RU student biology researcher honored at state Wildlife Society gathering
Brenna Hyzy earned top honors in the student research poster presentation competition, with a presentation titled, "Monitoring the status of gray bats (Myotis grisescens) in Virginia, 2009-2014," at the 2015 Annual Meeting of the Virginia Chapter of The Wildlife Society (VATWS).
At the 2015 Annual Meeting of the Virginia Chapter of The Wildlife Society (VATWS) in Natural Bridge Feb. 10-11, Radford University student-researcher Brenna Hyzy, a senior biology major, took first place for a professional poster.
Hyzy, of Woodbridge, earned the award and a $100 prize in the student research poster presentation competition, with a presentation titled, "Monitoring the status of gray bats (Myotis grisescens) in Virginia, 2009-2014." The poster presented the results of Hyzy's three-year research into the condition of Virginia's gray bat population that is endangered since the onset of White-nose Syndrome, a sometimes-lethal fungus currently ravaging the hibernating bat population in the United States.
Other presentations by RU students were by:
- Matti Hamed, who did an oral presentation on assessing herpetofaunal diversity at Selu Conservancy
- Fallon Parker, who made a poster presentation on testing and rehabilitating stream ecosystems in Knoxville, Tennessee
- Kelsey Weismann, who made a poster presentation on wildlife show-and-tell from her internship at the Claytor Lake State Park's Discovery Center
Ten members of the RU chapter, one of only two student chapters in Virginia, attended the 2015 Annual Meeting of the Virginia Chapter of The Wildlife Society (VATWS) in Natural Bridge Feb. 10-11.
Assistant Professor of Biology and outgoing VATWS President Karen Powers also made a presentation at the two-day session, titled: "Update on hibernaculum trends in Virginia's cave bats, 2009-2015."
Ten members of the RU TWS chapter, one of only two student chapters in Virginia, attended the event, which featured a discussion of the role of private citizens in the management of wildlife in the Commonwealth. TWS represents and serves the professional community of scientists, managers, educators, technicians and planners who actively work to study, manage, and conserve wildlife and habitats.