LightsOut Symposium at Texas A&M University
The LightsOut Texas Program held an on-campus symposium at Texas A&M University on August 8th and 9th as part of its educational campaign to raise awareness and inspire action to turn off lights at night during the spring and fall migrations. This initiative is designed to protect the migratory birds that cross over Texas each year.
Several members of the Schubot Center have been actively involved in testing the LightsOut birds for pathogens that affect both bird and human health. These birds are also being added as study specimens to the Biodiversity Research and Teaching Collections (BRTC). Schubot center member, Heather Prestridge, curator of the BRTC team, played a key role in implementing the program on the Texas A&M campus.
The symposium offered an engaging mix of activities, designed to promote both learning and social interaction among participants.
Dr. Sarah Hamer, Director of the Schubot Center, gave a talk to symposium attendees that included active research on the pathogens discovered in birds collected as part of the project. Drs. Caitlin Mencio and EV Voltura as well as Debra Turner also helped host symposium attendees at the aviary.
Attendees also enjoyed tours of the Schubot Aviary and the BRTC bird collection, which included demonstrations on specimen preparation and workshops on bird identification. In addition, the LightsOut Texas art exhibit opened at the Parker Astin Gallery in Bryan on August 8th, featuring “Rose,” a former long-term resident of the Schubot Aviary, as a museum specimen. Her tag proudly acknowledges the Schubot Center’s contributions to science. The exhibit will run through the rest of August.
Overall, the symposium was a great success, raising awareness for this important conservation effort.
