MBC sponsor Eric Herman owner of AtoZec, wildlife biology consulting firm, in the field east of Tucson performing a native plant inventory.

Eric Herman is a Wildlife Biologist who works around the Southwestern United States. We spent some time with him to find out more about his work, how creativity helps him, what traits he associates with creativity and why he supports Mat Bevel Company. Read on to find out his answers.

How would you describe your work?

With my work, we have a plant or animal species that we’re looking for in the field. Before going into the field, I learn as much as I can about the science of the species, what’s its behavior, where and how do we find it.

The bulk of my work involves hiking through a variety of habitat looking for that species. That entails using your senses. Often it’s sight and sound.

You have to be patient, because literally I’m hiking all day and looking or staying in one spot waiting to see the species. Once we find the target species, we collect data. It’s a search and investigation mission that we’re on.

What role does creativity play in your work?

Things change in the field. Where you may have easily found a species before, may not be where you find that species now. That species may have moved away or still be present in limited numbers, making it hard to find. Issues arise and you have to be ready to respond to logistics, injuries, the species changing its behavior because of our presence.

The plants and animals do not read the books that we’ve written about them. They may do different things and be in different places than what we expect. The cliché “think outside the box” to me means creating alternatives to your standard search pattern. You have to be very creative to put yourself in the mind of an animal. How do they move? What are they looking for?

I ask myself, “What do I need as this bird or tortoise? What is my day like?” When you figure this out, it will help you find what you need rather than relying on a text book. I use my mind and my instinct to solve problems in the field.

Answering the why of a particular situation takes creativity. As a part of creativity, I use intuition all the time. I trust my feelings and my gut. Instinct is an immediate reaction. If those patch of trees look promising, pursue it. Trust it. That’s how I got good at looking for Yellow Billed Cuckoos. We found them in areas that weren’t in the textbooks.

In the end, creativity is not so much about the plants or the animals, but using the six senses! It helps me learn about myself. There’s a link between self-awareness and awareness of an environment in general. That’s where the sixth sense is so important. Intuition taps you into the energy of the habitat.

Eric Herman making found-object art from nature’s treasures.

What traits do you associate with creativity?

Let’s say you planned, but everything went south. A crew member is sick. The animals are acting differently. The habitat is different. The weather changed. You have to get creative.

Adaptability is a trait directly linked to creativity. How do you use original thinking to change your approach due changing situations? How do you adapt your survey to that? It might mean preparing how you get in and out of the canyon, or exiting before the weather turns bad. Adaptability all comes back to out-of-the-box thinking which opens you up to a wider range of options.

Another trait connected to creativity is trust which largely overlaps with instinct. This is a behavioral thing. It requires maintaining an optimistic thought. You have to be realistic too, knowing that trust doesn’t mean everything will turn out, but you keep the door open for things to work out.

Identify a positive and practical way that having creative capacity has improved your life and your work.

Creativity has given me more options and experiences. It allows my passion to grow and expand. For science based work, it helps me solve challenges, opening up more solutions, more answers.

Going back to the Yellow-Billed Cuckoo work, the creative thoughts have helped me find similar attributes of the species but in areas that have different vegetation. In this case, I identify more factors that might attract an animal to an area, such as prey…what they are going to eat here? Is there a food source in different places than previously defined?

Do you work your mind out to practice creativity?

Yes, I mentally shut the thoughts of my mind down and listen to what my six senses are telling me, with instinct as the sixth sense.

I also work on found-art object sculptures to create art. Throwing things together in ways that aren’t uniform increases my creativity. Running my mind and hands through the process of creation is very useful.

What science concept do you use often in your work?

Patterns. We use the term search pattern which means I am almost thinking of anything I’ve learned. It’s heavy on instinct. Gazing across a scene, I let a sixth sense suck up what data is coming in. Often sight and sound patterns allow the mind to receive data and calculate in my head, “Is this the right area?” The patterns are coming in so fast but you’re picking up shapes, or colors that help cue you into to finding the species and its habitat.

Getting to the touch part…how will you move yourself through the given area. Is the best way to walk a straight line or shift your movement. If I walk a straight line I may miss the snake behind the rock.

The un-creative mind will stay on the straight line. The creative mind will follow the patterns which may mean deviating and curving my way through the environment. With this approach, I’ve seen many more species than I would have otherwise.

Why did you donate again to Mat Bevel Company this year?

I donated to Mat Bevel Company this year again because I know the people involved and I know their hearts are into the mission. I’m donating to the passion. When making a decision to donate, I ask myself, “How are they using the money?” With Beveldom, besides the actual construct…the art and science that are being taught through The Daily Doodle, The Time-Space machine, I’ve met Bevel and Kid Bevel, I know the passion! Passion is how I live.”

THANK YOU, ERIC!

MBC sponsor SSVEC has sponsored The Youth Engineering and Science (YES) Fair for over 20 years. Pictured above are YES Fair winners from 2020.

One student explored the possibility of life on other planets.
Another studied the effectiveness of wearing a mask to stop the spread of a virus.
Others researched plant nutrition, the states of matter, solar panels, and bacteria.

Motivated by a pure desire to learn, students participating in the 38th annual Youth, Engineering, and Science (YES) Fair not only satisfy their desire to understand a topic of interest, they compete for more than $20,000 in cash awards and the opportunity for an all-expenses paid trip to an international science fair.

