The SSAR graduate student poster awards honor Victor Hutchison for his extensive contributions to herpetology and the development of future herpetologists. We held the 16th annual SSAR Victor Hutchison Student Poster competition at the Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists & Herpetologists in New Orleans, Louisiana on July 10, 2026. Awardees received a check for $250 and a book. We thank Chuck Crumly for book donations this year. For more information about this award, click here.
This year’s judges were Ed Basham (The University of Texas at Austin), Arik Hartmann (Virginia Tech University), Analisa Shields-Estrada (Texas State University), Steven J. Hromada (Fresno Chaffee Zoo), Jennifer Deitloff (Lock Haven University), Lauren Chan (California Polytechnic State University), Sara J McClelland (Moravian University), & Juan D. Daza (Sam Houston State University).
Congratulations to this year’s recipients:
Behavior & Ecology: Cara Giordano (Florida International University), “Investigating Thermal Physiological Traits of a Nonnative Amphibian, the Rio Cauca Caecilian (Typhlonectes natans)”
Conservation & Management: Kale B. Humphries (Arkansas State University), “Population Ecology and Disease Prevalence Among American Bullfrogs in the Upper Gulf Coastal Plain”
Evolution: Madelyn N. Albritton (University of Arkansas), “Character Displacement in Body Size of Cooccurring Slimy Salamanders (Plethodon glutinosus group) in the Ouachita Mountains”
Development, Physiology & Morphology: Andrew Capitosti (University of Dayton), “Evaluating the Developmental Genetic Basis of a Novel Epithelial Appendage: The Keratinized Mouthparts of Tadpoles”
From left to right: Tony Gamble (Committee Chair), Andrew Capitosti, Cara Giordano, and Kale B. Humphries