Imagine, please: You are in a college laboratory. There are two dozen dead animals laid out on lab tables for the seminar on necropsy - a synonym for autopsy, except it's on wild animals instead of humans. There are dead beavers, otters, deer and even a buzzard. Into the lab march two dozen young men and women.

You would normally expect a few exclamations of, "Ewww, gross!" or "Yuck."

Instead this group buzzes with excitement, including Adele Taber. The young woman literally bubbles with enthusiasm. Instead of a lab full of dead animals, you would think she had walked into a department store to pick out a new prom dress. She immediately poses, asking her friend to take her picture with a dead beaver.

Welcome to the Southeastern Wildlife Society Student Conclave at Cleveland State Community College. Eighteen southeast colleges and universities sent 320 of their best and brightest wildlife students to gather, testing their minds and their skills as they prepare to become our next generation of conservationists.

Taber is a Junior from Mississippi State University. She also works at the Mississippi State Deer Ecology & Management Lab, one of the foremost deer research facilities in the country.

"I want to work with deer the rest of my life," said Taber. "I am kind of like obsessed with deer and I just felt like (necropsies) would be a cool thing to learn."

Their instructor, Dan Grove with the UT Extension Service and the TWRA Veterinarian, agrees.

"Every biologist should know how to assess the animals they are working with if they die," said Grove. "They should know at least what samples to take, what normal looks like and what lesions look like, as well as understanding internal organ systems."

All around the Cleveland area the 320 young men and women were experiencing other opportunities such as bird banding, electrofishing, boating accident investigation, long range rifle shooting and trapping, just to name a few.

Cleveland State Asst. (Wildlife) Professor Robert Brewer said he had been planning to host the conclave for five years.

"It's huge," Brewer exclaimed. "It's the biggest thing that's ever hit this campus. I owe everything to the volunteers - the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, Cleveland State employees, USDA folks... everybody has really stepped up."

The 3-day conclave culminated Saturday. The workshops and seminars were huge, but the highlight of the conclave was probably the Quiz Bowl.

Imagine the TV show, Jeopardy, except EVERY question revolves around wildlife and fisheries science. Here's a few sample questions (stay tuned for the answers at the end of this story):

1. How many chambers are found in the heart of a fish?
2. What two factors greatly influence biome type?
3. What country has the highest number of amphibian species?
4. What name is used to describe a group of geese in the air?
5. General Sherman is the name of the world's largest tree by volume. What national park is home to this tree?

Each school fields 4-person teams, going head-to-head, two at a time in a double elimination battle. Just like Jeopardy, teams have to "buzz in" first for the privilege of answering questions. If they are wrong, the opposing team gets to try and answer correctly. The pressure and emotions are intense.

"It's exciting," said Leslie Azwell, a Mississippi State University Senior and leader of her Quiz Bowl team. "When you do well and you see the points going up, it makes your heart race and it really gets you going."

Azwell's team was eliminated in the semi-final round by the University of Georgia, who went on to win the Quiz Bowl Final against Murray State University.

The Georgia team was lead by Ben Thesing who will soon graduate with a Master's degree.

"It's very stressful," said Thesing. "It's a little easier once you get up there answering questions and sort of get in the zone. But you definitely feel it. Your heart's beating faster."

This was Thesing's fourth, and last, conclave.

"It's bittersweet," he said. "Conclave has always been my favorite part of the year."

Azwell said the event has had a major impact on her.

"Conclave means a lot to me," she said. "It's a great opportunity to feel like you're part of something bigger. Knowing that we're all working toward the same goal and how conservation is important in our hearts, first and foremost for all of us. That's a really special thing and I'm glad I get to be a part of it."

There were also competitions in various skills such as game calling, photography, archery, art, flycasting, orienteering and other outdoor skills.

This was the very first year attending the conclave for the fledgling UT Chattanooga Wildlife Society Chapter.

Gabby Logsdon, a UTC Senior in Environmental Science, said, "It's definitely been fun. It's been challenging but I think we've all really enjoyed the challenge. We've learned what we need to bring to the table next year."

It will be years before the Conclave rotates back around to Cleveland State. After all the planning and work, Brewer said with a smile, "I'm glad I'll be retired by then."

So how did you do on your five Quiz Bowl questions?

1. How many chambers are found in the heart of a fish? Two
2. What two factors greatly influence biome type? Temperature and precipitation
3. What country has the highest number of amphibian species? Brazil
4. What name is used to describe a group of geese in the air? Skein
5. General Sherman is the name of the world's largest tree by volume. What national park is home to this tree? Sequoia National Park