Scientific Advisory Committee
Meet the dedicated experts who provide scientific guidance, strengthen our exhibits and programs, and help advance the museum's mission.
Committee Members
Sean A. Neiswenter, Ph.D.
Associate Professor in Residence School of Life Sciences
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Dr. Sean Neiswenter is an Associate Professor in Residence at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and has over 20 years of experience working with all things hairy: mammals. His own research focuses on carnivores, rodents, and bats. He uses old-school field work and cutting-edge lab techniques to address contemporary issues regarding biodiversity, conservation, human-wildlife interactions, and disease. Sean teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in Mammalogy, Conservation Biology, Human Anatomy, and Systematics. His most recent teaching endeavor is an NSF funded Course Based Undergraduate Research Experience where students conduct original research in respiratory physiology with the goal of publishing their results in peer-reviewed journals. In his free time, Sean enjoys spending time exploring the great outdoors with his partner, two sons, and two dogs.
Jenifer C. Utz, Ph.D.
Professor in Residence / Associate Director, School of Life Sciences
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Dr. Jenifer Utz is an enthusiastic science educator and researcher. In 2004, she earned a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences degree. Jenifer started graduate school in 2005, and she earned a Doctor of Philosophy in Biological Sciences degree in 2010. Dr. Utz joined the faculty of the School of Life Sciences at the University of Nevada Las Vegas in 2012. She has since developed and instructed 8 different biology courses, spanning from introductory biology to upper division human physiology to a graduate course on science instruction in higher education. Dr. Utz has taught more than 14,000 students during her time at UNLV. Dr. Utz’s remarkable teaching contributions have been recognized through 6 different college and university teaching excellence awards. Additionally, Dr. Utz has received multiple grants from the National Science Foundation Division of Undergraduate Education, which have enhanced educational experiences and increased the success of students pursuing STEM degrees.
Kevin Rafferty, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus
College of Southern Nevada
Dr. Kevin Rafferty is an archaeologist with 47+ years’ experience conducting archaeological research in the Southwest and Great Basin culture areas. He received his doctorate in anthropology in 1982 from SUNY-Stony Brook, based on his work at the Gila Butte Site in Arizona. In Nevada, he has worked for the Bureau of Land Management (1980-1983); as the Director of the Division of Anthropological Studies at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (1983-1989); and as a full-time professor of Anthropology and Archaeology at the College of Southern Nevada (1989-2017), the last 12 years of which he served as chairman of the Department of Human Behavior.
Since 2017 he has been a Research Associate at the Las Vegas Science & Natural History, conducting artifactual analyses and archival research. Dr. Kevin Rafferty is an archaeologist with 47+ years’ experience conducting archaeological research in the Southwest and Great Basin culture areas. He received his doctorate in anthropology in 1982 from SUNY-Stony Brook, based on his work at the Gila Butte Site in Arizona. In Nevada, he has worked for the Bureau of Land Management (1980-1983); as the Director of the Division of Anthropological Studies at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (1983-1989); and as a full-time professor of Anthropology and Archaeology at the College of Southern Nevada (1989-2017), the last 12 years of which he served as chairman of the Department of Human Behavior. Since 2017 he has been a Research Associate at the Las Vegas Science & Natural History, conducting artifactual analyses and archival research.
Jeff Wedding
Desert Research Institute
Assistant Research Scientist, Archaeology
Jeffrey Wedding has 30 years of experience in archaeological and historical research in the western United States. His current research focus is on archaeological sites associated with World War II and Cold War era military test and training resources in the desert regions of southwestern California, southern Nevada, and western Arizona. Other areas of interest include the historical archaeology of mining, transportation (particularly aviation and railroading), and ranching during the 19th and early 20th Century. Although principally an historical archaeologist, Mr. Wedding also has considerable experience recording, excavating, and interpreting prehistoric archaeological sites in the Great Basin and Mojave Desert regions.
Committee Service
The Scientific Advisory Committee is comprised of dedicated volunteers who provide expert guidance and scientific insight to support the museum's mission. Drawing on diverse backgrounds in science, education, research, and related fields, committee members help ensure the museum's exhibits, programs, and educational initiatives reflect current scientific knowledge and best practices.
Committee members serve as trusted advisors, offering recommendations and expertise that help foster curiosity, lifelong learning, and meaningful connections to science. For more information about serving on the Scientific Advisory Committee, please contact our Executive Director.