The YES Fair happens every February and is sponsored by the Sulphur Springs Valley Electric Cooperative (SSVEC) Foundation. It is one of three youth programs aimed at encouraging and empowering students to excel and succeed in today’s world. Marcus Harston, Community Relations and Youth Program Coordinator for SSVEC, manages all three programs, including the YES Fair, the Washington Youth Tour and a scholarship program that annually awards more than $100,000 to further the education of area students.

“The YES Fair encourages students from Grades 5 through 12 to cultivate their interest in science and engineering, which helps each participant succeed and help build a better America,” Harston said.

Former YES Fair winner pictured with his project display, “What’s The Fizz?”.

Harston said SSVEC will again sponsor the Mat Bevel Company for its educational program, The Universe Within, which encourages students to think, discover, invent, and research, various science-related topics.

“We support programs like The Universe Within because it provides activities and opportunities for our rural youth and families to open up new directions for their education, career and life,” Harston said.

Both The Universe Within and the YES Fair help students learn about area, circumference, volume, matter, energy and natural forces. Students participating in the YES Fair have an opportunity to display their research and present answers to specific science questions of interest. Past projects for students in 5th through 8th grades have featured hands-on experiments and interesting conclusions in five distinct areas of study, including Energy and Engineering, Technology, Physical Science, Earth and Space Science and Biological Science.

Projects presented by high school students are defined by the 21 categories set forth by the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. In addition to cash prizes, the top high school winners in the SSVEC Foundation YES Fair are awarded an all-expenses paid trip to present their projects at the Intel fair, scheduled for May 8th through May 13th in Atlanta, Georgia.

Hundreds of students in Southeastern Arizona look forward to creating science projects for the annual YES Fair. Many of those who have participated have gone on to have successful careers in science, technology and engineering as doctors, teachers, soldiers, and farmers.

A teacher and her student, a 2019 YES Fair winner, pictured with Mr. Marcus Harston, Community Relations & Youth Program Coordinator for SSVEC.

High School projects will be set up at the Windemere Hotel and Conference Center on Tuesday, February 22, 2022, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The actual awards ceremony will be held at Windemere Hotel and Conference Center on Thursday, February 24, 2022, from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Virtual judging for 5th through 8th grades is February 15th through February 22nd, and awards will be announced February 23rd, winners are invited to the awards ceremony.

Sulphur Springs Valley Electric Cooperative (SSVEC), which oversees the SSVEC Foundation, is a not-for-profit, member-owned distribution cooperative providing electricity to more than 60,000 services over some 4,100 miles of energized line. The cooperative’s service territory covers parts of Cochise, Graham, Pima and Santa Cruz counties in Southern Arizona. SSVEC is dedicated to community growth, quality of life and a positive vision for the future.

Mat Bevel Company sponsor South32 is a global mining and metals company that owns the Hermosa Project, a world-class zinc and lead mine near the small town of Patagonia, Arizona. Pictured above are Hermosa Site Services Manager Chris Gray and Communications Director Jenny Fiore-Magaña.

South32 is a multinational mining and metals company that owns the Hermosa Project, a zinc-lead-silver-manganese development option in Arizona, near the small town of Patagonia, Arizona, in Santa Cruz County. The Hermosa Project is South32’s first project in North America and contains what is shaping up to be one of the largest undeveloped zinc resources in the world.

The development of STEM skills among young learners is a big priority for South32. Guided by the belief that quality education is the foundation of economic and social prosperity, South32 supports STEM programs in the communities and regions where it operates. That’s why South32 has provided grants and sponsorships to Mat Bevel Company over the last four years to develop and distribute The Universe Within STEM world-building curriculum.

South32’s Will Shumway, Senior Exploration Geologist presenting to Chemistry students at Mica Mountain High School.

“The Hermosa Project is poised to be a substantial job-creator and contribute significantly to the state’s economy,” said Pat Risner, Hermosa Project President. “Building STEM skills among local students will be absolutely essential for us to employ regional talent for our project in Southern Arizona.”

That’s why Hermosa Project employees get involved with teaching students about the science and technology of mining in Southern Arizona. Recently, Will Shumway, Senior Exploration Geologist, and Matt Novak, Processing Study Lead were guest presenters during Chemistry Class at Mica Mountain High School. They shared with 125 students what a geologist does in a typical day, and the technology used for mineral extraction methods.

South32 pursues innovative mining technologies to improve efficiency and reduce the environmental impact of mining activities. As one example, South32 is using virtual design construction (VDC) to design and construct complex infrastructure at Hermosa. The technology uses an array of cutting-edge tools for virtually conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing facilities. Much like an interactive blueprint but with a lot more functionality, VDC creates a virtual twin, a 3D model of the structure prior to construction or fabrication. This technology allows South32 to anticipate and proactively resolve problems related to construction staging, traffic management and relocation of utilities.

“We are excited that students are learning about physics and the laws of motion this year through The Art of Kinetics, Module 2 of The Universe Within, said Melanie Lawson, Hermosa Project Communities. “It’s so important to foster innovation, creative problem-solving, technology skills and mechanical-spatial aptitude at a young age, especially when so many kids are exposed to mostly two dimensional digital mobile devices. In contrast, The Universe Within connects kids to the physical world, mechanics, motion as they use materials and tools to construct three- and four-dimensional objects from their worlds.”

Efforts in the U.S. to improve STEM education have largely been driven by demand from the private sector, where employers such as South32 are keenly aware of the lack of qualified candidates for science- and technology-focused jobs. By supporting programs like The Universe Within, companies are also addressing the drastic shortage of females and minorities who are taking advantage of the many opportunities in STEM-related careers.

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