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The Hellbender: An Original Member of the Ozarks Community

Dr. Alicia Mathis
/
Missouri State University
Hellbender

Alicia Mathis knows her salamanders, and why shouldn’t she? She and her group in the Biology department at Missouri State University have been studying the creatures for over two decades.

In her visit with us, she talks about the place of aquatic fauna in our ecosystem and how they can be an important indicator of ecological health. In addition, she discusses specific aspects of the Hellbenders physiology and how we can work to preserve its place in our Ozark streams and waterways.

Dr. David Cornelison has been working as an educator and scientist in Arizona and Missouri universities for the last 32 years. From 2010-2018, he was the head of the Department of Physics, Astronomy and Materials Science at Missouri State University. His research interests lie at the intersection of experimental condensed-matter physics and astrophysics, while his educational efforts have focused on outreach to the K-12 school system. Most of all, he believes in curiosity-driven learning in the sciences and all other fields.