Barrett Klein
SLEEP and the Plight of a Weary Honey Bee
Sleep is something we can all relate to, but are hard pressed to define. We spend a third of our lives asleep and we have little understanding why. Why do you sleep? Is it for the same reason an insect sleeps? Join me for a foray into the realm of dreams, of different electrophysiological states, and of sleeping insect societies. (some of my work with honey bee and paper wasp sleep: www.pupating.org
Hayley Gillespie
Texas Salamander Extravaganza
Hayley is a graduate student studying the ecology and behavior of the endangered Barton Springs Salamander (Eurycea sosorum) that lives right here in Austin, Texas. Texas is home to many species of salamanders including the giant black & yellow tiger salamanders, two-legged Sirens, waterdogs, spotted newts, slimy salamanders and a diverse group of permanently aquatic salamanders in the genus Eurycea, all very closely related to our Barton Springs Salamander. Come and learn about their incredible biology, how they survive in all kinds of habitats, and what’s being done to conserve and protect these fascinating amphibians!
John Abbott
The Art and Science of High-speed Flash Photography
Have you ever wondered what you could see in nature by stopping the motion of a fast moving event? With high-speed flash photography, you can achieve exposures as fast as 1/50,000 sec and see exactly how a wing might be used in flight or a beetle might dive into the water. I will talk about what high-speed flash photography is and the techniques involved in carrying it out along with the implications for scientific inquiry.
Dr. John Abbott is curator of insects at the Texas Natural Science Center and is owner of John C. Abbott Nature Photography
Evan Economo
The Ways of the Ant
Ants have evolved ingenious solutions to nature’s problems. They are farmers, trappers, builders, herders, gliders, water-walkers, and much more. Perhaps most interesting of all – like humans, they form complex societies that function with no central control. We explore the many oddities of the ant world.
Eben Gering
Sexual conflict and female revolution in damselflies
Among the ponds of the Brackenridge Field Laboratory lurks the living evidence of a multi-million year struggle between males and females. Find out how the battle between the sexes contributes to evolution, and why some female damselflies at Brackenridge look suspiciously like males…
Science Under The Stars 