Wild City: The Animals That Live Among Us

July 23, 2019
10:30 am – 3:00 pm

University of Illinois at Chicago, Student Center East Building, Illinois A Room
UIC Student Center East, South Halsted Street, Chicago, IL, USA

Program Series:
Life Science

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Come learn about the wild animals that live among us at an interactive research expo followed by a talk by Lincoln Park Zoo’s Dr. Seth Magle!

Cities are built for people, but increasingly house many species of wildlife. These species can range from the familiar, like squirrels and pigeons, to the unusual, like hawks and coyotes. To learn to live with these animals, a scientific approach is needed. In Chicago, Illinois, the third largest city in the United States, Dr. Seth Magle, of the Lincoln Park Zoo, and his team have conducted research for ten years on urban mammals using a unique long-term approach. He will describe their work and some of its findings. Their ultimate goal, though, is to learn about urban wildlife species not just in Chicago, but worldwide. For that reason, they have also designed a pioneering research network, the Urban Wildlife Information Network, where partners all across North America collaborate to collect long-term data on many different species in their cities. This network is used to connect the public to local nature and help people learn about wildlife in urban regions. The hope is that this network will increase awareness of the importance of urban nature, and provide information critical to creating greener, wilder cities, in which humans and wildlife can co-exist.

This event is a part of the Animal Behavior Society’s Annual Conference, Behaviour 2019, and will feature a public outreach fair prior to the program. Stop by between 9 am and 1 pm to take a look at exciting animal behavior research happening across the country!

Event Details

Tuesday, July 23rd, Research Displays, 10:30 am-1:45 pm, Key Note, 2:00 pm-3:00 pm, UIC Student Center East, Illinois A Room, 750 South Halsted Street, Chicago, IL 60607.

This program is FREE to attend and seating will be first come, first served.

Parking and Transportation:

UIC Student Center East building is located a short walk from the UIC-Halsted Blue Line Stop and multiple bus lines. For detailed travel information visit www.transitchicago.com or call the Travel Information Center at 1-888-YOUR-CTA or 1-888-CTA-TTY1 (TTY).

Paid, on-site parking is available. Attendees will need to purchase their own parking pass in person in the parking office located inside SSB (1200 W. Harrison, Suite 2620); they won’t be able to reserve passes prior to arrival.

Parking Lots:

By UIC Forum/JST –  Maxwell Street Parking Structure – 701 West Maxwell Street
By Student Center East – Halsted/Taylor Parking Structure -760 West Taylor Street

Weekday rate is $15
Weekend rate is $9

Notice: As a guest of Chicago Council on Science and Technology (C2ST), you agree to be photographed, videotaped, or filmed and grant C2ST permission to put the finished footage/photography to any uses that it may deem proper including marketing, advertising (print, radio, and television) and PR-related activities.

Featured Guests

Seth Magle, PhD

Seth Magle, PhD, is the Director of the Urban Wildlife Institute at the Lincoln Park Zoo, and the Executive Director of the Urban Wildlife Information Network. Seth first became interested in conservation and ecology as a college student while observing black-tailed prairie dogs living in sidewalk median strips. Eventually, he completed an honors thesis on the behavior of this urban-adapted keystone species; he ultimately expanded on that research for both a master’s degree and a doctorate. However, Seth’s interests go far beyond prairie dogs to encompass all wildlife species impacted by urbanization and human development. He has published over 40 articles on urban wildlife ecology. His vision is to help create a world in which urban ecosystems represent an important component of the worldwide conservation of biodiversity.