Eileen Hebets
Join Eileen Hebets, PhD, George Holmes Professor of Biological Sciences at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, for the Oct. 27 Omaha Science Café as she presents “Sex, Silk, and Eight Legs: The Wild World of Spiders” at 7 p.m. at the Rathskeller Bier Haus, 4524 Farnam St.
Hebets studies animal behavior, communication and sensory biology, with a particular fondness for spiders and other arachnids. Her research has explored everything from elaborate wolf spider courtship displays to how spiders use vibrations, vision and other senses to navigate their world. More recently, she has turned the lens around to ask how human perceive spiders — including what our eye movements can reveal about our attention to and avoidance of the often-feared animals.
Hebets is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Animal Behavior Society and a former president of the Animal Behavior Society. She is passionate about science communication and has spent much of her career creating opportunities for people of all ages to experience spiders and other arachnids up close.
Science Cafés, held quarterly, involve a conversation with an expert about current science topics. They are open to those 21 and older. Each meeting is organized around an interesting topic of conversation. Experts give a brief presentation followed by a Q&A period.
The event is presented by UNMC, the UNO Alumni Association, and the Great Plains IDeA-CTR Network.
Photo caption: Eileen Hebets, PhD, George Holmes Professor of Biological Sciences at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln