Quick update

For those of you who have read my recent posts, I just wanted to update you on my brother's condition (this is him with my ferret, Pippin, in Texas a few years ago). [In case you haven't read my previous posts, he and his dog were attacked by two pit bulls in late September.] He and Buffy are doing great and have completely recovered, though Jeremy will definitely have some major scars. I will see him for the first time since the "incident" this week over our Thanksgiving break and I can't wait! I will also get to meet his new girlfriend and see the rest of my family so I'm incredibly excited about Thanksgiving this year. I'll let you know how it goes once I've returned from TX. Be safe and have a happy Thanksgiving!

Kansas Herpetological Society Meeting

This past weekend, 4 of my students and I attended the KHS annual meeting, which took place this year at MidAmerica Nazarene University in Olathe, KS. One of my students, Eric Kadlec, who worked in the field with me all summer, presented his field observations at the meeting. He did a great job, especially considering that he was the only undergraduate presenter and he was speaking to many of the "big names" in the discipline of herpetology (the study of amphibians and reptiles). Eric and the other students were able to experience a professional meeting and listen to talks about some of the newest findings in the field of herpetology. I am SO glad they were able to go with me and we all had a lot of fun. As a side note, I was also awarded the KHS Alan H. Kamb grant for the study of Kansas snakes this weekend, which will help me and my research students fund the genetic analysis of our relocated rattlesnakes.