Home » News & Events » Southeastern Conference for Animal Behavior (SeCAB) » SeCAB Program

Program

SeCAB 2025, Behavior in the Southeast
September 26–27, 2025

Hosted at:
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Agriculture and Natural Resources Building (ANR)
2431 Joe Johnson Dr, Knoxville, TN 37996
Rooms 101 A/B

Day 1 – September 26, 2025
3:00–7:00 p.m.

  • 3:00–5:00 p.m., ANR 101A — Poster set-up
  • 4:00–6:00 p.m., ANR Lobby — Social (light refreshments, cash bar)
  • 5:00–6:00 p.m., ANR 101A — Poster session
  • 6:00–7:00 p.m., ANR 101B — Jen Moss, Plenary Talk: Coordination, communication, and compensation: Making a frog parent

Day 2 – September 27, 2025
8:00–5:30 p.m.

  • 8:00–9:00 a.m., ANR Lobby — Coffee, tea, juice, assorted pastries, and fruit
  • 9:00–9:15 a.m., ANR 101B — Opening Remarks, Elizabeth Derryberry, University of Tennessee, Collaborative for Animal Behavior

Theme: Behavioral Responses to a Changing Environment

  • 9:15–9:30 a.m., ANR 101B — Using a Novel Mesocosm Design to Explore the Effect of Temperature on the Eastern Red-Backed Salamander
    • Isabella Badon, Post-baccalaureate researcher, Virginia Tech
  • 9:30–9:45 a.m., ANR 101B — Risk vs. Reward: Bumble Bee Foraging Decisions in Dynamic Floral Environment
    • Andre Vieira Rodrigues, Post-Doctoral Researcher, University of Tennessee
  • 9:45–10:00 a.m., ANR 101B — Play and Politics
    • Gordon Burghardt, Emeritus Professor, University of Tennessee
  • 10:00–10:30 a.m., ANR 101A/Lobby — Coffee Break
  • 10:30–10:45 a.m., ANR 101B — Reliably Different: Aggression Is Flexible but Higher in Urban Male Song Sparrows (Melospiza Melodia) Compared to Rural Males
    • Taylor Fosset, Graduate Student, Virginia Tech
  • 10:45–11:00 a.m., ANR 101B — Modelling Subordinate Helping Decisions Under Varying Levels of Environmental Uncertainty
    • Layne Gaynor, Post-doctoral Researcher, Ohio State University
  • 11:00–11:15 a.m., ANR 101B — In the Heat of the Moment: Altricial Young Vary in Thermoregulatory Behavior During a Simulated Heat Wave
    • Emmy James, Graduate Student, University of Tennessee
  • 11:15–11:30 a.m., ANR 101B — One Image, Multiple Lenses: Developing a Mechanistic Model of Behavioral Thermoregulation
    • Juan Zuluag, Post-Doctoral Researcher, University of Tennessee
  • 11:30–11:45 a.m., ANR 101B — Comparing Social Structure Across Monk Parakeet Groups with Different Early Life Experiences
    • Virginia Moor, Graduate Student, University of Cincinnati
  • 11:45 a.m.–1:15 p.m. — Lunch break – Tomato Head box lunches provided by the generous support of the College of Arts and Sciences

Theme: Quantitative Methods to Understand the Generative Principles from which Behavior Emerges—

  • 1:15–1:30 p.m., ANR 101B — Searching in the Shadows: The Effects of UV-Deficient Environments on Bumblebee Foraging Behavior
    • Olivia Harris, Post-Doctoral Researcher, University of Tennessee, Collaborative for Animal Behavior
  • 1:30–1:45 p.m., ANR 101B — Inferring Condition and Fitness from Proxies: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach
    • Madison Von Deylen, Graduate Student, Ohio State University
  • 1:45–2:00 p.m., ANR 101B — Starvation Risk and Demonstrator Quality Influence the Use of Social Information in a Foraging Model
    • Kitt Kroeger, Graduate Student, Ohio State University
  • 2:00–2:15 p.m., ANR 101B — Territoriality Shapes the Co-Evolution of Cooperative Breeding and Female Song in Songbirds
    • Kate Snyder, Post-Doctoral Researcher, Vanderbilt University

