There were many “firsts” at this year’s annual Wildlife Society (TWS) conference in Cleveland. 2018 is the first year the annual TWS conference has been held in Cleveland and the first time since 1996 that TWS hosted the annual conference in Ohio. In addition, while TWS was underway, the Cleveland Browns won their first NFL home game in more than two years, whoa!  But perhaps the most important first, at least from my biased perspective, is that I presented my first professional talk on my master’s thesis research.

TWS is one of the largest meetings of wildlife professionals in North America. In other words, there are a lot of really smart people in close proximity to one another. Naturally, on the flight to Cleveland the butterflies began to set in as I prepared to present my research to some of the brightest minds in wildlife. Once in Cleveland though, the nerves quickly faded as excitement set in. What an opportunity:  After two years of grueling field work I was finally going to get to present my research! And for most of the audience members who attended my presentation, I’m sure my talk on weasels was also a first. As I spoke to the audience about my research, I was amped with excitement and I think it showed. The audience seemed engaged, asked thoughtful questions that later flowed over to the bar, leading to deep discussions about the seasonal coat color molt and weasel ecology as well as a few blurry pictures (see below).

Ultimately, this year’s TWS conference was a success. I met a ton of new people and reunited with old friends. Great talks led to in depth follow-up discussions, hopefully resulting in long-term collaborations, enabling us to work together to unravel some of biology’s biggest questions.

Can’t wait for next year!

Brandon Davis, MS Candidate

Featured image - My presentation title slide