CANDIDATES FOR 2018 ELECTION OF OFFICERS
Second President-Elect: |
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Executive Editor: |
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Member-at-Large: |
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Public Affairs Officer: |
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Graduate Student Representative: |
Please take the time to vote in the upcoming election! You will receive an E-mail from the ABS Central Office, containing a link that will take you to the online ballot. This email will be sent to the address in your ABS account as long as you are currently an active ABS member (as of November 1, 2017). If you have any questions, contact us at [email protected].
We are initiating our search for candidates to nominate for the executive committee positions for terms commencing summer 2019. If you are interested in running for an officer position, please contact the past president William A. Searcy at [email protected]
CANDIDATES FOR THE 2018 ELECTION OF ABS OFFICERS
SECOND PRESIDENT ELECT:
Esteban Fernandez-Juricic (Purdue U)
Education:
Undergraduate (“Licenciado”), 1990 – 1995, Biologist with specialization in Ecology (with Honors), University of Córdoba, Argentina.
Ph.D. in Animal Ecology, 1996 – 2000, Department of Animal Biology, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain.
Post-doctoral research fellow, 2000 – 2001, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, United Kingdom.
Post-doctoral research fellow, 2001 – 2003, Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, USA.
Current Position:
Professor of Biological Sciences & Showalter Faculty Scholar, Purdue University.
Research Interests:
My research interests are centered on animal ecology, and more specifically include the following areas: visual ecology, behavioral ecology, and conservation biology, as well as the interactions between them. I am currently interested in two main research topics: (1) the evolution of visual systems and behavior (i.e., foraging, antipredator, mating, social) in vertebrates, and (2) strategies to solve human-wildlife interactions (protected areas, airports, wind and solar facilities, urban areas, etc.).
ABS Related Activities:
Animal Behaviour Journal Editor 2012-2015; Animal Behaviour Guest Editor SI: Behavioural Ecology and Conservation February 2015 -October 2015; Conservation Committee Member: 2007-2008 and 2012-2014; Chair: Conservation Behavior Symposium, ABS Meeting 2007; Co-Organizer Trends in Conservation Behavior Symposium, ABS Meeting 2013; Co-Organizer Effects of Plasticity and Individual Variation in Sensory Biology on Sexual Selection Symposium, ABS Meeting 2013; workshops on how to publish in Animal Behaviour given in Brazil (2014) and Argentina (2013, 2017).
Platform:
If elected, my priority will be to enhance the footprint of the Society in the academic community and the general public by implementing the goals of the recent ABS strategic plan (http://www.animalbehaviorsociety.org/web/embeded/ABS%20Strategic%20Plan.pdf). More specifically, I would like to encourage our members to get involved in some activities that will:
(1) increase the diversity of underrepresented groups in the ABS (new mentoring programs for undergrads, grad students, post-docs, and junior Faculty; active fund raising to increase the number of travel and research grants for underrepresented groups in STEM);
(2) develop new and implement existing teaching and outreach initiatives (get undergraduates interested in animal behavior more actively involved in the Society through live streaming of ABS meetings, access to short-video collections of our members’ research, etc.; increase the visibility of the discoveries of our members through social media (Facebook, Twitter) and non-traditional media content (YouTube); streamline current primary and secondary education outreach programs (in English and Spanish) developed by ABS members to teach the logic of scientific enquiry using animal behavior science);
(3) enhance the appreciation of animal behavior research (organize the first ABS winter Twitter Conference to strengthen international connections across the Americas without the travel costs (see https://www.bou.org.uk/bou17tc/ for an example); develop new communication channels with different funding agencies and organizations to make information about funding opportunities available to our members on a regular basis; develop partnerships with conservation practitioners in North, Central, and South America to build a database of key research questions that require conceptual/empirical knowledge on animal behavior to advance the conservation and management of wildlife; work closely with other societies to organize joint annual meetings).
Caitlin Gabor (Texas State U)
Education:
B.A. with honors, Aquatic Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, 1990; M.S., Biology, University of Louisiana, Lafayette, 1993; Ph.D., 1997, Environmental and Evolutionary Ecology, University of Louisiana, Lafayette, 1997;
NSF Postdoctoral Fellow, 1997-99; University of Texas, Austin; Lecturer, 1999-2000.
Current Position:
Professor, Department of Biology, Texas State University, San Marcos.
Research Interests:
Predator-prey interactions, sexual selection, behavioral endocrinology, conservation physiology
ABS Related Activities:
ABS member since 1992; NSF panelist for Behavioral Systems, DDIG, and Graduate Research Fellowships plus ad-hoc reviews; Associate Editor for Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology (2005-present) and Amphibia-Reptilia (2009-present); Judge for Warder Clyde Allee award (2011); Chair ABS Public Affairs Committee (2009-2014); Mentor for ABS Turner Awardees (2003, 2010, 2011); Organized symposium on Geographic Variation in Behavior for the joint meeting of ABS and IEC (2011); Organizer for ABS 5K Fun Run (2010-2014).
