Reaseheath Animal Management undergraduate Sam Stringwell was invited to present the findings of his dissertation research at this year’s prestigious British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums Terrestrial Invertebrate Working Group (BIAZA TIWG) Conference.

Held at Longleat Safari Park, this annual conference is a key event for invertebrate zoologists attracting delegates from the fields of research, education and veterinary medicine.

Sam was invited to share the findings of his research into zoo collection planning and invertebrates after submitting a poster proposal to the BIAZA research committee. Entitled “Are we ‘panda-ing’ to the public?”, Sam’s quirky presentation caught the attention of committee members who awarded it top-honours.

Sam’s innovative research compared the prevalence of invertebrates in zoos of different continents. His findings helped TIWG committee members to evaluate the impact of their invertebrate collections on public opinion. Sam also considered what bird, mammal and invertebrate species were most prevalent in zoo collections around the globe.

During this highly-successful event, Sam helped to facilitate an Invertebrate First Aid Workshop organised by Lauren Lane, Deputy Manager of Reaseheath’s specialist teaching zoo facility.

Said Sam: “I was honoured to be selected to present my research to delegates at the BIAZA TIWG conference. I discussed the effects of my research on their collection plans and how the representation of invertebrates can be improved.

This was a wonderful opportunity to network with zoo professionals and to gain further knowledge of the cutting-edge research being conducted in the industry.”