Dixie Forum to present lecture on lizards of Washington County

Dixie Forum to present lecture on lizards of Washington County

Dixie State University’s Dixie Forum lecture series offers residents and students a chance to learn about the lizards of Washington County and their influence on research. Geoff Smith, a doctoral candidate at Utah State University, will share his research that investigates how animals decide whether to move energy into their reproductive or immune systems based on the environment. He will present “The Lizards of Washington County” from noon to 12:50 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 31, in the Dunford Auditorium of the Browning Resource Center on the Dixie State campus. Admission is free, and the public is encouraged to attend. Smith will discuss his experiences studying the lizards in and around St. George. Every year, he lives in the field for a few weeks and studies the animals and takes some to the lab for experimental studies. He will present how the side-blotched lizards, though small, can teach researchers and the community big things about biology, ecology and the effects of urbanization on a changing planet. Dixie Forum is a weekly lecture series designed to introduce the St. George community and DSU students, faculty and staff to diverse ideas and personalities while widening their worldviews via a 50-minute presentation. Next week, Dixie Forum will host Dr. Sylvia Torti, the dean of the Honors College at the University of Utah, as she presents on birdsong and her new novel "Cages" at noon on Feb. 7. For more information on Dixie State University’s Dixie Forum series, contact DSU Forum Coordinator John Burns at 435-879-4712 or burns@utahtech.edu.