Francis R. Cook Mentorship Award Recipients
| Year | Recipient | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Dr. Josh Feltham Fleming College; Destination Conservation  |
The 2021 Francis R. Cook Mentorship award was presented to Dr. Josh Feltham. Dr. Feltham is a full-time professor and coordinator of the Ecosystem Management program at Fleming College’s School of Environmental and Natural Resource Sciences. As a professor, Josh takes considerable time and effort in developing his programming and teaching his students. Being sensitive to student needs and abilities while challenging them to take measured risks and expand their comfort zone are key elements of Josh’s style and approach to teaching. His philosophy in education is to present challenges to students that will increase their adaptability, creativity, and ingenuity to make them more resilient and successful in a rapidly changing workplace. In addition to Josh’s role at Fleming College, he has been a teacher and mentor to countless students, conservation biologists, researchers, and local communities across Canada and internationally. He has developed tropical ecology and herpetology programs in Central America, including a community-based Sea Turtle conservation program and field herpetology courses in Costa Rica, as well as a program in Guyana to develop and document sustainable models of economic development that protect ecological integrity. Through the involvement of Canadian students, these tropical research and conservation programs get international attention, as well as much needed assistance on the ground. Josh’s experience as an educator and mentor in the field of herpetology also includes roles as the Station Manager and Director of Education at the Canadian Organization for Tropical Education and Rainforest Conservation, the General Manager of Reptilia Reptile Zoo and Education Centre, an instructor for an annual Ontario herpetology field course, and the Director of Destination Conservation. Outside of his academic pursuits, Josh is quick to offer assistance and freely lends his knowledge and expertise to others; he has contributed broadly to reptile research and conservation programs across Ontario. People who have been taught by Josh show great respect for what Josh has instilled in them, from passion for conservation to relevant and refined field skills. Josh’s students indicate that they are stronger researchers, better biologists, and more skilled technicians due to his influence. Josh’s influence extends far beyond his students, positively impacting herpetologists of all ages and experience levels. In every way, Josh Feltham exemplifies what it is to be a mentor to the next generation of herpetologists. With significant personal interest and professional expertise in herpetology, as well as being a gifted leader and teacher, there are few that could better fit this award. |
| 2024 | Dr. Karl Larsen Thompson Rivers University  |
The 2024 Francis R. Cook Mentorship Award was presented to Dr. Karl Larsen in recognition his outstanding mentorship and support for the next generation of herpetologists in Canada. Over his career, Dr. Larsen has supervised more than twenty M.Sc. students and countless Honours and Graduating Essay students at Thompson Rivers University as they undertook research on a diverse assortment of herpetofauna, including rattlesnakes, gopher snakes, racers, garter snakes, spadefoots, tiger salamanders, painted turtles, leopard frogs, and invasive wall lizards. Most of these projects have focused on the conservation of at-risk species. Karl is deeply committed to ensuring that his students' research has a meaningful impact. He strongly encourages them to publish their findings, not for personal accolades, but to maximize the benefits of their work for the species they study, and to make the ‘poking and prodding’ that animals are put through worthwhile. Dr. Larsen emphasizes the importance of disseminating knowledge widely and staying curious, urging his students to follow up on observations and ideas that emerge during their projects, whether through further research or publishing additional papers/notes. The influence of Karl's mentorship is evident in the careers his students have pursued. Many have taken on herpetology-focused roles with First Nations, provincial and federal governments, non-profits, and consulting firms. The South Interior Reptile Recovery Working Group, for instance, is largely composed of members of the "Larsen Army." In addition to his graduate supervision, Karl integrates herpetology into his undergraduate teaching, including courses like Wildlife Management and Conservation, a bi-annual field course in Belize, and Evolution and Diversity of Vertebrates, in which he uses herpetofauna as examples to illustrate concepts such as phenotypic plasticity, sexual selection, and adaptations of northern species. Karl's commitment to his students extends beyond the classroom and lab. He has taken them to conferences around the world, enabling them to present their research on Canadian herpetofauna and network with the global herpetology community, most recently on a trip with students to Borneo for the World Congress of Herpetology. He continues to advocate for and often collaborates with past students long after they have graduated from their programs. Karl’s legacy in herpetology will endure far beyond his retirement, thanks to the new generation of herpetologists he has inspired and mentored throughout his career. |