Colloquium

Join us weekly for the Ecology, Evolution & Conservation Biology Colloquium! Renowned scientists and educators present original research and perspectives, and meet one-on-one with faculty and graduate students, fostering collaboration and strengthening connections across the scientific community.

Fall 2026 schedule of speakers

This series features speakers every Thursday from 4 to 4:50 p.m. during the weeks in which classes are held.

The talks are located in the Davidson Math and Science Center (DMS), Room 103.

EECB speaker schedule
Date Speaker Institution Talk title
August 27, 2026 No colloquium speaker, class meeting None None
September 3, 2026 Todd Steury University of Nevada, Reno 14 years of black bear conservation research in Alabama
September 10, 2026 Wieteke Holthuijzen University of Tennessee TBD
September 17, 2026 Kaitlyn Webster Harvard Medical School TBD
September 24, 2026 Brian Trevelline Kent State University TBD
October 1, 2026 Enakshi Ghosh Virginia Tech TBD
October 8, 2026 No colloquium speaker, class meeting None None
October 15, 2026 Dirk Trauner Penn State TBD
October 22, 2026 Mike Moore UC-Denver TBD
October 29, 2026 Sudeep Chandra University of Nevada, Reno Freshwater Conservation Panel: Science, Communications and Policy
November 5, 2026 Kevin Kocot University of Alabama Sweat the Small Stuff: Biodiversity, Systematics, & Genomics of Microscopic Animals
November 12, 2026 Phil van Mantgem USGS TBA
November 19, 2026 Patrick Curran University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Statistical analysis in EECB fields: the good, the bad, and the ugly.
November 26, 2026 No colloquium speaker, Thanksgiving break None None
December 3, 2026 Daniel Cook USDA Poisonous Plant Research: Logan, UT TBD
December 10, 2026 No colloquium, finals week None None

Instructions for students and faculty

Endowed lectureships

The EECB Colloquium Series has become an integral part of the University's scientific community. The program is supported in part by generous donations. Every year, the program recognizes and invites two prominent scientists in the areas of Conservation Biology and Natural History. These lectureships recognize EECB’s deep commitment to conducting fundamental and use-inspired research on how organisms function in the natural environment.

List of current and past endowed lecturers

The Peter F. Brussard Memorial Lectureship in Conservation Biology

Peter F. Brussard, Ph.D., was a beloved Professor Emeritus of Biology at the University of Nevada, Reno, who passed away in 2018. As a professor, Dr. Brussard produced over forty doctorate and master's students, virtually all of whom still work to promote the conservation or restoration of biological diversity. Furthermore, Dr. Brussard played a significant role in the international conservation movement, establishing the Society of Conservation Biology and organizing its first national and international meeting. He also co-founded the Nevada Biodiversity Initiative, which has raised millions of dollars for teaching and research to study and protect Nevada’s rich wildlife. He played an active role at state, national, and international levels advocating a science-based approach to the conservation of biological resources.

The Gary L. Vinyard Memorial Lectureship in Natural History

Gary L. Vinyard, Ph.D., was a professor of Biology at the University of Nevada, Reno. An excellent educator, Dr. Vinyard’s enthusiasm and unbridled joy for biology generally, and aquatic ecology specifically, attracted students to his classes and to his laboratory. Dr. Vinyard was also prolific, having published 43 scientific papers and mentoring 21 graduate students. And he was a major contributor to the conservation of Great Basin systems and organisms two of which were named in his honor: Pyrgulopsis vinyardi and Cyclocypris vinyardi.