Biodiversity Blog
From the ground up: exploring biodiversity in your backyard
April is here, and we invite you to join the monthly Science Under the Stars event on April 11th as we explore the beauty and importance of Central Texas Biodiversity. Sarah Ortiz, Stengl-Wyer Fellow and PhD candidate from the Department of Integrative Biology, will talk about why biodiversity at the local levels matters, how we are studying b...
Beneath the Waves
This month's Science Under the Stars event is "Beneath the Waves: Exploring coral reefs' vital ecological role and community-led conservation." Thursday, December 14th, 7 pm Brackenridge Field Lab, 2907 Lake Austin Blvd, Austin, TX 78703 This talk features Dominique Gallery, a PhD candidate in the lab of Dr. Misha Matz. Her presentation wil...
Science Under the Stars: Mysteries from the Neotropics
The last Science Under the Stars talk of the season is Thursday, May 11th! This free event will be held outdoors at the Brackenridge Field Laboratory. Talk title: Mysteries from the Neotropics: Trees, lianas, and others About the talk: the Neotropics are covered in mysteries that fascinate us. Are trees and l...
Fermented Fantasia
Planet Earth is infested with germs. They coat everything from the surface of our skin to the machines we use, and yes, even the food we eat. Some of these germs can make us sick, some disgust us with their putrid byproducts, while still others poison the very air we breathe. But hiding amidst these tales of illness and foul decomposition is a love...
Diving Deep into Microbes
When you think of microbes, what are the first things that come to mind? Disease, pathogens, the same old boring things, but microbes are so much more than that! They produce the air that we breathe and the food that we eat. They live as high as our upper atmosphere and as low as the depths of the ocean, and everywhere in between. In this talk...
"I Like Big BATS and I Cannot Lie!"
This month's Science Under the Stars event is "I Like Big BATS and I Cannot Lie!," presented by Brandi Christiano. Have you ever seen a bat flying around? Probably (especially in Austin)! With more than 1,400 species worldwide, bats live in almost every environment. As the only flying mammal, they can be found in caves, trees, and under bridges. So...
BFL to the Rescue: Helping Instructors Teach During a Pandemic
All lined up and ready to learn. (Photo: Larry Gilbert) It’s a hot late August afternoon. Classes have started for UT students, but this year things look a little different. Fifteen minutes from campus, at Brackenridge Field Lab (BFL), ecology students stand ready, six feet apart, notebooks in hand, masks covering their mouths and noses. D...New Lab Space Promotes Freshmen Research in Biodiversity
Students in Biodiversity Discovery stream.
With construction completed in 1933, Painter Hall has been around long enough to see plenty of renovations. One of the most recent is the addition of a brand-new lab space currently in use by students in the Biodiversity Discovery and Bugs in Bugs FRI (Freshmen Research Initiative) Stream... 
