Would you like to be involved in behavior outreach?
Then consider volunteering at this year's post-conference event:

THE ANIMAL BEHAVIOR FAIR

at

Wonderlab
Museum of Science, Health and Technology
1 to 5 pm on Saturday July 30th

This event aims to accomplish three main goals:

• teach principles of ecology, evolution, and behavior and demystify basic science processes (observation, questions, hypotheses, predictions)
• demonstrate how studies of animal behavior are interesting and relevant to various fields such as conservation, agriculture, and health
• excite and inspire the public about animals, natural systems and scientific research
• create outreach networking opportunities for ABS members.

... and of course have FUN!

Interested volunteers would help out at stations that are especially popular or with more than one interactive display. Volunteers may also rotate between a few stations to allow the exhibitors a break. Below we detail the 18 planned exhibits:

Frog Communication – Find out how frogs pass information to one another through vocalizations. Observe "spectrograms" of sound waves created by your own voice compared with others. Learn the calls of some common frogs and toads by recreating them with common household items (Mark Bee lab, University of Minnesota: Beth Pettitt and Alejandro Velez, PhD candidates)

Bird Banding and Field Study – Use real scientific tools to band an artificial bird, and and play the role of a field biologist as you search for birds and their nests. Discover how researchers study birds in the field and how they are able to identify them as individuals (Ellen Ketterson lab, Indiana University: Kristal Cain, PhD Candidate).

Horned Beetle Biology – Discover interesting bug behaviors as you observe Horned Beetles battling each other for females, and find out how males sneak past each other, how females provide food and shelter for their offspring, and more (Armin Moczek lab, Indiana University: Harald Parzer, PhD Candidate).

Honey Bee Behavior - Observe a small colony of honey bees and discover their highly organized social structure. Simulate how bees get nectar from a flower as you learn about the bee's proboscis and how nectar becomes honey (Dan Papaj and Anna Dornhaus labs, University of Arizona: Annie Leonard, postdoctoral fellow).

The Life of Wild Swordtails – Learn how scientists study fish in the wild by using maps and charts to record and observe various wild fish behaviors, and discover how they determine the gender of Green Swordtails (Alexandra Basolo lab, University of Nebraska).

Animal Apps -- Find out how social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter can be used to turn zoo visitors into citizen scientists who can compare their own observations with those of real scientists! (Jason Watters, Behavioral Research Manager, Chicago Zoological Society)

Hearing Through Bones – Animal behavior study often includes humans! Learn about your ability to hear through your bones, a primitive type of sound perception that evolved into our modern sense of hearing. Experience sounds as they are conducted through various parts of your skull, learn about animals that use this type of sound perception, and see how this area of study is applied to help people with hearing and communication issues (Kim Pollard, Postdoctoral Researcher, Army Research Labs).

Parasite Life Cycle – Discover a bizarre parasite that lives different parts of its life cycle in different animals. Extract parasites from snails by exposing them to light then identify them with the help of a real scientist (Andy Sih lab, University of California Davis; Kelly Weinersmith, PhD Candidate).

Spider Aggression – Test your knowledge of spiders with a myth vs. fact game. Using observational techniques, participants will determine the difference in levels of aggression of different types of spiders towards insects they encounter and will learn how this aspect of their behavior has amazing potential for natural insect pest control (Andy Sih lab, Uniersity of California Davis; Jonathan Pruitt, Postdocotral Fellow).

Beautiful Butterfly Colors – Butterflies display an amazing array of colors and patterns, but what do those colors mean? Examine butterfly specimen under special UV light to observe what our eyes normally can't see. Peer into a microscope to see how different colors are produced by the structure of the scales on a butterfly wing. Play a foraging game to learn how butterfly predators select and hunt for their prey (Ron Rutowski lab, Arizona State University).

Animal Welfare Careers – An educator from the Monroe County Humane Association will talk about how a background in animal behavior science is helpful to those seeking a career advocating and educating for animal welfare.

Identifying Amicable Dogs -- Learn how researchers are developing tools to identify dogs that are friendly, safe with children and calm (Tammie King, Monash University)

Positive PAWSibilities - Find out how a therapist teaches her patients positive training techniques with dogs to help them learn and use these same communication skills in creating healthy social relationships with other people.

The Drama of Cricket Song -- Observe crickets singing to attract mates and learn about the possible risks involved -- attracting parasites! (Bill Wagner lab, University of Nebraska; Chandreyee Mitra, PhD candidate)

Grouse Mating Displays -- Watch a robotic grouse "behave" and learn how it can be used to study behavior in the field! (Gail Patricelli lab, University of California Davis)

Black Widow Urban Ecology -- See black widows build webs, attack crickets and learn how they surive in the desert and the city (Chad Johnson lab, Arizona State University)

Bird Behavior and Conservation -- How do birds decide where to settle? Understanding this behavior is important to choosing the best locations for conservation (Bruce Robertson, Postdoctoral Fellow, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute)

Butterfly Release in the WonderGarden – Learn how scientists study butterflies and their relationship to plants. A release of tagged butterflies takes place at 5:00 pm! (Emilie Snell-Rood lab, University of Minnesota)

If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Emilie Snell-Rood