Tabor student forms herpetological society
Tabor College has always been known for its quality music department, but one student hopes the college will soon be known for some different kinds of scales — those found on reptiles and amphibians.
Chris Hutson, a sophomore from Wichita majoring in biology and chemistry, recently formed the Tabor Herpetological Society in hopes of educating others about these creatures.
"I've always wanted to start (a society)," he said, "but I never really thought anybody else would be interested."
So after talking with some friends and gaining their support, Hutson held a meeting with about 10 students in attendance. At the most recent meeting, approximately 30 students came.
As president of the society, Hutson is responsible for planning the meetings held every other Sunday in the Solomon L. Loewen Natural Science Center. He is also working on possible field trips to the Sedgwick County Zoo and the Great Plains Nature Center, both located in Wichita.
"Usually, we have a guest speaker," he said. "We have anyone from pet-store owners to herpetologists who study and write books."
The group can also be seen watching "Crocodile Hunter" every now and then.
Hutson recently shared information about herpetology at Tabor College at the 29th annual meeting of the Kansas Herpetological Society, a non-profit organization designed to encourage education, conservation and cooperation herpetologists, in Lawrence on Nov. 1 to 4.
The society is under control of elected officers from the public and with backgrounds in academia and government, said Dr. Max Terman, professor of biology and chair of the biology department. Each year the meeting features lectures and presentations by herpetologists.
"Most herpetologists aren't Christians, so it's sort of an outreach opportunity that I think is kind of unique and that we can use here at Tabor," said Huston. "Speaking at the Kansas Herpetological Society was sort of an event to show people that we have an organization at a Christian college that's for herpetology."
