Last updated: February 2022

Latest News

7.22.2022: Cover for July Issue of Int. Zool

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Cool paper concerning the effects of natural incubation substrates and soil water content on embryo development. We got the cover photo for this edition of the journal Integrative Zoology: a brown anole hatching from the egg! Read the paper here: ​https://doi.org/10.1111/1749-4877.12553

9.22.2021: Interview with Methods in EE

I am really passionate about conducting co-reviews with students to increase the integrity of the peer-review process and help train future reviewers/scientists. I was recently interviewed about co-reviewing practices for the Methods Blog, the official blog for the journal Methods in Ecology and Evolution. You can read the full blog here. 

2.15.2021: Shortlist for J Exp Bio Best Paper

My paper entitled "Ecologically relevant thermal fluctuations enhance offspring fitness: biological and methodological implications for studies of thermal developmental plasticity" was chosen as 1 of 12 papers to complete for the 2020 Most Outstanding Paper award for the Journal of Experimental Biology: https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.242266. Though I did not win, being counted among the best papers for the year is an honor. 

10.13.2020: Salamander Story Time
My favorite book as a child was The Salamander Room which tells the story of a young boy who turns his room into a forest to make his new pet salamander feel at home. I recently read this book to the Jr. Scientists at Alabama's first STEM Preschool - Auburn Day School. I brought along some of my favorite salamander friends to make the book come alive. 

10.9.2020: Featured article

One of my recently published papers has been featured in the Journal of Experimental Biology's "Inside JEB". These papers are selected by the editorial staff, and a summary is written for a general audience and a cartoon is made that illustrates the main findings of the study. The summary can be found here: https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.235473

2.26.2020: Salameandering Tuskegee
My little buddy, Grayson, and I went looking for salamanders in Tuskegee National Forest. We were accompanied by Jenna Pruett and Abby Beatty. We found lots of marbled salamanders and one huge spider! Grayson also got bit by a green anole for the first time. He took it like a true herpetologist! Thanks to Jenna for taking these great photos of the adventure.

01.10.2020: Lizards of New Zealand

My wife and I had an awesome time in New Zealand for the World Congress of Herpetology. I made several new friends and forged new collaborations at the conference, and we got to see some awesome wildlife along the way. With some crazy luck, I was able to hold a Tuatara and find a jeweled gecko in the wild. Despite the relatively cold weather, it turned out to be a good trip for spotting lizards. 

6.10.2019: Sala-meandering the Smokies
There are few things I enjoy more than wandering around looking for salamanders (i.e. "sala-meandering"). For decades, I have returned to a particular spot on the Appalachian Trail in the heart of the Great Smoky Mountains to search for some of the regions most amazing salamanders. What makes it even better as I get older is that my children are finally big enough to tag along! Sala-meandering is now an official past-time of the Hall Clan. 

10.20.2018: Salamander Days in Alabama
There is no better day I can imagine than one spent wandering through a hardwood swamp looking for salamanders. I enjoy this more and more as I grow older, and the joy only increases when I get to do it with my two favorite people: Hazel and Gray. Today we found several marbled salamanders making their way to their breeding grounds in Tuskegee National Forest. 

11.24.17: Big Cypress Tree State Park
Due to my incredible disdain for consumerism (and my "surly hatred of progress" - Ed Abbey), I take a crew of friends to Big Cypress Tree State Park every year on Black Friday. We spend 3-4 hours wandering wistfully through the swampy hardwood forest looking for cool cypress trees and salamanders. This year I was privileged to be in the company of my good friends Putter Tiatragul, Jordan Brasher, and my daughter Hazel. We found three of the four winter salamander species that inhabit the park (marbled, small-mouth, and mole). I faithfully take this yearly pilgrimage because I believe in a very simple truth: the world would be a better place if people cared more about cypress trees and salamanders than door-buster deals.

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