Congratulations to William Tillett and Dylan Bryant, the 2023 winners of the Dean E. Metter Award.

The title of Will’s proposal is “Revisiting the energetics hypothesis: can accelerometer monitoring reveal hidden variation in the movement patterns of snakes?”  Will is working on a master’s degree in the lab of Dominic L. DeSantis at Georgia College, in Milledgeville. He is interested in comparing the energetic demands of snakes with different natural histories.

The title of Dylan’s proposal is “Active ultraviolet light regulation by high elevation Yarrow’s Spiny Lizards (Sceloporus jarrovii).”  Dylan is an undergraduate interested in thermal ecology of lizards, and he is working in the lab of Matthew S. Lattanzio at Christopher Newport University (CNU) in Newport News, Virginia.

Dean (Doc) Metter was a faculty member in the Department of Zoology at the University of Missouri—Columbia and then the Division of Biological Sciences at that institution for approximately 30 years.  A believer in putting knowledge to the test in the field, Doc provided frequent opportunities for students to engage in fieldwork.

Herpetological Review Volume 54, Number 1, is now available! The cover features an image of a kangaroo lizard, Otocryptis weigmanni, that was photographed by Shanelle Wikramanayake in the Gilimale Forest Reserve in Sri Lanka. Otocryptis weigmanni is widely distributed across the wet-zone of the southwestern and central regions of Sri Lanka. They sprint quickly, often adopting a bipedal gait, and have a habit of running short distances and stopping and can be found in undisturbed rainforest and home gardens and temples where there is both leaf litter and shade.

Full contents are available online to SSAR members at https://ssarherps.org/herpetological-review-pdfs/. Natural History Notes, Geographic Distribution Notes, and Book Reviews are Open Access and are available for download at the same link. If you are not a member of SSAR, please consider joining the leading international herpetological society. Student and online-only rates are available. Follow the “Join SSAR” link on the home page.

Update: the application deadline now February 20, 2023

In 2022, the Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles (SSAR) was endowed with a large gift from the Gans Collections and Charitable Fund to provide funding for travel to herpetological meetings for graduate students, post-doctoral researchers, and undergraduates.  The Gans Fund continues its exceptional work promoting meeting attendance and is particularly interested in supporting international student researchers from across the globe.  To that end, the SSAR is soliciting applications to attend the Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists (JMIH) in Norfolk, Virginia in July 2023 as Carl Gans Fellows.  Students and post-docs should be members of any JMIH society working on any type of herpetological research.  Twenty awards will be granted in this cycle ($800 per fellow for U.S./Canadian researchers and $1500 for researchers from other countries).  Priority will be given to those in greatest need (for whom the award makes the difference between attendance or lack of attendance) and those from historically underrepresented groups based on gender, race, or country of origin.

Eligibility Criteria:

1. Current student or post-doc engaging in herpetological research
2. Member of SSAR, American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists (ASIH), or Herpetologists’ League (HL)
3. Presenter at the JMIH in Norfolk, Virginia, USA, in July 2023

Application Instructions:

Students and post-docs should fill out the Google Form (https://forms.gle/6Bkm8bsT2dDXEZnv7) with all information completed by 20 February 2023.  Required information includes:

1. Name
2. Academic rank (undergraduate, graduate, post-doc)
3. Institution and city/state/country of institution
4. Membership of which JMIH society/societies
5. Signed statement of advisor (template provided)
6. Abstract of the research you plan to present. In the spirit of the herpetological research of Carl Gans, which was both diverse and synthetic, and which he disseminated to a wide range of audiences, from the general public to professional academics, the abstract should include a brief statement that places the research in the broader context of the discipline. (500 word maximum)
7. Statement of need of funds to attend the meeting
8. *Optional* Statement of whether the applicant is a member of a historically underrepresented group based on gender, race, country of origin, or other factor

Questions?  Contact Tiffany Doan, committee chair, tiffperu@yahoo.com

Herpetological Review Volume 53, Number 4 (December 2022), is now available! The cover features a stunning image of an adult Mixtecan Arboreal Alligator Lizard (Abronia mixteca) that was photographed by C. Mayoral Halla in Oaxaca, Mexico. Abronia mixteca is an almost exclusively arboreal lizard and spends large amounts of time foraging and sheltering among epiphytic plants in the canopy. As a habitat specialist, A. mixteca is threatened with the loss of oak forest habitat; however, other factors, such as illegal collection and exportation for commercial trade, also threaten this unique species.

The issue has been posted online, is being printed, and will mail soon. Full contents are now available online to SSAR members at https://ssarherps.org/herpetological-review-pdfs/. Natural History Notes, Geographic Distribution Notes, and Book Reviews are Open Access and are available for download at the same link. If you are not a member of SSAR, please consider joining the leading international herpetological society. Student and online-only rates are available. Follow the “Join SSAR” link on the home page. Congratulations to C. Mayoral Halla for a great cover image!

SSAR is now accepting applications for the 2023 Founders Fellowship for Pre-College Scholars! Applications are due November 30, 2022.

