2015 Conference
Stephanie ArneKeynote Speaker
My name is Stephanie Arne and I am a Wildlife Ambassador.
Since I was a child, I have felt connected to nature and have understood the importance of protecting the planet. My parents said they knew I was meant to teach people about animals and wildlife conservation when I was 5.
Thankfully, I never gave up on that dream: I stayed focused, took risks and did whatever it took to become a wildlife educator. In the past 8 years I have worked for Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo, San Diego Zoo, Sea World and the Honolulu Zoo Society. I have traveled to Africa, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Australia, NewZealand and Papua New Guinea in search of experiences that would help me to become a better teacher. Each travel experience opened a door to the secrets of the world. Not only did I learn fascinating differences between people and cultures, but also how people interact with the nature and wildlife around them. Some respected nature and others destroyed it. The more I traveled, the more I saw how everything was connected in an intricate food web and that food web was terribly off balance.
My mission in life is to use my personal experiences with people and wildlife from all over the world to raise awareness about the imbalance of the planet’s ecosystems in hopes of empowering people to conserve and protect humans, animals and our environment.
Schools Attending
Sponsors
Exhibitors
- American Assn. of University Women
- American Engineering Testing
- Black Hills National Forest
- Black Hills State University
- Casey Peterson and Associates, Ltd.
- CRETEX Concrete Products
- Delta Dental of South Dakota
- Dynamic Kids Therapy
- Hotel Alex Johnson
- Midcontinent Testing Laboratories
- Midwest Assistance Program
- Modern Woodmen
- Rapid Precious Metals
- RESPEC Consulting and Services
- South Dakota Dental Association
- South Dakota Discovery Center
- South Dakota Engineering Society
- South Dakota Office of Rural Health
- South Dakota School of MInes and Technology
- South Dakota Space Grant Consortium
- Summit Signs and Supply
- West Dakota Water Development District
- Zonta Club of the Black Hills
- Black Hills Corporation - Aspire!
- Black Hills National Forest
- Natural Resource Conservation Service
- National Weather Service
- The Mammoth Site
- Midcontinent Testing Laboratories
- Rapid City Fire/EMS
- SDSM&T Center for Excellence in Manufacturing and Production
- SDSM&T Chemical and Biological Engineering Department
- SDSM&T Civil and Environmental Engineering Department
- SDSM&T Culture and Attitude
- SDSM&T Electrical and Computer Engineering Department
- SDSM&T Geology and Geological Engineering Department
- SDSM&T Materials and Metallurgical Engineering Department
- SDSM&T Mining Engineering and Management
- SDSM&T Museum of Geology
- South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources
- United States Geological Survey
Check out our amazing speakers!
Press Coverage
Amy Ballard Interview on Family Radio Network
The Local Record program, hosted by Jenny Burkhiser of the Family Radio Network, had the privilege to interview Amy Ballard about Equipping a Future Full of Discovery: The Rapid City Women in Science Conference 2015 for airing on Rapid City radio station KQFR. 89.9 FM on Saturday, March 7, 2015, at 1:15 am, 5:15 am, 7:15 am, 1:15 pm, & 5:15 pm. For more information about the Network, access www.familyradio.org. Here's the link to the interview: https://soundcloud.com/jburkhiser/complete-amy-ballard
What the Girls Had To Say
"That we need to follow the path that we love the most, and reconsider what is important in our life and what would we be willing to give up to achieve our goals."
"I learned that even though people may tell you no, you must always follow your heart!!"
"Anything worth while is never easy."
"We can do anything as long as we work hard."
"That no matter what, shadow, shadow, shadow."
"The sky isn't the limit/follow your dreams. I learned a lot about science that I didn't already know."
"I learned that you don't have to do what your parents think you're good at."
"To never give up, and through all of the tuff times of people saying you can't do it. Just remember you can. Do what you want. Not others."