Science at Sugarlands

Science at Sugarlands is an speaker series dedicated to the natural history of life in the Smokies. DLiA hosts talks once a month from May to October, bringing regional scientists to talk about their Smokies-related research. Talks are 30-45 minutes followed by a Q&A and they’re free, open to the public, and geared for a general audience. All talks will be hosted on Zoom. Register to receive a Zoom link via email.

Location & registration

All talks are on Zoom. Click Register below to choose the talks you’d like to attend and you’ll receive a Zoom link. Note, you can change your selection later by filling out the registration form a second time. If you’re not familiar with Zoom, here’s a helpful guide for getting started.

We post talk recordings to our YouTube channel soon after each talk. You can find links below.

Register for Zoom link
Past talks on YouTube

2022 Schedule

Friday, MAY 20 @ 1:00 PM ET
Beetles of the Smokies
Victoria Bayless, Curator, Louisiana State Arthropod Museum
Friday, JUNE 17 @ 1:00 PM ET
Safe Passage: helping wildlife cross the I-40 Pigeon River Gorge
Jeff Hunter, National Parks Conservation Association
Friday, JULY 15 @ 1:00 PM ET
The African American Experience in the Smokies: making the invisible visible
Atalaya Dorfield, GSMNP
Friday, AUGUST 19 @ 1:00 PM ET
The fascinating world of nematodes
Tom Powers, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Friday, SEPTEMBER 16 @ 1:00 PM ET
The Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage: 72 years of public education in the Smokies
Joey Shaw, University of Tennessee, Chattanooga
Friday, OCTOBER 21 @ 1:00 PM ET
Tremont’s monarch monitoring program in Cades Cove
Erin Canter, Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont

Past talks

DateTitleSpeaker
October 21, 2022Monarch TaggingErin Canter, Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont
September 16, 2022Smokies Spring Wildflower PilgrimageJoey Shaw, University of TN Chattanooga
August 19, 2022The fascinating world of nematodesTom Powers, PhD University of Nebraska-Lincoln
July 15, 2022The African American Experience in the Smokies: making the invisible visible


Atalaya Dorfield, GSMNP
June 17, 2022Safe Passage, The I-40 Wildlife Crossing ProjectJeff Hunter, Project Manager at NPCA and Safe Passage Facilitator
May 20, 2022Beetles of the Smokies
Victoria Bayless, Curator, Louisiana State Arthropod Museum
October 15, 2021Protecting ginseng in the SmokiesJanie Bitner, botanist & volunteer in GSMNP Natural History Collection
September 17, 2021Elk of the SmokiesJoseph Yarkovich, GSMNP
August 20, 2021Water bears of the Smokies and beyondPaul Bartels, Warren Wilson College
July 16, 2021Birds of the SmokiesKeith Watson, bird expert
June 18, 2021Litter arthropods of High AppalachiaMike Caterino, Clemson University Arthropod Collection
May 21, 2021Cades Cove Butterfly Monitoring programWarren Bielenberg, Lepidopterist
October 16, 2020Help map life in the Smokies through community scienceWill Kuhn, DLiA
August 21, 2020Ecology and evolution of dung beetles and the impact of global change on Southeastern communitiesMaggie Mamantov, PhD Student, University of Tennessee Dept. Ecology & Evolution
June 19, 2020The Southeastern Grasslands Initiative: Charting a new course for conservation in the 21st centuryDwayne Estes, Southeastern Grasslands Initiative; Austin Peay State University
October 18, 2019Lichens of the Smokies revealedJames Lendemer, Assistant Curator, New York Botanical Garden
September 20, 2019Burning questions: why are plant-soil microbiome interactions important & how does the Chimney Tops fire affect this ecological internet?Kendall Beals, PhD Student, University of Tennessee Dept. Ecology & Evolution
August 16, 2019Appalachian Balds: ecological enigma & conservation dilemmaJesse Webster, Forester, Great Smoky Mountains NP
July 19, 2019The National Ecological Observation Network (NEON) and its work in the SmokiesWP "Bill" Martin, Field Operations Manager, NEON-Battelle Ecology
June 21, 2019Restoring fish to the Smokies' most diverse streamPat Rakes, Co-founder & Director, Conservation Fisheries
May 17, 2019Wildflowers: Gems of the SmokiesJanet Rock, retired Botanist, Great Smoky Mountains NP
October 19, 2018Beetles of the SmokiesClaire Winfrey, University of Tennessee
September 21, 2018Butterflies and caterpillars in the SmokiesJulie Elliot, Lepidopterist
August 17, 2018The problems and solutions with our hemlocksJesse Webster, GSMNP
July 20, 2018Smokies spiders and their kinKefyn Catlyne, Western Carolina Unversity
June 15, 2018Bioluminescence in the SmokiesWill Kuhn, National Science Foundation Postdoc Fellow; University of Tennessee
May 18, 2018Biodiversity: 20 years of the ATBI & pollinator garden dedicationTodd Witcher, DLiA
October 20, 2017Mosses of the ParkKen McFarlard
September 15, 2017Bats of the SmokiesKitty McCracken
July 21, 2017Dragonflies and damselflies of the SmokiesWill Kuhn, National Science Foundation Postdoc Fellow; University of Tennessee
June 16, 2017Fungus among usRachel and Brian, University of Tennessee
May 19, 2017Wildfire ecologyCharles Kwit