Platform:
I have two complementary plans that I would like to implement at future Animal Behavior Society conferences, with the goals of increasing participation of junior members and increasing exposure of the work of members to the general public. The first plan I would like to initiate involves incorporating break out topical socials during break times at the conference. Session presenters would be added to an email list for their sessions, and attendees not presenting would be given an option to be added to the email group on their selected topics of interest and added to the appropriate email list. Session presenters would then be asked to help organize and/or inform others about when and where the break out social session will be held. The projected outcome is to facilitate interactions between junior scientists interested in making connections within their specialties or areas of interest.
The second plan involves each presenter including a Twitter like (140 character) layman summary of their work at abstract submission that will be published or disseminated through the Public Affairs office to help promote their work with non-scientists and journalists. One projected outcome of this activity is to bring the science of the meetings into the communities where conferences are held and beyond.
In sum, I believe that increasing the exposure of our society’s established members to junior members, as well as the community as a whole will help strengthen the work that our society does in promoting scientific knowledge, literacy and community.
EXECUTIVE EDITOR:
Shelley Adamo (Dalhousie U)
Education:
B.Sc. Zoology, 1985, University of Toronto; PhD. Biology, 1990, McGill University, Post-doc. Dept. Neurobiology and Behav., Cornell Univ., 1990-1994; Dept. Entomology, UC Riverside, 1994-1995
Current Position:
Professor, Dept. Psychology and Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS
Research Interests:
Parasitic manipulation of behavior, Ecoimmunology, Invertebrate behavioural physiology
ABS Related Activities:
Editor, Animal Behaviour, (2010-2012); ABS Member-at Large, (1999-2002); ABS Plenary talk, (2011 Annual Meeting); Invited Speaker, ABS Meeting, (2017); Co-Author (lead author L. Sneddon) on Guidelines paper in Animal Behaviour on ‘Defining and assessing animal pain’ (2014); Published Essay “Hypercompetition for academic positions promotes attrition of women in biology” in the ABS Newsletter (2016). Selected by NSERC to present research to Senators and MPs in Ottawa, 2016; NSERC Discovery Grants Program, Co-Chair Grant Committee Panel; Trustee Grass Foundation, 2009-2013; Special Issue Co-Editor JEB, 2013;
Platform:
Scientific publishing is in the midst of great changes, with debate about its future (e.g. Nature, 2013, volume 495 (7442)). Animal Behaviour serves at least two important functions that are worth preserving. It provides a safe repository for our studies, archiving them and keeping them accessible to the community. It also provides quality control. Peer review helps sharpen papers, and Kris Bruner, our Managing Editor, works with authors to remove ambiguities and promote the readability of each paper. The journal has helped shape the field with its insistence on the ethical treatment of animals, and its commitment to promoting the study of animal behaviour throughout the globe. Future challenges include finding methods to help ensure that work published in Animal Behaviour is reproducible, encouraging busy researchers to review papers and continuing the present shift to greater open access while maintaining a sustainable business model.
Nancy Solomon (Miami U)
Education:
B.S., Honors biology, Magna Cum Laude, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
M.A., Experimental Psychology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio.
Ph.D., Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 1991. Advisors: Nancy T. Burley and Lowell L. Getz. Dissertation: Indirect fitness benefits to philopatric juvenile prairie voles, Microtus ochrogaster.
Current Position:
Professor, Department of Biology, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio.
Faculty Associate, PhD Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio.
Research Interests:
Studies of animal behavior provide insight into the way animals respond to their environment. I am a behavioral ecologist interested in an integrative approach to the study of animal behavior. My long-term research interests, which have been supported by NSF and NIH, have focused on factors influencing behavior and reproduction in small mammals. More specifically, my students and I have been studying mating patterns, cooperative breeding and sociality. We investigate the effects of these behaviors on an animal’s reproductive success as well as some of the mechanisms that may be involved in these behaviors using a combination of field and laboratory studies. My students and I have used prairie voles in most of our studies, conducting investigations in the lab, semi-natural populations at Miami University’s Ecology Research Center as well as in natural populations.
ABS Related Activities:
Member since ~1983
1993-1995 Endowments committee
1994 Chaired Endowments committee
1995-1999 Education Committee
2000-2003 Treasurer
2000-2001 Ad hoc Investments committee
2001-2003 Ad hoc Financial Oversight Committee
2011-2014 Editor
2014 Elected Fellow of the Animal Behavior Society
Reviewer for Animal Behaviour (for many years since about the mid 1990s)
1992 Co-organizer of symposium on Cooperative Breeding in Mammals, Animal Behavior Society, Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
Chaired sessions for at least 4 different ABS meetings
Platform:
I am very pleased to have been asked if I was interested in running for Executive Editor for Animal Behaviour because I think it is one of the best journals in our field. I have submitted papers there from the time I was a finishing graduate student and have been pleased with the turnaround time and care taken by the editors and editorial staff. One of my goals, if I were to be elected executive editor, would be to maintain the status of Animal Behaviour as one of the top tier journal in animal behavior, one that attracts and publishes cutting edge and important research in our field. I also want to keep the turnaround time reasonably short so that authors can get their exciting new results published quickly. At the same time, I want to keep the load for the editors reasonable. When I was an editor, I found that I was always busy with submissions but I was able to keep them moving along. This may still be true with the 30 existing editors and if not, I think that the number of editors needs to be increased to handle the load. Finally, I would like to ensure that we have a diverse group of editors, in terms of area of expertise, gender and ethnicity. I am eager to engage younger members of the society in this task because our continuing strength as a society is through engagement by our members.
