Nichole Bennett
Sex, Bugs & Rock ‘N Roll
Humans have long been attracted to the beauty and mystique of insects. The sway and lunge of the praying mantis inspired kung fu in China, and ancient Egyptians decorated with images of scarab beetles. Likewise, people have both appreciated and integrated insect songs into their own cultures, from the cover art of rock ‘n’ roll albums to the insect choruses of the Dong people. We will embark on a multi-modal experience at the interface of insect songsters and human curiosity.
Click here to download the poster from Nichole’s SUTS Event!
Emily Royall
Biomimicry
Nature has produced forms most beautiful and, in turn, humans have managed to mimic these forms. In the emerging field of biomimetics, human engineers find inspiration within natural structures, such as the wings of a bird or the complex surface of a cell.
Click here to download the poster from Emily’s SUTS Event!
Jesse Lasky
Biodiversity, Oddities, and Conservation of Southeast Asian Tropical Forests
Chad Smith
Race To Egg: How Sperm Competition Drives the Evolution of the Sexes.
Why do males produce so many sperm? While Charles Darwin is famous for explaining how male competition for females could lead to the evolution of male ornaments and weapons, he did not foresee that competition could continue after mating is over. In this talk we’ll explore how competition between sperm from more than one male for the fertilization of the eggs can have widespread effects on male behavior, anatomy, and of course the characteristics of the sperm itself. In addition, we now recognize females can play an important role in determining the outcome of sperm competition, and as a consequence we’ll talk about female role in this process.
Click here to download the poster from Chad’s SUTS Event!
Laura Dugan
Aliens Among Us: Invasive Species.
What are they, what do they do and what can we do about them?
Laura Dugan at Posa Azul, Cuatrocienegas, Mexico
The invasive Jewel Ciclid.
Invasive alien species (IAS) are recognized as one of the greatest threats to global biodiversity. In today’s modern world, species are moved all over the globe via intentional and unintentional means. Many of these species are never able to establish and spread in their new environments, but those that do can wreak havoc on native communities via a variety of interactions including predation, competition and hybridization. In this talk, I will discuss a few of the effects of invasive species and introduce some of the major Texas invaders. I will also discuss some of the methods that are currently being used to combat invasive species as well as genetic biocontrol technologies that are being investigated as potential amelioration techniques, some of which have already been put into practice in Australia.
Click here to download the poster from Laura’s SUTS Event!
Science Under The Stars 