The next talk as part of George Mason Observatory’s ‘Evenings Under the Stars’ series (where you’ll also get to look at awesome galaxies, stars, planets and more through our 0.8 meter telescope!) will be ‘Charismatic Megafauna’ by Lauren Wilson.  As always the event is free and everyone is invited!

Some details about the event: Tuesday 4 December 2012: 1st talk at 6 PM in Room 163, same talk at 6 :45 PM, observing starts at 6:40PM until 8PM.  Directions to GMU and Research Hall here: http://eagle.gmu.edu/map/fairfax.php   Zoom in to find Research Hall next to engineering building and York River Rd.  Just keep an eye out for weather – the event has been postponed (to December 4th) and the talk will be held even if observing has to be cancelled because of weather – updates will be available here – Observatory Twitter

Now a little bit about the talk and our speaker!

Lions, tigers, bears, oh my!  True, they’re ferocious and a little scary, but we still really like them, right?  And you’d be more excited to see an eagle or an elephant than an earthworm, wouldn’t you?  Join us Tuesday evening to talk about the animals we love, the ones we don’t, and how our affection for some large, charismatic animals influences conservation efforts, for good and bad.  We promise you will not feel the same about panda bears afterward!

Lauren Wilson is a Masters student and SUNRISE scholar in the Environmental Science and Policy Department of GMU.  Her thesis focuses on two swan species that may be interbreeding in Alaska because of habitat disturbance from climate change.  She earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia, where she studied wildlife management.  She is passionate about wildlife and finding solutions to protect our environment and natural resources.