For this nontraditional zoology student, WSU offers collaboration and exploration
OGDEN, Utah — For 27-year-old Weber State University student Davis Swanson, pursuing a degree in zoology isn’t just about academics but understanding life in all its forms.
An avid outdoorsman, Swanson always knew he wanted to work with wildlife. But after graduating from Clearfield High School and a couple short stints at other colleges, he decided to take “a long break” before enrolling in classes at WSU.
Now on track to graduate in spring 2026, he feels that time gave him the ability and renewed sense of purpose to make the most of his education this time around.
“I’m really grateful I came back when I did,” Swanson said. “I have more discipline and appreciation for my education than I did at 18 and I am much wiser.”
Swanson was drawn to the zoology program and its emphasis on hands-on experience.
“Our zoology department is really well regarded,” he said. “Everyone I have spoken to outside the university is very complimentary of the work we do here.”
Some of that work includes WSU’s bird banding station and undergraduate research.
Swanson first got involved in research by assisting with a study on microplastics in the Ogden River, with hopes to be published soon. This experience helped him realize that undergrad students could be actively involved with research.
“You sort of have this notion that it’s going to be more difficult or you have to wait for someone to give you a project,” Swanson said. “But being able to help on the Ogden River research showed me I could do it and gave me the confidence I needed to start my own project.”
With funding from the Office of Undergraduate Research, Swanson launched his own project studying how lazuli buntings — small, vibrant blue songbirds — choose perching spots to sing.
“They’re these gorgeous, charismatic birds,” Swanson said. “They’re the ones I credit with getting me into birds in the first place.”
Swanson also helped monitor snowy plovers at the Great Salt Lake, home to the largest inland population of the species, under the mentorship of zoology professor John Cavitt earlier this year. He also continues to mentor new students at the bird banding station.
But science isn’t his only outlet. As a creative writer, Swanson believes fiction pairs well with his scientific pursuit — things he considers “flip sides of the same coin.”
Though currently considering graduate school in wildlife ecology, Swanson is equally as excited about working in the field. Either way, he’s proud of how far he’s come.
Viewing science as a collaborative effort, Swanson’s education hasn’t been about knowing everything.
“It’s about getting other people excited about what you’re excited about,” he said. “It’s caring more about learning than knowing.”
Ashlee Ellinwood, Marketing & Communications
- Contact:
Bryan Magaña, public relations director
801-626-7948, bryanmagana@weber.edu