Award Information and Guidelines
The SSAR Victor Hutchison Student Poster Awards honor Victor Hutchison for his extensive contributions to herpetology and the development of future herpetologists. These awards provide 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
Poster award grading rubric can be accessed here.
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.
Poster presentation strategies and resources for increasing accessibility and impact can be accessed here.
Contact Allyson Fenwick (afenwick@uco.edu) for further information.
Results of recent competitions
2024:
Conservation and Management:
Adam Austin (Western Michigan University/ The Rattlesnake Conservancy), “Efficacy of a novel eDNA assay in locating a lost aquatic salamander”
Ecology, Natural History, Distribution and Behavior:
Ricardo Gibert (California State University Northridge), “Does competition explain the regional supplantation of Mediterranean house geckos (Hemidactylus turcicus) in Gulf Coast states?”
Evolution, Genetics, and Systematics:
Mustafa Erkaya (Villanova University), “Population structure analysis of geckos of the genus Bavayia (Diplodactylidae) by utilization of rapidly evolving long exon capture (RELEC) datasets”
Physiology and Morphology:
Sudipta Kalita (University of Dayton), “Functional morphology of the lower jaw in fanged frogs”
This year’s judges were Patrick Baker (United States Military Academy), Micah Nneji (Howard University), Chris Parkinson (Clemson University), Theodora Pinou (Western Connecticut State University), RJ Rao (Jiwaji University), Bibiana Rojas (University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna), Ed Stanley (Florida Museum of Natural History), and Meredith Swartwout (University of Toronto Mississauga).
2023:
Ecology, Natural History, Distribution and Behavior:
Hayley Crowell (University of Michigan), “Beyond the Sea(snake): Reviving Historical Collections for New Lessons in Collaboration and Beyond”
Honorable mention: John Michael Arnett (Western Connecticut State University), “Effects of Urbanized Roads on Northern Diamondback Terrapins (Malaclemys terrapin terrapin)”
Physiology and Morphology:
Justin Lee (Villanova University), “Comparative Osteology of the Kukri Snake genus Oligodon”
This year’s judges were Jennifer Moore (Grand Valley State University), Erika Nowak (Northern Arizona University), Mark Paulissen (Northeastern State University), Claudia Crowther (Michigan State University), and Allyson Fenwick (chair, University of Central Oklahoma).
2022:
Evolution, Genetics, Systematics, Physiology, & Morphology:
Namia Stevenson (Mississippi State University), “Transferability of Assisted Reproductive Techniques (ART) from Model Anurans to Target Species”
Conservation & Management:
Desi Wilson (Purdue University), “Distribution Predicts Global Patterns of Extinction Risk in Toads”
Ecology, Natural History, Distribution, & Behavior:
Leah Rittenburg (Kennesaw State University), “Characterizing Plethodontid Salamander Communities across an Urban Gradient using eDNA”
*For the first time since 2019, we returned to an in-person format. Sixteen students competed. This year we gave three total awards. The awardees received a check for US $250 and a book from CRC Press.
This year’s judges were Tiffany Garcia (Oregon State University), Betsie Rothermel (Archbold Biological Station), Amy Vandergast (US Geological Survey), Patrick Baker (US Military Academy), Lauren Chan (Pacific University), and Rebecca Tarvin (University of California Berkeley).
2021:
Conservation, Management, Ecology, Natural History, Distribution and Behavior:
Rachel Alenius-Thalhauber (Texas Christian University), “Differential diets, growth rates, and survival of captive-bred hatchling Texas horned lizards (Phrynosoma cornutum) reintroduced at two locations in central Texas”
Evolution, Genetics, Systematics, Physiology and Morphology:
Kyle Emerson (Duquesne University), “The effects of microbial environment and temperature on neurodevelopment in larval amphibians”
*For the second year in a row, we held the 11th annual SSAR Victor Hutchison Student Poster competition in a novel virtual format. In 2021 we used a new platform of ePosters on 26 July. Nine students competed. This year we gave two total awards across categories, owing to the relatively small number of participants. The awardees received a check for US $250.
This year’s judges were Dominic DeSantis (Georgia College), Christopher Schalk (Stephen F. Austin State University), and Denita Weeks (Colorado Mesa University)
2019:
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”