One of the special events that is put on by members of EEOB is the BatFest. This year, Dr. Gerry Carter’s lab hosted the second annual Ohio Bat Festival as part of International Bat Week. Ohio Bat Fest is a celebration of bats; their goal is to increase the public’s appreciation of the beauty, diversity and ecological benefits of bats with a free event. Their first year was a huge success, with over 500 attendees, and this year was even better, growing by 50%! They had wonderful local bat biologists giving multimedia talks, a very well-attended activity room where kids could learn anything from how bat biologists collect data to how to fold an origami bat, a virtual reality experience of the world’s largest bat colony and many other exhibits from local artists and organizations highlighting the ecology, diversity and conservation of bats in Ohio and around the world. They also gave out an infographic report on the 2023 “State of the Bats,” created by Bat Conservation International. The event was largely organized by the Carter Lab graduate students and sponsored by the National Science Foundation and the Ohio State Evolution & Ecology Club.
