SSAR Victor Hutchison Student Poster Award Winners for 2019 Announced
The SSAR student poster awards honor Victor Hutchison for his extensive contributions to herpetology and the development of future herpetologists. The 9th annual SSAR Victor Hutchison Student Poster Awards were presented at the Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists & and Herpetologists in Snowbird, UT, 24-28 July 2019. This year there were 16 eligible poster submissions. In recognition of outstanding graduate student poster presentations at the annual meeting, an award was given in each of the following categories: Physiology & Morphology (3 presentations); Evolution, Genetics, & Systematics (4 presentations); Conservation & Management (5 presentations); and Ecology, Natural History, Distribution, & Behavior (4 presentations). All awardees received a check for US $250 and a book courtesy of Dr. Chuck Crumly, Taylor and Francis Books/CRC Press – Garland Science.
This year’s judges were: Betsie Rothermel, Chair (Archbold Biological Station), Nicholas Caruso (Virginia Tech), Allyson Fenwick (University of Central Oklahoma), Matthew Heinicke (University of Michigan), Josh Pierce (U.S.F.S. Southern Research Station), John Romansic (Washington State University), Christopher Schalk (Stephen F. Austin State University), Rory Telemeco (CSU-Fresno), and Michelle Thompson (Field Museum).
The 2019 winners are:
Physiology & Morphology: Whitney Walkowski (Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center), “Endocrine Control of Retinal Sensitivity in Hyla cinerea“
Evolution, Genetics, & Systematics: Matthew Murdoch (Villanova University), “Comparative Phylogeography of Hemidactylus geckos and insights into biogeographical dispersal barriers in Myanmar”
Conservation & Management: Nathan Byer (University of Wisconsin – Madison), “Landscape genetic and metapopulation modelling tools reveal complex effects of climate and land use change on a long-lived vertebrate”
Ecology, Natural History, Distribution, & Behavior: Audrey Kelly (University of North Carolina), “Spadefoot toad females do not avoid mating with sterile F1 hybrid males”
Award Information and Guidelines
The SSAR Victor Hutchison Student Poster Award provides recognition for the best graduate student posters presented at the annual meeting of the SSAR. To be eligible, the presented poster must be the result of research conducted by the individual making the presentation. The research must have been conducted while the student was enrolled in a graduate degree program. Students entering the competition must be members of SSAR. The presentations will be judged by the SSAR student prize committee. One Victor Hutchison Student Poster Award of U.S. $250 (plus a book gift from CRC Press) may be given in each of the following four categories::
1) Evolution, Genetics, & Systematics
2) Ecology & Behavior
3) Physiology & Morphology
4) Conservation & Management
The Victor Hutchison Student Poster Award will be judged by the following criteria:
Quality of Research
Quality of the Visual Display of the Research
Professionalism and Confidence of the Presenter
Students may win the award only one time. Please indicate the appropriate category for which you are applying on the abstract submission form. For tips on making a great poster see: Poster Recommendations.
Contact Betsie Rothermel for further information.