Speaker: Michael Ogle, Curator of Herpetology at Zoo Knoxville
Title: “20+ years of working at Zoo Knoxville from volunteer to curator and everything in between”
Abstract:  Michael is the Curator of Herpetology and Birds at Zoo Knoxville, which is a leader in promoting conservation initiatives both locally and globally. This talk is a great introduction to careers in zoological institutions as told through his own journey—from zookeeper to curator to leadership positions within larger collaborative networks. The talk also highlights the zoo's important conservation work with critically endangered turtles, including our very own bog turtles in Appalachian wetlands and illegally traded tortoises from Madagascar. 

The Ecology, Evolution, Behavior, & Organismal Biology (EEBOB) seminar series focuses on biological topics at whole-organism and higher scales of organization. Guest speakers come from universities, governmental agencies, NGOs, zoos, museums, and other institutions.

This seminar series consists of a pre-recorded seminar, which will be posted to a playlist at the beginning of each week, and a live, virtual Q&A session with the speaker. All are welcome to attend! For access to the live Q&A session, interested attendees can email Dr. Todd Pierson to be granted access. The live Q&A session will be held each Thursday @ 9:30 AM.