Physiological Ecology of Reptiles Laboratory PERL (November 2019)

Herpetology, the study of reptiles and amphibians, is a growing field that has historically been dominated by male scientists. A team of all-female students from Cal Poly are studying trends in female participation in herpetology over the past 50 years, and have been selected to present this at the World Congress of Herpetology (WCH) in 2020! This conference takes place only once every four years, allowing herpetologists from all around the globe to share their research with other professionals, students, and enthusiasts. Our goal is to send four female students from the Physiological Ecology of Reptiles Lab and their advisor to the Congress this year so they are able to present their research.

Our lab is full of quite a few young female scientists, but herpetology (the study of reptiles and amphibians) has historically been a male dominated field. We are working on a research project to quantify this sex gap in the field over the past 50 years. We are going to the WCH to present this research, but this year the Congress is New Zealand, so we need some extra help getting there! This will be a great achievement for Cal Poly and a once in a lifetime opportunity for us to share this research! It is especially important that the next generation of biologists are able to attend gatherings such as these so they are able to create lifelong connections, get experience presenting, and learn about the reptiles and amphibians of the world. Help us put the “her” in herpetology!