Kaera's Master's Thesis Published
Kaera Utsumi's master's thesis research on social networks in lizard populations was published during 2022.
Read more →SEEDS Meetup — Colorado
A camping weekend with the Colorado SEEDS chapter took members to Comanche National Grassland, Great Sand Dunes, and TCN Zapata Ranch. The trip was supported by ESA funding and organized by Makenna Orton.
Read more →Erell Gives Talk in Tunisia
Doug, Maria, and Makenna presented at a seminar organized in partnership with Harvard's Center for Middle Eastern Studies, sharing Erell Institute's research on lizard ecology and conservation in North African desert ecosystems.
Read more →Wall Lizard Task Force Publication
New research from the Wall Lizard Task Force explores competition between invasive Italian Wall Lizards and native Five-lined Skinks in the Lawrence, Kansas area. The study investigates how an introduced species establishes itself within an existing ecological community.
Read more →Lizard Camp — Tunisia
Read the full report from Lizard Camp in Tunisia. Read the Zine on Zenodo →
Read more →SEEDS National Field Trip — Konza Prairie
Erell Institute members served as mentors during a SEEDS national field trip to Konza Prairie, Kansas. Students from California, Hawaii, Minnesota, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands participated in field ecology activities and research projects, with Erell members guiding mentorship and inquiry.
Read more →Movement Ecology Workshop
Erell facilitated a movement ecology workshop at the Baker University Wetlands Discovery Center focused on collaborative research methods and science communication. The workshop brought together students and educators for hands-on field activities.
Read more →Mexico Collaboration
Doug and Maria visited the Ecology & Behavior Lab in Toluca, Mexico, attending the ribbon-cutting for a newly renovated lab facility and the Master's defense of Ingrid Morales Méndez, whose thesis examined the effects of temperature on cognitive performance in Aspidoscelis costatus lizards. The visit included seminars
Read more →Mia Phillips Completes PhD at Dartmouth
Mia Phillips, a member of the Erell Institute Scientific Advisory Board, successfully defended her doctoral dissertation at Dartmouth College. Her PhD research focused on vibrational communication in beetles — a remarkable contribution to our understanding of animal signaling.
Read more →Mongolia Research Expedition
Doug, Maria, and two US students collaborated with Bazartseren Boldgiv of the National University of Mongolia in the Gobi Desert. Over three weeks, the team studied movement patterns in adult male, adult female, and juvenile toad-headed agama lizards (Phrynocephalus versicolor) — comparing behavior across demographics in one of the world&
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