, QCNA
2012
Best Newspaper Promotion, 2nd place, QCNA
Best Sports Story, 2nd place, QCNA
Outstanding Photojournalism award, QCNA
Best Sports Photograph, 2nd place, QCNA
Best News Photo, 3rd place, QCNA
2007
Heisey Foundation Scholarship
Montana Baker Grant
2007
'Best of the Best' writing assessment award, University of Montana
Elizabeth Jestrab-Chaffee Scholarship
Montana Baker Grant
Montana Motor Carriers Association Leonard Eckel Memorial Educational Trust Scholarship
University of Montana anonymous donor scholarship
2005
Montana Motor Carriers Association Leonard Eckel Memorial Educational Trust Scholarship
2003
Member, NASA Space Consortium student project; Selected by Dean of Engineering to be a member of a student design team which constructed and carried out experiments whose purpose was to collect data about the feasibility of full-scale near-space experiments. Montana Tech of the University of Montana
1st Place, Front Range Art Association’s Choteau High School Art Award
Anne Wiprud Memorial Scholarship
Choteau Kiwanis Scholarship
Elizabeth Jestrab-Chaffee Scholarship
Montana Baker Grant
Montana Motor Carriers Association Leonard Eckel Memorial Educational Trust Scholarship
Montana Tech of the University of Montana scholarship
3 Rivers Communication Scholarship