Up Against the Limit: Lessons in persistence from the little things that run the world

Teams link: https://go.uvm.edu/v87xb

As the world’s climate rapidly changes, we are being forcefully reminded that life operates within physical limits.  Yet if you spend some time looking carefully, you will find that even the most inhospitable places are in fact teeming with life, from the hot deserts to cold alpine peaks.  In this talk, I will share some highlights of my 20-year research journey through the fields of animal behavior, ecology, evolutionary biology and genetics, to uncover the surprising ways that insects, from ants to flies, have adapted to cope with life on the edge.

Sara Helms Cahan joined the UVM Biology faculty in 2004, after completing her doctorate in Zoology from Arizona State University and post-doctoral appointments at Texas A&M and the University of Lausanne, Switzerland.  Over that time, she has mentored 56 UVM undergraduates and 13 graduate students in the joys and challenges of scientific research.  She has served as co-Director of the Integrated Biological Science program and Chair of Biology; her current roles include Curator of the Zadock Thompson Zoological Collection and Associate Vice President for Research in the OVPR.  But she always makes time for a hike with the dog, an afternoon of quilting, or canning the summer’s harvest.