Find more UT Arboretum Events
Description
Join the UT Arboretum Society and co-sponsors on Friday, June 5, for a globe-trotting evening with Dr. Matt Allender, a wildlife veterinarian whose work has taken him from the forests of Oak Ridge to the coast of Peru. In “Stories from a Wildlife Veterinarian: From Oak Ridge to Peru and from Box Turtles to Penguins,” Allender will share behind-the-scenes stories from a career spent studying and protecting wildlife, from long-running research on Eastern box turtles in Tennessee to conservation work with Humboldt penguins in South America.
Dr. Allender is a board-certified zoo and wildlife veterinarian whose career bridges field research, disease investigation and wildlife conservation. He is the founder and director of the Wildlife Epidemiology Lab at the University of Illinois and Director of Conservation Medicine and Science at Brookfield Zoo Chicago. His 18-year study of Eastern box turtles in Oak Ridge and Illinois has helped identify new viruses, bacteria and other health threats, while his ongoing Humboldt penguin work—begun in 2010—now brings together a multidisciplinary team studying pathogens, toxins and other causes of decline, including increasing El Niño events and Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza.
This in-person presentation is co-sponsored by the UT Arboretum Society (UTAS), the Clinch River Environmental Studies Organization (CRESO),) Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning (TCWP), abd the American Museum of Science and Energy (AMSE).
For questions or registration issues contact UT Arboretum Education Coordinator, Michelle Campanis, at mcampani@utk.edu or 865-483-7277.
Date & Time
Fri, Jun 5, 2026 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Venue Details
The City Room, Roane State, Oak Ridge Campus
701 Briarcliff AvenueOak Ridge, Tennessee 37830-8032
