Join us Friday, Nov. 24 for “Ancient Species Help Predict Effects of Modern Invasive Species,” a presentation by Alycia Stigall, Jones/Bibee Professor and head of the UT Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences.

Invasive species are one of the major causes of modern biodiversity loss, but understanding how these short-term impacts may play out over evolutionary time cannot be assessed using only modern data. Fortunately, invasion events have occurred throughout the history of life. In her presentation, Professor Stigall will explore lessons learned about evolution, extinction, and biotic change from the fossil record, and what those lessons predict about our future.

The presentation begins at noon on Zoom.

The event is free and open to the public but registration is required. Once registered, you will receive a link to join the meeting.

About Alycia Stigall

Professor Stigall joined the University of Tennessee faculty in August 2022. She came from Ohio University, where she was a professor and chair of the Department of Geological Sciences. A paleobiologist, she uses fossil marine (saltwater) invertebrates to study invasive species, mass extinction, and diversification.

Alycia Stigall earned bachelor’s degrees in biology and geological sciences from The Ohio State University. She completed a master’s degree and a doctorate at the University of Kansas, where she studied the impact of invasive species on evolution, biogeography, and extinction during the Devonian period (about 419 to 359 million years ago).

Professor Stigall focuses on using the fossil record of ancient species invasions to better predict the long-term impacts of modern invasive species. She uses models to reconstruct the geographic distributions of fossil species and builds phylogenetic trees, or diagrams that illustrate the relationships among species. She works with these tools to understand key events in the fossil record.

About the Science Forum

Started in 1933, the UT Science Forum is one of the oldest UT organizations. Its purpose? To share the latest scientific research with the public.

Nearly 90 years later, the UT Science Forum provides an excellent opportunity for students, UT professors and the general public to learn about cutting-edge research at UT, ORNL, and other local facilities.

Join Us Friday Nov. 4 at Noon via Zoom

Join us Fridays at noon for an opportunity to discuss the latest scientific research with distinguished professors and researchers. Presentations are 40 minutes and designed for the general public. A question-and-answer session follows each presentation.

For the health and safety of our campus and Knoxville community, we will host all fall 2022 Science Forum lectures on Zoom. Visit the Zoom Help Center to learn more about setting up an account and joining a meeting.