Volunteer Spotlight - Bob Nesmith and Jasan Salat

Bob Nesmith is one of the longest-serving of the docents at the Natural Science Center, having volunteered there for over five years. After retiring, Bob wanted something into which he could focus his time and energy. He feels that being retired and being productive are in no way mutually exclusive. His daughter had enjoyed her visits to the Science Center and recommended that Bob look in to a position here when he began discussing his intentions to volunteer with her.

Bob’s favorite place to volunteer is in the herpetology lab, downstairs in the museum. The herpetology lab is home to all manner of reptiles and amphibians, from snakes to lizards to frogs. Some docents shy away from the snakes, but Bob is a staple downstairs. With experience comes confidence, and Bob blows off my comment about being a braver man than I with a laugh and an “It’s nothing.” He bounced back and forth between answering questions for curious guests and telling me of his favorite herp lab memories.

The Natural Science Center had a snake named Elvis, one of Bob’s favorites. Bob made it a point to poke his head in the herp lab and see how Elvis was doing whenever he arrived at the Science Center for his shift. One morning, Bob was startled to find Elvis, in his cage, sitting atop a clutch of eggs. Elvis, being the only snake that had access to the cage all night, was promptly rechristened Elvira.

Another of Bob’s favorite stories comes from an attempt to teach some children that snakes smell differently than most people are familiar with; they use their tongues. Wanting to give a child the chance to show some previous knowledge, Bob asked if anyone knew how snakes smell. One boy, raising his hand with unbridled enthusiasm, wanted the first try. After being called on, the boy leaned in, sniffed the snake, and replied that “it wasn’t too bad.” After some explaining by Bob, everyone enjoyed both a laugh and a lesson.

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Jason Salat is a volunteer that has been with the Natural Science Center since February, 2009. He began volunteering as a productive way to fill time between college and graduate school. He is currently enrolled in graduate school at UNCG, studying geography, but has kept volunteering as a docent. He has always cultivated an interest in the natural world and animals, and the Science Center seemed to be a good fit for the type of work he was hoping to do.

He enjoys working both in the labs and out in the zoo. His favorite animals at the zoo are our wallabies, DiGi, Jupiter, and Kermit. He enjoys the freedom of interaction that the exhibit allows: the wallabies are free to cross over the rope barrier and interact with visitors more closely if they so choose.