Theme: Integrative and Emerging Themes in Animal Behavior

  • 2:15–2:30 p.m., ANR 101B — Incipient Adaptive Radiation Driven by Reinforcement of Acoustic Behaviors in Chorus Frogs
    • Emily Lemmon, Professor, Florida State University
  • 2:30–2:45 p.m., ANR 101B — Behavior and Hybridization in a Changing World
    • Karin Pfennig, Professor, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill
  • 2:45–3:00 p.m., ANR 101B — Social Experience and Relatedness Facilitate Cooperative Nesting in a Paper Wasp
    • James Tumulty, Assistant Professor, Rhodes College
  • 3:00–3:30 p.m., ANR101A/Lobby — Coffee Break
  • 3:30–3:45 p.m., ANR 101B — Click Bait: Social Context Influences Calling Behavior in Cricket Frogs
    • Julia Drennan, Graduate Student, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill
  • 3:45–4:00 p.m., ANR 101B — Observer effects on foraging behavior in songbirds
    • Todd Freeberg, Professor, University of Tennessee
  • 4:00–4:15 p.m., ANR 101B — Phonotactic Navigation of Female Cope’s Gray Tree Frogs in Three-Dimensional Environments
    • Alejandro Marcillo, Graduate Student, Oklahoma State University
  • 4:15–4:30 p.m., ANR 101B — Untangling the Impacts of Kleptoparasitism on Bee Health and Behavior
    • Erika Dalliance, Graduate Student, University of Tennessee
  • 4:30–4:45 p.m., ANR 101B — Temporal Integration of Acoustic Information for Mate Choice Decision Making in Cope’s Gray Treefrog
    • Jain Pushpalatha Krishnan, Graduate Student, Oklahoma State University
  • 4:45–5:00 p.m., ANR 101B — Does Avian Longevity Affect Birdsong Evolution?
    • Nicole Creanza, Associate Professor, Vanderbilt University
  • 5:00–5:15 p.m., ANR 101B — Female Ornamentation and Territorial Defense: Insights from a Socially Monogamous Suboscine Bird (Myrmoderus Loricatus)
    • Renata Beco, Graduate Student, University of Tennessee
  • 5:15–5:30 p.m., ANR 101B — Closing Remarks

Plenary Speaker

Jen Moss

Jen is a behavioral ecologist who studies the relationship between sex, reproduction, and phenotypic plasticity across a range of contexts, from the evolution of parenting systems to climate change resilience. She earned her PhD in conservation biology from Mississippi State in 2019 and has since integrated a range of experimental approaches into her investigations of diverse taxa, from viviparous skinks to burying beetles to poison frogs. She now holds a faculty position at Virginia Tech, where her research program will focus on physiology and behavior in Appalachian salamanders.

Posters

Theme: Behavioral Responses to a Changing Environment

  1. Investigating How Thermal Challenges and Song Production Impact Gene Expression Patterns in a Songbird
    • Tara Empson, Graduate student, University of Tennessee
  2. Determining the Impact of Rising Temperature on Song Production in Zebra Finches (Taeniopygia Castanotis)
    • Tamara Smith, Undergraduate student, University of Tennessee
  3. Investigating the Impact of Temperature on Male Zebra Finch (Taeniopygia Castanotis) Social Interactions
    • Seth Shaw, Undergraduate student, University of Tennessee
  4. Assessing the Impacts of Sensory Pollutants on Songbird Diet
    • Tessa Patton, Graduate student, Duke University
  5. No Days Off: Balancing Sickness Behaviors and Parental Care
    • Keelee Pullum, Graduate Student, University of Tennessee
  6. Balancing the Costs: Thermoregulatory Behavior Under Heat Stress in Tree Swallow Nestlings
    • Sydney Anglin, Undergraduate student, University of Tennessee
  7. Simulated Heat Waves Reveal Panting and Hydration Trade-Offs in Altricial Young
    • Ellis Kelsey, Undergraduate student, University of Tennessee
  8. “Do I Feel Warm to You?” Sublethal Effects of Heat on Nestling Immune Response
    • Madison Padmore, Undergraduate student, University of Tennessee
  9. Quantifying Nest Microclimates to Understand Tree Swallow Behavior in a Warming Climate
    • Omayah El-Salim, Undergraduate student, University of Tennessee
  10. Nest Feather Preferences in Male Tree Swallows (Tachycineta Bicolor): Implications for Behavioral Adaptation to a Changing Environment
    • Marisol Park, Undergraduate student, University of Tennessee
  11. Climate Change on Reproductive Behavioral Plasticity in the Dung Beetle (Onthophagus taurus)
    • Emily Sexton, Undergraduate student, University of Tennessee
  12. Impacts of Iron Oxide Nanoparticles on the Antipredator Behaviors of House Sparrows
    • Eden Comer, Post-baccalaureate researcher, Hope University
  13. Associative Learning in Corn Snakes, Pantherophis Guttatus
    • Cliff Zeyl, Graduate student, Wake Forest University
  14. Reproductive Responses to Changing Densities: A Potential Mechanism for Successful Invasion
    • Pratush Brahma, Graduate student, University of Florida

Theme: Quantitative Methods to Understand the Generative Principles from which Behavior Emerges

  1. Activity-Based Methods of Auditory Neuron Capture for Single-Nucleus RNA Sequencing
    • Emma Droste, Graduate student, North Carolina State University
  2. Quantifying the Role of Song-Selective Neurons in Drosophila Courtship Behaviors
    • Jacob Grodeon, Graduate student, North Carolina State University
  3. Automated Detection of Panting Behavior in Zebra Finches Using Thermal Video and Machine Learning
    • Shomari Taylor, Undergraduate student, University of Tennessee
  4. Detecting Complex Information in Synthetic Vocalizations with Traditional Bioacoustics Tools
    • Brittany Coppinger, Post-doctoral researcher, Michigan State University
  5. Behavioral Responses to a Changing Environment
    • Grace Smith-Vidaurre, Assistant Professor, Michigan State University

