9:00am-9:10am         OPENING REMARKS: IHS President, Jennifer L. Stabile 

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9:10am-10:10am         KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Joseph R. Medelson III, Ph.D.    

                              Director of Research, Zoo Atlanta & Adjunct Professor Georgia Institute of Technology                                           

                                     

10:15am-10:45am       Mark Mandica, M.S., Director, Amphibian Foundation                           

                                     "Conservation Status Update of the Frosted Flatwoods Salamander"

                            

10:45am-11:00am       COFFEE BREAK (complimentary)

 

11:05am-11:35am       Neil Ford, Ph.D., Professor Emeritis, University of Texas Tyler                                         

                              "Journeys of a Field Biologist"

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11:40am-12:10pm       Robert Hill, Associate Curator of Herpetology, Zoo Atlanta

                              "The Herpetological History of Zoo Atlanta...from the 1960s to now"

                                      

12:15pm-12:30pm     Kristina Chyn, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Research Associate, Texas A&M University

                              "Amphibian and Reptile Exclusion Fence Controlled Trial Efficacies and Roadkill Surveys"

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12:30pm-1:40pm         LUNCH (on your own)

 

1:45pm-2:05pm           Clinton S. Doak, Assistant Curator, Turtle Survival Center, Turtle Survival Alliance

                              "Conserving the 𝐶𝑢𝑜𝑟𝑎 𝑔𝑎𝑙𝑏𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑠 complex" 

                                                                              

2:10pm- 2:40pm          Chelsea Thomas, Amphibian Program Coordinator, Atlanta Botanical Gardens                                 

                                     "Striped Newt Repatriation Project Update from Atlanta Botanical Garden"        

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2:45pm-3:15pm         Todd Pierson, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Biology, Kennesaw State University

                             "Next-generation natural history: genetic tools for studying salamander ecology" 

 

3:20pm-3:50pm        Ruth Marcec-Greaves DVM PhD, Executive Officer, Honduras Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Center

                             “Let’s get topical! (A minimally invasive method for using hormones to induce

                              breeding in small amphibian species)”

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3:50pm-4:00pm          COFFEE BREAK (complimentary)

 

4:05pm-4:35pm         Cindy Steinle, Board Member, Chicago Herpetological Society; Founder, Small Scale Reptile Rescue                                                  "The good, bad and ugly, Tales of 25 years in reptile rescue"                                         

 

4:40pm-5:00pm         Ben Stegenga, Research Assistant, Longleaf Savannas Initiative, The Orianne Society                                      

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5:00pm-5:30pm        Roger Carter, Treasurer, Hoosier Herpetological Society

                            "Searching for Hidden Herps"                    

9:00am-9:40am          Christopher Jenkins, Ph.D., CEO, Orianne Society

                                    "Emperor of the Forest"

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9:45am-10:20am        Heather Barrett, Deputy Director, Belize Foundation for Research and Environmental Education (BFREE)                  

                                     "Reptile Research and Discovery at the BFREE Field Station in southern Belize"

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10:20am-10:35am      COFFEE BREAK (complimentary)                 

 

10:40am-11:10am      Dustin Smith, Curator of Herpetology, North Carolina Zoo

                              "Conservation of the Virgin Islands Boa: Past, Present, and Future"                                                

 
11:15am- 11:45am     Justyne Lobello, President and Founder, Georgia Reptile Society, Director of Marketing, VivTech Products

                             "The Shift in Captive Herpetoculture"

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11:50am- 12:20am     Robert Mendyk, Curator of Herpetology, Audubon Zoo

                             "Multi-generational Reproductive Management of the Shingleback Skink (Tiliqua rugosa) at Audubon Zoo"

                                              

12:20pm- 1:30pm      LUNCH (on your own)

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1:35pm- 1:45pm      Casey Perkins, Conservation Research Technician, Amphibian Foundation
                            "Urban Ecology Research at the Amphibian Foundation"

 

1:50pm- 3:45pm        Junior Herpetologist and Next-Gen Herpetologist Session 

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                            - Introduction by Russ Gurley, Junior and Next-Gen Herpetologist Coordinator 

                            - Vincent McKinney (12-15 age group winner) 
                            - Karin Ebey (16-18 age group winner)
                            - Katie Karl (19-22 Next Gen winner)    

                                               

 

5:00pm-10:00pm                                IHS Dinner and Tour at ZOO ATLANTA 

                           ****Admission to Zoo Atlanta and Dinner included in registration****

9:00am-9:45am            Elliott Jacobson, DVM, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of Zoological Medicine, University of Florida                                                       "Medical Management of Large Collections of Reptiles"

9:50am-10:35am          Vincent Russo, Owner, Cutting Edge Herpetological Inc.                                                     

                                      "The Captive and Natural History of Boa"

 

10:35am-10:50am        COFFEE BREAK (complimentary)

10:55am-11:25am        Alex Shepack, Postdoctoral Researcher Dept of Biology, University of Notre Dame

                               "Back from the brink: Amphibian population recoveries following epidemic declines"

 

11:30am-12:15pm       Stacey Leonatti Wilkinson, DVM (Diplomate ABVP), Avian and Exotic Animal Hospital of Georgia

 

12:15pm-1:30pm          LUNCH (on your own)

 

1:35pm-2:55pm            Collegiate Speed Session

 

                               Introduction by Justin Elden, Collegiate Speed Session Coordinator

 

                               Elizabeth Haseltine, Georgia State University

                               “Diel activity and location patterns of zoo-housed juvenile Amazon Basin Emerald Tree Boas”

 

                               Maisy D. Englund, Georgia State University

                               “Beaded lizards olfaction discrimination in a radial arm maze”

 

                               Sophia Babish & Anais Paterno, Georgia Institute of Technology

                               “Cognition in helodermatid lizards in the context of a radial-arm maze”

 

                               Calvin Riiska, Emory University 

                               “Frictional implications of ventral microstructures on snakes” 

 

                               Hannah Strudwick, Georgia Institute of Technology

                               “Effects of Rotating Novel and Non-natural Enrichment on Captive Snake Species at Zoo Atlanta”

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                               Stehen Falick, Sul Ross University 

                               "Studying the desert: The college experience in a herpers mecca"

 

3:00pm- 3:20pm          Samantha Dillon, Wildlife Technician & Charlie Abeles, Wildlife Biologist, The Longleaf Alliance

                                     "Recovery of the Reticulated Flatwoods Salamander on Escribano Point Wildlife Management Area, FL"

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3:20pm- 3:35pm        COFFEE BREAK (complimentary)               

 

3:40pm-4:10pm           Holly S. Carter, Secretary, Hoosier Herpetological Society

                              "An overview of Indigos and Cribos"    

 

4:15pm- 4:25pm          Bryan D. Hudson, Ph.D. Student, Clemson University     

                              "The real house-kings of Atlanta: harnessing community science data to reveal

                              rapid urbanization effects on cryptic wildlife"

 

4:30pm- 5:00pm        Tim Cole, Austin Reptile Services                                 

                                     "Citizen Science, Pitfalls & Wins"                                                           

 

 

*****BANQUET ***** 

6:00pm-11:00pm         Beer at 6:00pm, Dinner served at 6:30pm

 

7:00pm-8:00pm           ****BANQUET SPEAKER: WHIT GIBBONS****

                                Professor Emeritus, University of Georgia 

                                          "What Does a Retired Herpetologist Do?

                             Lingering Mysteries about Reptiles and Amphibians"

 

8:00pm-11:00pm       AWARDS and CLOSING REMARKS: IHS President, Jennifer L. Stabile

                              LIVE AUCTION (please bring items!)