Neil Cornell, adjunct professor of biology, said he admires nature and the outdoors.

Cornell’s love for nature started when his father showed him a lizard in a jar.

“It was one of my first memories,” Cornell said. “It was the most amazing thing that I had encountered in my early life.”

Cornell said, as a child, frequent trips to the creek and zoo were part of his life.

“My mother would pick me up from kindergarten and take me to the seal exhibit to see if the mother had given birth to her pups,” Cornell said.

Cornell earned his Eagle Scout rank in 1990, mastering camping and outdoor living skills, which he said strengthened his effectiveness in the field.

Cornell said he has been certified as a Wilderness First Responder.

“This allows me to help other colleagues in outdoor settings and serve as a valuable member of a research and educational team,” Cornell said.

Cornell said one of the things he enjoys most is simply being out on the land.

“There’s a very special connection you have when you go outside and live in it for a long period of time,” Cornell said. “You have to know the climate, the terrain, the plants and animals. You have to know how to interact with them.”

Cornell said he loves the outdoors. He realizes he could become injured, but he tries to be careful to minimize the risk.

However, Cornell was hiking recently and blew his bicep tendon.

“I tripped, so I reached out to grab a tree to keep from falling,” Cornell said. “I moved back so fast it just snapped it. I heard a rip and then felt some pain. It was pain more like a sprained ankle.”

Cornell said he underwent surgery, but he is completely healed and amazed by the technology used in his surgery.

“I went back for an update with my surgeon, and he said I was pretty much good to go for the rest of my life,” Cornell said. “I don’t need an upgrade in 40 years.”

Cornell also said he crushed one of his right fingers when he was working. Cornell said the way the surgeon reconstructed his finger amazed him.

“To actually have carried on a conversation with the gentleman who rebuilt my finger and learn all about my finger and know my finger is going to be OK in a matter of weeks was fascinating,” Cornell said.

Cornell said he loves teaching people of all ages about nature and science.

“That’s what the exciting thing is,” Cornell said. “It isn’t just teaching adults about the natural world but going down to the formative years and getting them ready for that college experience.”

By AYSIA HOGLE

Staff

ahogle@umail.iu.edu