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Dr. Genia Naro-Maciel, Dr. Leonardo Maciel and DLiA intern, Chloe Pryor collect eDNA samples in vernal pools in Cades Cove to study amphibian diversity. Jaimie Matzko
Discover Life in America announces 2026 Park Science Colloquium
GATLINBURG — Discover Life in America (DLiA), nonprofit science partner of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, invites scientists, educators, students, and nature enthusiasts to the 2026 Park Science Colloquium on March 5.
DLiA hosts this annual symposium in cooperation with the park to celebrate the innovative science and research happening in the Smokies.
The Colloquium is free and open to everyone and there are two ways to participate:
Virtually via Zoom or in person at the historic Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, Gatlinburg, TN
The 2026 Park Science Colloquium will feature engaging presentations from scientists working in and around the Great Smoky Mountains, offering insights into current research and conservation efforts. Participants will have opportunities to interact directly with presenters, whether attending online or in-person at the Arrowmont School.
“The thing I love most about our annual colloquium is that I always learn something new—something I’d never heard of before but I won’t be able to stop thinking about,” said Dr. Will Kuhn, director of science and research at Discover Life in America. “As one of the most researched national parks, there are all kinds of research happening here all the time. We invite you to tune in, be amazed, and gain a new appreciation for our natural world.”
This year’s line-up will include:
- Monitoring amphibian diversity with environmental DNA
- Leveraging macrophotography and community science to discover biodiversity
- Exploring virtual tours of historic structures in Cades Cove with terrestrial laser scanning
- Public perception of artificial lighting and its effects on wildlife
- Improving parasitoid wasp taxonomy using DNA barcoding
- Tackling the diversity of understudied pseudoscorpions
Registration is free for virtual and in-person attendance. Participants wishing to attend onsite should register by Feb. 5 to secure their spot. In-person attendees can purchase meals and lodging through Arrowmont on a first-come, first-served basis. These options are separate from event registration.
Talks will be recorded and posted on the Discover Life in America YouTube channel so the learning can continue long after the event.
DLiA’s mission is to connect scientists and communities in discovering, understanding, and conserving the natural world. DLiA’s flagship project, the All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory, is a joint effort with the NPS to identify and record every single species within Great Smoky Mountains National Park. To date DLiA has assisted in adding over 11,000 new species to the park’s records and 1,111 new to science.
