Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 9, 1996)
By Erin Schulte Staff Reporter James Estes’ passion is plants, but as the new director of the Nebraska State Museum, he plans to shift his focus to computers. The former botany professor at the University of Oklahoma took over as director Feb. 1. Estes said his major goal for the museum was to computerize records of UNL’s 12 million artifacts, most of which are stored in Nebraska Hall. Between 1 percent and 5 percent of the artifacts are shown at any one time at the museum. “Can you imagine the library if there wasn’t a card catalog?” Estes said. “In some ways, that’s the condition of the museum.” His plan would require expensive sophisticated computer software. To cover the costs, Estes said, he would apply for funding from the federal government. Another important issue to Estes is making museum exhibits more inter act ve, so vi si tors don ’ t “j ust walk along and look.” Estes said the museum’s Mesozoic exhibit was a good example of an interactive display. Biodiversity exhibits are also needed, Estes said. “By understanding that diversity, we have a much better understanding of how humans fit in,” he said. “The wealth of a region depends on diver sity.” When Estes heard of the museum director job opening a year ago, he said, he was immediately interested because of his respect for Nebraska researchers. Estes said he got to know UNL researchers while he served in Wash ington, D.C., with the National Sci ence Foundation, where he decided which grant applicants would receive funding from the federal government. Lincoln has treated Estes and his wife, Nancy, well, he said. Estes said he and his wife just purchased a home in southeast Lincoln, and he saw the city’s neighborhoods as clean and crime-free. Estes said he also was looking for ward to spring, when the plants on campus will bloom. “I am very much impressed with the grasses and flower beds,” Estes said. “They’re even labeled.” Estes grew up in Texas, he said, which he considered a friendly state. But Nebraskans are even more neigh borly. “It’s almost a step above Texas,” Estes said. Worldwide Web gives students career help By Joshua Gillin Staff Aeporter Finding a career that fits a college graduate’s every need and desire is difficult, but computers are making it easier. Several services are available to students and graduates seeking full time employment, and many are avail ablelrom the comfort of home, via the World Wide Web. Kaplan Interactive’s home page- - a multi-page network of career plan ning, scholarship searches and college descriptions—can be found at http:// www.kaplan.com/library/ Career.html#Counseling. The site offers resources on fund ing a college education, maintaining good academic standing, searching for a career nationwide and looking for graduate programs. Geri Cotter, acting director of the Career Services Center at the Univer sity of Nebraska-Lincoln, said the Kaplan Interactive home page was a big step in a new direction. “Electronic career planning is the wave of the future,” she said. “Kaplan is making the technology available to students, and that should make job searches much easier in the future.” But, Cotter said, students don’t nec essarily have to look to outside sources for computerized help finding a ca reer. A nationwide career opportunities data base is available at the Career Services Center, 230 Nebraska Union, she said. The data base contains a constantly updated list of up to 1 million job openings across the nation and is avail able to any UNL student. “I do wish that more students would use the resources we have available to them,” Cotter said. “A lot of students don’t even know we’re here.” The Career Services Center spon sors a home page as-well, and it is updated weekly with new job open “Electronic career planning is the wave of the future. ” GERI COTTER acting director of the Career Services Center ings and campus and local interview information. Students may find the Career Ser vices Center home page at http:// www.unl .edu/careers/csc .html. Cotter said the new options devel oping in the career planning world were unlike anything anyone had ever seen. Among the new developments is Room Zoom, an interactive CD-ROM created by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Room Zoom uses video clips, col orful animation, clear and easily un derstandable speech clips and sound bites to bring a student into the world of a certified public accountant. Career opportunities, salaries, or ganizations and a unique “Day in the Life” section highlight the disc, offer ing a new view of the ins and outs of the accounting profession. “This disc is really a big deal,” Cotter said. “Soon, more professions will jump on the bandwagon and cre ate their own versions.” The Room Zoom disc is available to interested students and faculty for $5 by calling the AICPA at 1-800 862-4272. The order number is 872514. Cotter said she couldn’t stress the importance of using resources that stu dents had available to them enough. “A lot of students don’t get work either because they don’t know where to look or don’t know what to look for,” she said. “They need to know there are resources available for them here, both on computer and on paper.” Forum discusses spirituality From Staff Reports The ecological spirituality of various Native American tribes, as well as spiritual relationships with nature and animals, is the topic of today’s Nebraska Wesleyan Uni versity forum. Jack Gladstone, a Native Ameri can storyteller and lecturer, will present “Circle of Life: American Indians and the Environment.” The title of his presentation comes from the belief that “living in balance with nature and under standing the circle of life are the keys to knowing the Creator,” ac cording to a press release. Gladstone was born and raised in Seattle. His father is a Blackfoot, his mother a German-American. The free forum will be at 10 a.m. in the McDonald Theatre, located in the Elder Memorial Speech and Theatre Center, 51st Street and Huntington Avenue. Tanna Kinnaman/DN James Estes, new director of the Nebraska State Museum, stands in front of dinosaur skeletons in Elephant Hall. Estes, a former University of Oklahoma botany professor, took over his new position Feb. 1. ‘ JuSt in ca.Se * you decide to buy the books this Semester. VISA *PWS It's every vv^ier€ ■you want to be.* © Via* U S A. Inc. 199S