Biodiversity Blog
The Year After
Mosses appear post fire. A year ago, I was sitting in the bus on my way home, cursing the heat, staring out the window at the suffering plants when my phone started to buzz and buzz. Turns out, it wasn’t some bot spammer calling me from Valentine, Nebraska. I was getting news about a fire at one of our field stations: Stengl Lost Pines Bio...
Applications open for 2023-2024 Stengl-Wyer Graduate Fellowships
The College of Natural Sciences (CNS) is pleased to announce that it is now accepting applications for the 2024 Stengl-Wyer Graduate Fellowships competition! ABOUT THE AWARD The Stengl-Wyer Graduate Fellowships fund doctoral candidates pursuing dissertation research on the diversity of life and organisms in their natural environments, acr...
Science Under the Stars: the natural history of central Texas
Join us for our first Science Under the Stars talk of Fall 2023 featuring Callen Inman, a PhD candidate in the Department of Integrative Biology. He’ll delve into the captivating natural history of central Texas and unveil why it’s an exceptional hotspot for biodiversity. About the talk: Central Texas lacks the dense rainforest, ver...
Mongbay founder Rhett Butler to visit UT
Rhett Butler, founder of environmental journalism website Mongabay, is coming to UT Austin! Rhett will hold three public events on campus. On Tuesday, September 12th at 11:00 am in NHB 1.720, Rhett will give a talk on "Science communication lessons from 20+ years of running Mongabay." Then, on Wednesday night, September 1...
Careers in Conservation with Jeff Weigel
We are pleased to have Jeff Weigel, Director of Strategic Initiatives for The Nature Conservancy in Texas, give a talk for the series: Careers in Conservation. Jeff will talk about his career in conservation, his path to his current position, and the different kinds of jobs one can pursue. There will be plenty of time available for Q&A after. G...
Commemorating Black Agency at UT
Friday, September 15 from 2:30 to 4pm is a gathering event at the Gearing Hall Patio to celebrate the "Breaking Barriers: Black Agency at UT Austin" site activation for the Sweatt v. Painter Commemorative Project. The site activation is a temporary art installation that will take place on the north lawns of T.S. Painter Hall along 24...
Announcing the 2023 Stengl-Wyer Scholars, Fellows and Grant Awardees
Funded by the Stengl-Wyer Endowment, the Stengl-Wyer Scholars Program provides up to three years of independent support for talented postdoctoral researchers in the broad area of the diversity of life and/or organisms in their natural environments. The endowment also supports the Stengl-Wyer Fellowship Program, year-long fellowships for doctoral ca...
Learning about Central Texas Salamanders through eDNA
The word enigmatic may evoke images of mysterious individuals, things that lurk in the shadows, but not usually salamanders. However, if you ask members in the lab of David Hillis to describe the Eurycea salamanders of Central Texas, enigmatic is certainly appropriate. These creatures are native to aqueous regions of the Edwards-Trinity aquif...
History of UT Botany, Part 3: Curator Mary Sophie Young
This piece was originally published in January 2017 in the Dept. of Integrative Biology History Project. The third blog in our UT botany history series focuses on Marie Sophie Young. In 1912, Young became the first official curator of the relatively new herbarium at UT, when the university was only 29 years old. She was an early Texas STEM educator...
Applications open for 2023-2024 Stengl-Wyer Scholars Program
The College of Natural Sciences is pleased to announce that it is now accepting applications for the 2023-2024 Stengl-Wyer Scholars Competition! Recent PhDs are invited to apply for distinguished postdoctoral positions to study the diversity of life and/or organisms in their natural environments at The University of Texas at Austin (UT), ...
Faculty position open in Plant Biodiversity & Evolution
The Department of Integrative Biology at the University of Texas at Austin seeks to fill a faculty position in the area of Plant Biodiversity and Evolution at the level of Assistant or Associate Professor. Candidates' research accomplishments and aims should show evidence of originality and innovation in addressing significant questions i...Students Excel in Stengl-Wyer REU InSTInCT Program
L-R: Autumn Magnuson, Alexander Avalos, Emma Rust
The Stengl-Wyer Endowment is the largest endowment in the history of the College of Natural Sciences. It supports UT Austin’s programming in ecology and biological research, with a focus on the study of the diversity of life and interactions between living things and their natural environme... 
History of UT Botany, Part 2: the Herbaria
This is an updated post that originally ran on March 13, 2017 in the Integrative Biology History Project Lundell Herbarium 1964 specimen of Hibiscus lasiocarpus Cav. Few landmarks on the UT campus are as iconic as the Tower, visible to thousands daily as part of the Austin skyscape. Yet, not many people realize that eight diffe...
Boozing for the Bees (and Other Creatures)
Two gins from WildGins. While downing a few cocktails might not be so great for the liver, it can be good for biodiversity. Yes. You read that right. When you enjoy the spirits from these two Texas distillers and this conservation group, you are also supporting biological diversity and nature conservation close to home. WILDGINS &nbs...
Meet Stengl-Wyer Scholar: Christopher Hemingson
Chris lays a transect tape along the reef crest. This is one of the most common techniques used to quantify the cover of various substrates (e.g. corals, sand, rubble, etc.). Photo credit: Victor Huertas Christopher Hemingson is one of our 2022 Stengl-Wyer Scholars who is working with Dr. Simon J. Brandl at the Marine Science Institute. As part ...
Pets as Invasive Species: Dogs
Woof. (Photo: Andrea Stacks) Last in our series on pets as invasive species looks at “Man’s Best Friend.” Are pooches so perfect? First, let’s define what an invasive species is. We’ve got a great blog on it here, but to summarize: the National Invasive Species Information Center defines an invasive species as non-native to the ecosystem i...
Extra, extra, read all about it! Invasive Guinea grass research at BFL in the news
Invasive Guinea grass in South Texas forms dense stands that pose an intense fire hazard when dry. Dr. Aaron Rhodes conducts research into these impacts. When we think of an invasive species, we typically imagine the one we know best here in Texas: the Red Imported Fire Ant (Solenopsis invicta). Swarming, stinging, disrupting everything in its p...
Brackenridge Field Lab awarded Green Fund for community-based restoration of Schulle Creek
Permanent water in Schulle Creek at BFL (Photo: Larry Gilbert) The Schulle Creek Restoration Program at the Brackenridge Field Lab (BFL) has been funded by a Green Fund award from the Office of Sustainability at UT Austin. The funds will support an ambitious multi-year project to restore native biodiversity of the Schulle Creek area which has be...
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...
