Three zoology graduate students received awards at the annual meeting of the Southwestern Association of Naturalists. The meeting was held by the Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México on 19-22 April 2012 at Valle de Bravo, México.

Danielle Alba has received the Howard McCarley Student Research Award for 2012. The award is granted to support students in higher education researching biota of the southwestern United States, Mexico and Central America and is given in memory of the late Howard McCarley. Danielle will be using the award towards her research of small livebearing fish (Poecilia mexicana) and Eco-Evo loops in sulfidic spring and cave habitats of southern Mexico. Danielle is a Ph.D. student under the guidance of Dr. Michael Tobler.

Enrique Santoyo-Brito and Matt Anderson both received a Bruce Stewart Student Travel Award to help defray travel and meeting expenses for students attending the annual meeting. Enrique presented both a talk and a poster that were co-authored by Matt Anderson and Dr. Stanley Fox at the meeting. The talk was entitled: "Sex ratio and morphological development according to incubation temerature in the collared lizard, Crotaphytus collaris". The poster was entitled: "An artificial nest chamber for captive Crotaphytus collaris that increases clutch success and promotes natural behavior". Enrique and Matt are a Ph.D. students under the guidance of Dr. Stanley Fox.