Name: Leonard A. Brennan, PhD
Graduation Year: 1976
Degree: Grassroots Project
Current Hometown: Kingsville, Texas
Employment: Professor of Wildlife Ecology and C.C. Winn Endowed Chair for Quail Research, Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute; Texas A&M University – Kingsville
Can you tell us about the work you are doing now in wildlife science?
I conduct research on the habitat and population ecology of wild quails, primarily the northern bobwhite. My research program is structured around developing a scientific basis for the management and conservation of bobwhites in South Texas as well as other vertebrates that share similar habitat. My teaching duties revolve around training graduate students (M.S. and Ph.D.) who will work as biologists or researchers for state or federal agencies, universities or non-profit organizations.
How did Sterling influence your current career path?
Sterling got me started on the right path immediately out of high school. I thought I wanted to get a degree in forestry, but quickly found out there were other career pathways, such as wildlife, that were much more interesting to me.
What is your most memorable course or “out in the field” memory?
A canoe trip down the Connecticut River during the second week of May in 1976. The group who canoed the Connecticut River the week before my group had 80-degree weather and came back sunburned. A week later, during my trip, it was 45-degrees and raining. By the time we pulled out to set up camp after the first day on the river, most of us were soaked and at or near hypothermia. Hot liquids from the campfire and dry clothes helped all of us avert what could have been quite a disaster.
Any words of wisdom for the current Sterling students?
Make the most of every opportunity provided by Sterling and the great people who work and teach there.
