Young Alum of the Month

Nathan Brockman
Fort Madison, Iowa

Major and Graduation date:

Major: Entomology
Graduation: December 2000

Job Title and Company:

Butterfly Wing Curator
Reiman Gardens
Iowa State University

Major Job Responsibilities:

As the Butterfly Wing Curator at Reiman Gardens I am responsible for the continuous operation within the Butterfly Lab and Christina Reiman Butterfly Wing as well as the care of the thousands of butterflies flown each year in the Butterfly Wing. I also have the opportunity to create an assortment of educational content and give a wide variety of talks to the public on butterflies, insects and invertebrates in general.

What do you like most about your job?

As the Butterfly Wing Curator I really enjoy the opportunity it provides me to educate and excite the public about the amazing world of insects and invertebrates.

What advice would you give to current students pursuing a career in Agriculture?

I would encourage any student interested in an Agricultural career to do as many internships in the field of work as they possibly can. Not only will it give you the opportunity to learn if that particular job is for you but it may lead to a full-time position at the company after graduation. I would also like to recommend students look into some of the programs offered by some of the smaller departments such as Entomology. Even though Entomology is a specialized field, the work done by an Entomologist is important to many fields not just Entomology and Agriculture and may lead to more job opportunities.