4:30-5:30pm – Social hour, silent auction, student demos
come early, bid often, support our students!

5:30-6:00pm – Student, staff, and alumni awards
Distinguished Alumni:
Seth Stapleton 2013 PhD - Conservation Director, Minnesota Zoo
Sarah Saunders 2015 PhD - Senior Manager of Quantitative Science, Audubon Society

To be announced onsite:
Outstanding Graduate Students
Outstanding Staff

6:00-7:00pm – Distinguished Faculty Lecture
Ray Newman, PhD - "From zoologist to botanist, the journey of a trophic ecologist"

Distinguished Teaching Professor in the Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology at the University of Minnesota specializing in aquatic invasive plants. He is passionate about aquatic ecology and understanding the interaction between plants, invertebrates, and fish. His work with the Minnesota Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center includes restoring native plant communities after invasive plants – such as Eurasian watermilfoil and Curly-leaf pondweed – have been introduced and assessing the distribution of hybrid watermilfoil and management implications of different genotypes. He was previously researching sustainable methods of biocontrol involving weevils and integrated approaches to milfoil management.