Dr. Chris Bell is a Professor in the Jackson School of Geosciences at the University of Texas at Austin, and his talk, titled “Chasing Elusive Propinquity. The Impacts of WWII on the Study of Zoology and Natural History”, will be a summary of his work on the impact of 20th-century wars on the study of geology, zoology, and natural history. While most people are aware of the obvious threat these wars posed to natural history research, few are aware of the opportunities that were presented during them. With mood-setting props and a little fanfare, this talk is sure to interest and entertain.