Chapter Program: “Wisdom of the Ants” presented by Dr. Scott Solomon

Our April 1, 2021 monthly program will be presented by Dr Scott Solomon, a biologist, professor, and science communicator.

It may surprise you to learn that, although we consider ourselves to be the most intelligent creatures on the planet, many of the concepts attributed to the list of items separating man from “lesser creatures “, are not unique to our species.  In fact, the use of tools, the efficient implementation of the division of labor, as well as the idea of working in teams are just a few of the concepts employed by ants for thousands of years before man came on the scene. In his studies of various ant colonies, Dr. Scott Solomon believes there is much to be learned from ants that can help improve our daily lives. Dr. Solomon’s current research examines the interactions between native and non-native ants, the impacts of extreme flooding on ant communities, ant foraging behavior, and the co-evolution between ants and microbes.

Dr. Solomon teaches ecology, evolutionary biology, and scientific communication as an Associate Teaching Professor at Rice University in Houston. Dr. Solomon is also a Research Associate at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History. He has a Ph.D. in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior from the University of Texas at Austin where his research examined the evolutionary basis of biological diversity in the Amazon Basin. He has taught field biology at Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory in Gothic, Colorado and developed a complete digital lecture series on the modern science of evolution with The Great Courses. Before coming to Rice, he worked as a visiting researcher with the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC and São Paulo State University in Rio Claro, Brazil.

Dr. Solomon’s current research examines the interactions between native and non-native ants, the impacts of extreme flooding on ant communities, ant foraging behavior, and the co-evolution between ants and microbes. He is a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Society for the Study of Evolution, and Associate Editor of the Journal of Tropical Ecology.

NOTE: This will be a Zoom meeting and is free and open to the public. Advance registration is required. Register in advance for this meeting.  After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.  Please join us for a great presentation!

The Texas Master Naturalist program is sponsored by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service.

[TMNCPC members in attendance should record their Advanced Training hours under ‘AT: Chapter Meeting-Coastal Prairie’ plus the VSP hours for the business meeting under ‘Chapter Business: Chapter Meeting’. ]