Archie, the mammoth sculpture, stands guard outside of Morrill Hall as the Husker flag waves in the breeze. City Campus. March 17, 2020. Photo by Craig Chandler / University Communication.
University of Nebraska Lincoln
Archie, the mammoth sculpture, stands guard outside of Morrill Hall as the Husker flag waves in the breeze. City Campus. March 17, 2020. Photo by Craig Chandler / University Communication.
The American Arachnological Society will bring more than 160 researchers from six countries to the University of Nebraska–Lincoln July 12-16 for its annual meeting, offering opportunities for scientific collaboration alongside a special public event celebrating the world of spiders and their relatives.
The meeting will begin July 12 with "Eight-Legged Encounters," an interactive science festival from noon to 3:30 p.m. at the University of Nebraska State Museum-Morrill Hall. Developed by the Hebets Laboratory at Nebraska, the event invites visitors of all ages to explore arachnid biology through hands-on activities, games, artwork and creative challenges led by professional arachnologists from around the world. The public event requires regular Morrill Hall admission.
Visitors can test their skills by catching a "moth" with a bolas spider’s silken lasso, detect prey vibrations like a trapdoor spider, build tissue paper flowers for crab spiders, sculpt clay arachnids and complete the "Path of Predators" activity trail to earn stamps, collectible trading cards and a prize while discovering the remarkable diversity of arachnids.
"This is a really unique opportunity for Lincoln — an informal science festival event run by arachnologists from around the world," said Eileen Hebets, the event host and organizer. She is a professor in the School of Biological Sciences who specializes in arachnids.
The annual meeting of the American Arachnological Society will feature about 60 scientific presentations and more than 40 research posters. Additional activities include an international soccer match celebrating the FIFA World Cup, an evening at Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center and a post-conference BioBlitz at Reller Prairie.
The conference will officially open with a keynote lecture by Alfredo Peretti of the Institute of Animal Diversity and Ecology, CONICET-UNC, Argentina. His presentation, "Rarity in Reproductive Biology: Arachnids as Insight," is 9 a.m. July 13 in the Nebraska Union’s Swanson Auditorium. The presentation is open to the public and is the only conference session available to non-registered attendees. The keynote speaker is visiting Nebraska through a Visiting Scholar Grant from the University's Office of Research and Innovation.
"Eight-Legged Encounters" has previously appeared at venues including the USA Science and Engineering Festival, the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, and Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium.
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Archie, the mammoth sculpture, stands guard outside of Morrill Hall as the Husker flag waves in the breeze. City Campus. March 17, 2020. Photo by Craig Chandler / University Communication.
Archie, the mammoth sculpture, stands guard outside of Morrill Hall as the Husker flag waves in the breeze. City Campus. March 17, 2020. Photo by Craig Chandler / University Communication.