Theme: Integrative and Emerging Themes in Animal Behavior

  1. An Experimental Investigation of Terrestrial Odor Perception in Loggerhead Sea Turtles (Caretta caretta)
    • Katrina Pfennig, Graduate student, University of Tennessee
  2. When Inconsistency Matters – Exploring the Effects of Within-Individual Variation in Calling on Reciever Behavior
    • Trina Chou, Graduate student, University of Tennessee
  3. Understanding the Neural Control of Acoustic Communication Across Drosophila Species
    • Alexandria Venuto, Post-doctoral researcher, North Carolina State University
  4. Baffling Ballads: A Phylogenetic Approach to Trace the Evolution of Baffling in North American Tree Crickets
    • Ashlesh Pattanaik, Graduate student, University of Tennessee
  5. Revealing Neural Responses to Divergent Acoustic Signals Across Drosophila Species
    • Breyton Hill, Undergraduate student, North Carolina State University
  6. Exploring the Neural Basis of Song Recognition in Drosophila Melanogaster
    • Miles Draper, Undergraduate student, University of Tennessee
  7. Solos vs Duets: Different Female Singing Behaviors Influence the Evolution of Male Song Features
    • Jianying Yang, Graduate student, Vanderbilt University
  8. Patterns of Song-Learning After Developmental Stress in Zebra Finches
    • Kate Snyder, Post-doctoral researcher, Vanderbilt University
  9. Piloting of a Y Maze to Assess Olfactory Responses in Vampire Bats
    • Matthew Andres, Graduate student, University of Tennessee
  10. The Relationship between Foraging Effort & Foraging Efficiency in Bumblebee Microcolonies
    • Sheila Shu-laam Chan, Graduate student, University of Tennessee
  11. Using Nanofabricated Fiber Networks to Probe the Role of Sensory Feedback in Animal Locomotion
    • Brooke Ferguson, Undergraduate student, Virginia Tech
  12. How Enrichment Aesthetic Shapes Zoo Guest Perceptions of Chimpanzee Behavior and Conservation
    • John Humphrey, Undergraduate student, University of Tennessee
  13. Fowl Heat: Understanding Animal Behavior Through Play
    • Matt Feco and Kira Pegues, Undergraduate students, University of Tennessee

Instructions for Posters

  • Posters must be no larger than 42 inches wide by 40 inches high.
  • Presenters, you must stand near your poster to discuss your study and answer questions during the entire session (5:00–6:00 p.m.).
  • Posters will be hung using Velcro stickers (provided onsite).
  • Posters will need to be removed at the end of Saturday’s session (no later than 7:00 p.m.).

Instructions for Speakers

  • Talks will be strictly timed by moderators to keep on schedule. Talks should be 12 minutes long.
  • There will be 3 minutes allotted for questions & transition between speakers.
  • All presentations should be formatted for 16:9 aspect ratio.
  • You will not be able to connect your own computer to the projection system.
  • Please have your presentation uploaded to SharePoint by September 24th at 5 p.m. EST. Make sure to label your talk “LastName_SECAB2025”. You will need to input a password to access the OneDrive Folder (pw: secab2025).

Additional Information

Parking

  • Parking will be included with your registration in lot CC1 on River Drive. Follow the instructions below to avoid receiving a ticket. Please use this interactive map to locate the parking lot.
  • Use the link below to register your vehicle for parking ahead of the event. This will need to be done daily for the conference. If you drive both days, please register at both links; if you only do one and drive both days, you will receive a ticket.
  • Once registered, your license plate will be used to grant access and validate parking at the event location. There is no need to print anything or display a permit on the dashboard.
  • The conference will take place in the Agriculture in Natural Resource Building, 2431 Joe Johnson Dr. There should be signage leading you from the parking lot to the building.
    • Note: If you have a UTK parking tag, you can park in your designated parking lot or follow the instructions to park in the conference parking lot. Your hang tag is ONLY valid in your specific lot.

Accessing Wi-Fi

  1. Choose a Network (Wi-Fi available Campus-wide)
    • UT-open network: unsecured access, no special configuration required.
    • Eduroam network: secure access, plus the capability to roam to other participating institutions (if you are already enrolled at your home University)
  2. Register Your Device(s) – Before you have full internet access, you must register your device. If you don’t do this, the internet will NOT work.

Conference T-Shirts

We ordered a handful of extra conference t-shirts. If you prepaid, you will receive it at check-in. If you did not and want to purchase one, they will be available for purchase at check-in, with limited sizes, for $12.00 (+ tax). You can pay for a t-shirt online ($12 + tax), but please do not pay until you confirm your size is available at check-in.

Food Options at University Commons (0.2-mile walk)

  • Capybara Coffee
  • Jersey Mikes
  • Publix
  • Silvia’s Mexican Restaurant
  • *Other restaurants are accessible via car

Local Favorites

We asked our Vol community to share their favorite spots in Knoxville, and they delivered! Explore this interactive map to discover local coffee shops, nature trails, restaurants, and all the best that Knoxville has to offer.