For more information, please see https://ssarherps.org/ssar-awards/pre-college-award/

Herpetological Review Volume 53, Number 3 (September 2022), is now available! Our cover features a fantastic image of an amplectant pair of Natterjack Toads (Epidalea calamita) that were photographed by Javier Lobon-Rovira in Spain. The species is characterized by a robust body with relatively short limbs, prominent parotoid glands, and tympana that are barely visible. Epidalea calamita can be easily found with the first rains of autumn and spring in temporary ponds along the countryside, where they will reproduce explosively, carpeting these ponds with their characteristic egg masses.

The issue has been posted online, is being printed, and will mail soon. Full contents are now available online to SSAR members at https://ssarherps.org/herpetological-review-pdfs/. Natural History Notes, Geographic Distribution Notes, and Book Reviews are Open Access and are available for download at the same link. If you are not a member of SSAR, please consider joining the leading international herpetological society. Student and online-only rates are available. Follow the “Join SSAR” link on the home page. Congratulations to Javier for a great cover image!

Herpetological Review Volume 53, Number 2 (June 2022), is now available! Our cover features a stunning Blue Malaysian Coral Snake (Calliophis bivirgatus) that was photographed by Scott Trageser in Singapore. This colorful, slender elapid has a red head, tail, and underside and dark blue-to-black dorsum with two lighter blue stripes running down the body and inhabits lowland and low montane areas across southeast Asia. Calliophis bivirgatus is one of only a few species recognized to have elongated venom glands that extend up to 25% of the body length.

The issue has been posted online, is being printed, and will mail soon. Full contents are now available online to SSAR members at https://ssarherps.org/herpetological-review-pdfs/. Natural History Notes, Geographic Distribution Notes, and Book Reviews are Open Access and are available for download at the same link. If you are not a member of SSAR, please consider joining the leading international herpetological society (membership info here). Student and online-only rates are available. Follow the “Join SSAR” link on the home page. Congratulations to Scott for a great cover image!

Faculty who are recruiting students for the 2023-2023 academic year (or postdocs to begin any time) can fill out this form:
https://forms.gle/oDwsh82mRYyjySC17

The form populates a view-only spreadsheet that prospective applicants can use to find labs that match their interests.

Prospective applicants to master’s, PhD, and postdoctoral positions can check out this spreadsheet of faculty who are currently recruiting:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1cDo-xRoSjNGG5OAn-J16FgX1LlcDfKdU8KKo-nO31u8/edit?usp=sharing

The spreadsheet has five separate tabs to help you navigate:

1. All advertised positions
2. Master’s positions
3. PhD positions
4. Postdoctoral positions where the PI already has funding
5. PIs who don’t currently have funding for postdocs but who are happy to help with postdoctoral fellowship applications

Check back periodically for new entries, which are added to the bottom of the spreadsheet.

Advice for students navigating the application process:

Most PhD programs will cover your tuition and pay you a stipend; master’s programs may or may not be funded (someone put together this handy spreadsheet to provide information on some funded master’s programs in organismal biology). Funding situations vary wildly by department, though, so you should reach out to people whose labs interest you to ask for details.

Sending the first email to a prospective advisor can be intimidating. If you have a mentor who can help you, it’s wise to get their help. If you need to figure out how to write the email on your own, this blog post has some useful tips: https://contemplativemammoth.com/2013/04/08/so-you-want-to-go-to-grad-school-nail-the-inquiry-email/

You will want to choose a lab that not only does research you find interesting, but that will also provide a supportive environment where you can thrive. Many factors go into a good graduate school experience. Bobby Espinoza, a professor at Cal State Northridge, has prepared a list of sample questions that you might want to ask of prospective advisors, their current students (very important!), and other people in the department to collect the information you will need to make an informed graduate school decision: Questions for Prospective Advisors & Programs.

In April-May 2021, SSAR’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee (DEIC) created and disseminated a membership diversity survey with several purposes:

• To establish a benchmark for future assessments of SSAR’s efforts towards recruiting and retaining a diverse membership through initiatives that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• To recognize and welcome people of many identities who make up the current and future membership of SSAR.
• To help SSAR equitably serve the needs of all members.

The DEIC has completed a thorough report on the survey results. We encourage all SSAR leaders and committees to read and think deeply about the entire report, to consider how its findings might guide their current and future activities, and then to enact positive change on the institutional level. We encourage all SSAR members to learn from these findings and to consider that they as individuals can contribute a more inclusive environment in SSAR and in all their spheres of influence.

See below for links to the full report and to a shortened version:

• SSAR Diversity Survey Report 2021: Full Report
• SSAR Diversity Survey Report 2021: Short Version

Do you want to help parents make the most out of the 2022 Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists (JMIH) in Spokane? SSAR, ASIH, AES, and HL have joined forces for a fundraiser for childcare.

We are accepting donations via the ASIH website – scroll to the link at the bottom that says Childcare Fund: link to donation page. Please note that you will have to make a (free) ASIH account, if you do not already have one.

Our goal for this fundraiser is to offset the costs so that we can offer subsidized childcare to our members (free to student parents!) These funds will make JMIH more accessible to members with families. Here is a video with a message from our presidents: link to YouTube video.

We also plan to support childcare into the future by establishing an endowment, so please stay tuned for long-term fundraising efforts!