Kristen Lear, PhD
Bat Conservationist & Science Communicator
National Geographic Explorer
AAAS IF/THEN Ambassador
© K. Lear, Athens, Georgia, 2019
Outreach
Sharing my passion for bats through public outreach and engagement is one of the things I enjoy doing most. Below are a handful of the outreach activities I have engaged in over the years. If you are interested in a bat presentation (including remote presentations, English and/or Spanish) or talking about wildlife and conservation careers, feel free to contact me! Presentation topics include general bat information, bat conservation and research, gardening for bats, bat house information, to name a few! I can tailor talks to your group's interests and age. I also lead bat kids' activities for schools (including homeschool), Scout groups, camps, etc., and lead evening bat walks for the public. So don't hesitate to reach out if you're interested in any of this!
University of Georgia Campus Sustainability Grant
2018, Athens, Georgia
Our project team received a Campus Sustainability Grant to build and install bat houses at the University of Georgia. We hosted two bat house building workshops (with local Girl Scout troops and the UGA chapter of The Wildlife Society) and installed 13 houses at five locations around campus. Each location included two types of bat houses: standard bat houses (kits bought from Habitat for Bats) and rocket boxes to provide roosting habitat for different bat species. The houses will provide long-term educational and research opportunities for UGA students and the public.
School Presentations and Demonstrations
October 2016
October 2016
October 2016
Bat walk and field demonstration
October 2016, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia
I, along with two fellow bat researchers from UGA, held a bat walk and field techniques demonstration on campus. We set up mist nets, acoustic detectors, infrared cameras, and night vision binoculars to provide the hands-on experience of being a bat biologist for an evening! We also let the kids practice taking bats out of the mist net (fake bats of course!). We had nearly 30 attendees at what we hope will be an annual event.
High school harp trapping and acoustic detector session
May 2012, Youth Creating Habitat Group,
Naracoorte High School, Naracoorte, South Australia
While in Australia, I was invited to present about bats to the Naracoorte High School Youth Creating Habitat group. As part of the presentation, we set up harp traps outside the school at night to catch and identify bats. The kids also got to practice using acoustic detectors to listen for flying bats. This kind of hands-on workshop is a great way to get kids (and adults!) interested in bats and bat conservation!
Picking a spot to set up the harp trap (May 2012)
Setting up the harp trap to catch bats (May 2012)
Trying to identify the bat we caught (May 2012)
Picking a spot to set up the harp trap (May 2012)
Making bat puppets with students in Naracoorte, South Australia (May 2012)
"The World of Bats" presentation to a middle school class (May 2012)
About to show how an acoustic detector works to middle school students (May 2012)
Making bat puppets with students in Naracoorte, South Australia (May 2012)
© A. Craig, Naracoorte, South Australia, 2012
Classroom presentations and bat activities
September 2008 - Present
I enjoy visiting classes to give bat presentations and lead fun bat activities. I have worked with kids from pre-school all the way through college. Some of my favorite activities are making bat puppets, drawing bat habitats with the kids, and showing all the cool equipment bat biologists use. It's always fun to tailor the presentation to the age group, and since bats are so amazing there's no shortage of information!
Community Group Presentations
Doing the "echolocation game" with Girl Scouts (January 2013)
Giving my "World of Bats" presentation to middle and high school Girl Scouts at their annual conference (January 2013)
Making bat puppets with a Girl Scout troop (May 2014)
Doing the "echolocation game" with Girl Scouts (January 2013)
Presentations to Girl Scouts and other community groups
September 2008 - Present
As a Lifetime Member of Girl Scouts, I am committed to providing outreach for girls and young women in Girl Scouts, as well as other community members. I have led numerous bat presentations and workshops at Girl Scout conferences, troop meetings, Audubon chapter meetings, nursing homes, and other community venues. Interacting with different parts of the community is always a blast!
Providing training on bat crafts to Girl Scout leaders (April 2014)
Demonstrating the "echolocation game" to Girl Scout leaders (April 2014)
Providing training on bat crafts to Girl Scout leaders (April 2014)
Girl Scout leader training
April 2013, 2014, Cincinnati, Ohio
Helping others learn how to teach about bats is also an important part of outreach. I have led two training workshops for Girl Scout leaders to teach them how to do bat educational activities with their troops. They love learning how to make bat crafts and learning fun bat games like the "echolocation game"!
Media Outreach
ABC South East SA radio interview with Stan Thomson (October 2012)
ABC South East SA radio interview with Stan Thomson (October 2012)
© ABC South East SA Radio, 2012
Radio interview in Australia
Theory to Practice interview
© Ohio Wesleyan University, 2010
Radio, podcast, and video interviews
Outreach is not limited to just presentations and workshops. Technology allows a wide range of other options for reaching an even wider audience. I have had the opportunity to give several radio, podcast, and video interviews about bats and my research since undergrad. This form of outreach is definitely not what I'm used to, but it's fun and it's always good to push your comfort zone!
Below is a link to a podcast interview about my current PhD research:
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"Getting the Dirt on Natural Resources", Warnell Graduate Student Association podcast interview (recorded February 2015): http://warnellgsa.blogspot.com/2015/09/kristen-lear-discusses-bats-and-tequila.html
Below are several radio interviews I did about my Fulbright work while in Australia:
ABC South East SA Mornings
Interview with Stan Thomson
(October 12, 2012)
"Kristen Lear: Bat Girl"
ABC South East SA Breakfast
Interview with Stuart Stansfield
(July 20, 2012)
ABC South East SA Saturday Breakfast
Interview with Lucy Richards
(March 3, 2012)
"Kristen Lear on Bat Research"
ABC South East SA Radio interview
(November 2011)
Below is an interview from Ohio Wesleyan University about my undergrad summer field research and Theory to Practice Grant:
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“Ohio Wesleyan University – Turning Theory into Practice: Kristen’s Experience” interview about Honors research (November 2010): http://js.collegetrends.org/Dialog/OWU_practice/student-lear.html
Science Writing
Science Writing Extern
December 2016 - Present
I recently became a Science Writing Extern for Bat Conservation International. I will be writing articles about recent discoveries in bat research and other fun bat-related news. I'll post the articles here when they are published on BCI's website!
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"Mentoring Tomorrow's Bat Champions", Published March 27, 2017