Cincinnati festival debunks myths about bats
UC bat experts featured in Ohio Magazine for conservation efforts
University of Cincinnati researchers Joe Johnson and Missy Meierhofer were recently featured in Ohio Magazine for their leadership in bat conservation.
The article highlights their roles in organizing the fourth annual Ohio Bat Fest Oct. 25 at Maple Ridge Lodge. The event, coinciding with Bat Week, aims to educate the public about the ecological importance of bats and the challenges they face, such as white-nose syndrome.
Bats hanging in a cave. Photo/Joe Johnson.
Johnson and Meierhofer conduct bat research at UC’s School of Information Technology, housed in the College of Education, Criminal Justice and Human Services. Johnson's research focuses on using technology to monitor bat populations, while Meierhofer specializes in bat-tracking technology. Their efforts are part of a broader initiative to foster appreciation and understanding of these often-misunderstood mammals.
The festival also features booths from local and state organizations, including the Ohio Department of Wildlife, the Ohio Bat Working Group, Great Parks of Hamilton County, and local wildlife rehabilitators. Children can enjoy bat-themed crafts such as coloring and paper bat-making, explore a miniature cave, and hunt for small bats. Adults can participate in a telemetry scavenger hunt to track a faux bat transmitting signals, experiencing the same process researchers use to locate real bats in the wild.
“Bats are often misunderstood,” Meierhofer said in the article. “But when people see them up close and learn how vital they are to our ecosystems, their perception changes. That’s what this festival is about — replacing fear with fascination.”
For more information about the Ohio Bat Fest.
Read post-event coverage by WOSU: Fascinating Ohio: an award-winning chef, a bat expert & a DIY craft creator.
Read more about UC bat research.
Featured image at top: The grey long-eared bat (Plecotus austriacus) is a fairly large European bat. It has distinctive ears, long and with a distinctive fold. It hunts above woodland, often by day, and mostly for moths. Photo/iStock/CreativeNature_nl
Impact Lives Here
The University of Cincinnati is leading public urban universities into a new era of innovation and impact. Our faculty, staff and students are saving lives, changing outcomes and bending the future in our city's direction. Next lives here.
Related Stories
Lonely Jupiter-like planet 900 light years away tells us more about gas giants
May 8, 2026
UC astrophysicist Paul Smith is part of an international team that is studying five distant gas giants — Jupiter-like exoplanets light years away that could shed light on the formation of our own solar system.
UC study: How recession, pandemic hit Cincinnati restaurants
May 7, 2026
A University of Cincinnati geography student analyzed 15 years of licenses to show how recession and pandemic shaped restaurant openings and closures across Cincinnati’s neighborhoods.
How a SCOTUS decision could impact a Cincinnati ban
May 6, 2026
Ryan Thoreson, associate professor at the University of Cincinnati College of Law, spoke to WVXU's Cincinnati Edition about a Cincinnati ban on conversion therapy in light of a recent Supreme Court ruling.