He journeys deep into the tropical forests of Costa Rica to research and photograph exotic plants and animals that few people have ever seen.  His lifelong mission is to aid in the preservation of endangered ecosystems such as these.  This may sound like the plot of Hollywood film, but it’s all in a day’s work for biology professor Alan Journet.

He frequently travels to Costa Rica, where he has been conducting ecological research for over a decade. His current research concerns the restoration of tropical forests from abandoned farmland.  Dr. Journet doesn’t spend all of his time saving the planet, however.  He also takes time out to enjoy nature by camping, hiking and taking photographs. 

In the classroom, Dr. Journet instructs students in biology research methods, ecology, and conservation biology. He hopes to impart a sense of environmental awareness to his students, and encourages them to ask questions. Journet strives to “provide students with the best learning experience possible and every reasonable opportunity to succeed.”

Dr. Journet undertook his undergraduate studies in Wales and received his doctoral degree from McGill University in Quebec, followed by post-doctoral studies in Australia.  During his studies, Journet’s childhood love of nature grew into a lifelong mission to promote biological conservation.    

Dr. Journet is active and successful in his field. He travels across the United States and abroad, giving presentations on his work and advocating environmental awareness.  As a result of Journet's interest in and concern for conservation and environmental issues, he has been a member of the local Trail of Tears Group of the Ozark (Missouri) Chapter of the national Sierra Club - an organization dedicated to enjoying, preserving, and protecting the environment.  He has been conservation chair of the local group since its inception in 1990, and is an active member of the state chapter.

Journet, who has taught at Southeast since 1980, played an instrumental role in the formation of the Environmental Science program at Southeast. In addition to research publications, he has authored several laboratory manuals for courses in biology.

In addition to his biological activities, Journet has been serving as a local host of a classical music program on Southeast's public radio station, KRCU 90.9 FM, since 1981.  His program, in this incarnation called “A Musical Meander,” offers a weekly two-hour excursion into selections from the home music library of Journet and his wife, Dr. Kathy Conway of Southeast's Department of Elementary, Early and Special Education. During the program, which mainly features music in the classical genre, Journet chats about the music, the performance, or the composer and usually meanders into some other realm such as folk, new age, rock, country, or international once during the program.

Journet’s canine buddy is Chaco Koa WaYa Shunkmanitu Tanka, which is derived from the following:

• Chaco - from the Anasazi culture pueblo in northwestern New Mexico – Chaco Canyon
• Koa - Hawaiian for “bold” or “fierce”
• WaYa - Cherokee for “wolf”
• Shunkmanitu Tanka - Lakota (the language of the Dakota Indians) for “wolf”
  

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