Article By: Agnes Hina
Seven students from the University of North Georgia (UNG) attended the Wildlife Society 30th annual conference, one of the largest gatherings of wildlife professionals in North America, accompanied by three UNG faculty members, including biology lecturer Jessy Patterson.
"Our students did an amazing job representing UNG at The Wildlife Society national conference," Patterson said. "Their presentations were great, and I think they learned a lot from attending sessions, along with meeting a lot of potential grad school advisors or future employers."
The conference took place from Nov. 5-9 in Louisville, Kentucky, where UNG students, all pursuing degrees in biology, were able to present their research on the following:
These presentations were the culmination of months of work for these students, like Ramey, who worked on her project for the last three semesters in the hopes of getting closer to a future as a conservation biologist.
"The experience at the conference was amazing. It opened my eyes to the many opportunities I will have after graduating," Ramey, a Gainesville, Georgia, native, said.
Senior lecturer Dawn Drumtra was also able to attend the conference.
"This was my first The Wildlife Society meeting and I was so glad to have the opportunity to attend. I was very proud of our UNG students who presented their research alongside graduate and professional projects," Drumtra said. "Many conference attendees commented on their surprise that our students were undergraduates — who were holding their own amongst this group of critically thinking, passionate, scientists."