Julie Turner, Memorial University of Newfoundland and Michigan State University
Soapbox Science talk title: Hyenas aren’t the enemy: insight into their lives, personalities, and social behavior
To me, relationships are one of the most fascinating aspects of my work. I’ve long been interested in animals that live in groups and have many types of relationships. As a kid, I jumped from obsessing over lions to whales and dolphins to wolves, always wanting to learn about their family interactions. That’s how I got interested in hyenas because they are as social as humans in really interesting ways. And it hasn’t just been the relationships that I study but also the relationships I’ve made while doing my research that make me love my work. I have made some of the best friends and partnerships as I have been doing my work. Now I have friends and family all over the world.