Kari Koerner

High School Apprentice, Team Skeet

“Field work shows me that I’m helping the environment. It’s nice to look back at what we’ve done and say, ‘I did that.’” 

Eagle Scout Kari Koerner has joined the field station as a TERA (Tyson Environmental Research Apprentice) before embarking on their studies in environmental science and music performance at Mizzou this fall.  

“I was one of two people who founded my Scouts BSA troop back in 2021. We always did nature stuff and were big on teaching Leave No Trace. We wanted to model being respectful to nature. Being in Scouts BSA and also having a family who gardened a lot made me interested in environmental science.” 

And that brought you to SIFT? 

“Most definitely. When I first started with SIFT [Shaw Institute for Field Training], I still didn’t know what I wanted to do in college or for a living. SIFT really showed me what you can do in environmental science, and it gave me a lot of field experience with pollinators and restoration work. Moving up to a TERA, I’ve been able to experience the lab side of research. I’m looking to go down the entomology path with mosquitos, ticks, and pollinators once I get to college.”