Biometrics is the application of mathematical and statistical methods to biological data. It can be used for individual identifi cation and tracking, accurate population assessments, health and disease monitoring, anti-poaching eff orts, behavioral studies, and more. And in today’s data-driven world, biometrics is increasingly important.

That’s why Dale and Paula Strickland of Cheyenne established the Strickland Family Fish and Wildlife Biometrics Professorship—to recruit and retain fish and wildlife biometrics faculty at the University of Wyoming. The gift that established this professorship was doubled by state matching.

Dale and Paula came to UW from Tennessee so that Dale could pursue a Ph.D. Paula was an elementary school teacher. Dale earned his UW Ph.D. in zoology and physiology in 1975. Upon graduation, he worked his way up to the assistant chief of the Wildlife Division, Wyoming Game and Fish Department, and he served as faculty in the UW Department of Statistics.

Then he co-founded Western EcoSystems Technology Inc., or WEST Inc., which provides environmental and statistical consulting services and contract research nationally and internationally for industry, government, and private organizations.

WEST offers field ecology and statistics services to help solve natural resource challenges. Using state-of-the-art statistical principles in the design, management, and analysis of ecological field studies, WEST specializes in common sense, professional, and scientifically defensible approaches to natural resource challenges facing government and industry. It employs more than 500 ecologists, statisticians, and support staff with offices in 10 states in the U.S. and a wholly owned subsidiary in Canada.

“My professional career has been committed to using science to solve natural resource problems and to mentoring of young professionals,” Dale says. The Strickland Professorship helps make this dream a reality.