MEMBER-AT-LARGE:
Doug Mock (U Oklahoma)
Education:
B.S. 1969. Cornell University. Major in Ecology, Evolution, & Systematics.
M.S. 1972. University of Minnesota. Department of Ecology & Behavioral Biology.
Ph.D. 1976. University of Minnesota. Department of Ecology and Behavioral Biology.
Postdoctoral Fellow. 1976-1977. Smithsonian Institution.
Current Position:
George Lynn Cross Professor Emeritus: 2013-present.
Research Interests:
My research on birds has spanned a variety of topics, especially fatal sibling competition, parental investment, begging signals, and bi-parental cooperation.
ABS Related Activities:
I have been an active ABS member for ~45 years, have been named Fellow and Exemplar, and served a 4-year presidential rotation.
Platform:
As an emeritus professor, I have time and experience to invest in ABS issues & activities, even as I remain active in field research. From my previous time on the Executive Committee, the Member-at-Large role seems ideal.
Suzy Renn (Reed College)
Education:
Ph.D. in Neuroscience 1993 – 1999 » Washington University, School of Medicine (mentor: Paul Taghert) St. Louis, MO.
B.S. in Zoology with honors and writing emphasis 1987 – 1992 » University of Washington » Seattle, WA.
Current Position:
Full Professor of Department of Biology, Reed College, Portland, OR.
Research Interests:
I work in both the field and the lab in order to study the evolution of genomes and the evolution of behavior. We use modern genomic techniques in a comparative approach. From Renn Lab.
ABS Related Activities:
I am an active member of the Animal Behavior research community. With a background in neuroscience and current research interests in the evolution of behavior I have reviewed for journals and granting agency that span ecology and evolution, genetics and genomics, neuroscience and behavioral ecology. I have organized conferences and workshops that emphasize the integration of these fields.
Platform:
I am dedicated to promoting integrative animal behavior research at all career levels. I see possibilities for integration across many axes such as “Tinbergen’s 4 questions”, traditional disciplines, collaboration between institutions, and among researchers at different career stages or ethnic backgrounds. I value research that integrates field work and lab research, theoretical and empirical approaches, or basic and applied science. I’d like to promote the application of robotics, computation, genomic tools, and physiological measures to the classic study of animal behavior. As a professor at an undergraduate institution I see the need to train students to think and work with interdisciplinary goals and see the Animal Behavior Society as an ideal venue to further extend these efforts to our research community.
PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICER:
Kaci Thompson (U Maryland, College Park)
Education:
1982 B.S. Biology, summa cum laude, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA. 1985 M.S. Zoology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA.
Current Position:
Adjunct Faculty, graduate program in Biological Sciences (Behavior, Ecology,
Evolution and Systematics), University of Maryland.
2017- Instructor and Assistant Dean, Science Education Initiatives, College of
Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences, University of Maryland.
Research Interests:
Animal Behavior and Chemosensory Communication; Innovations in Science Education.
ABS Related Activities:
ABS member since 1983; Local Organizing Committee, ABS Annual Meeting (1997); Member, ABS Film Committee (1993-1996), Member, ABS Membership Committee (2007), Chair, ABS Membership Committee (2008-2015); Member, ABS Public Affairs Committee (2015-present); Reviewer, ABS Graduate Student Research Awards (2001, 2017).
Platform: N/A
Danielle Whittaker (Michigan State U)
Education:
2006-2010 Postdoctoral Research Associate, Biology, Indiana University. (Adviser: Ellen D.
Ketterson). 2005 Ph.D., Biological Anthropology, City University of New York Graduate Center.
(Adviser: John F. Oates). 1996 B.A., Anthropology, Emory University.
Current Position:
Managing Director, BEACON Center for the Study of Evolution in Action, Michigan State University.
Adjunct Faculty, Integrative Biology, Michigan State University.
Research Interests:
I am intrigued by the unseen external forces that influence our behavior, mate choice, and, ultimately, evolutionary trajectories. My research is focused on the interaction between the microbiome and animal behavior, and the resulting impact on evolutionary dynamics. Specifically, I study chemical communication in a songbird, the dark-eyed junco (Junco hyemalis), the uropygial gland microbiome’s role in the production and evolution of chemical signals present in preen oil, and the effects of social behavior on these symbiotic microbes.
ABS Related Activities:
Member of ABS since 2010; presented at 7 Animal Behavior Society meetings since then
Member of Animal Behavior Society Public Affairs Committee
Interim co-chair of Animal Behavior Society Public Affairs Committee since summer 2017
Judge for ABS 3 Minute Thesis Competition 2017
Judge for ABS 2105 Founders Poster Competition
Reviewer for ABS Student Research Grants
Panelist for NSF IOS-Animal Behavior, DEB-Evolutionary Ecology
Hosted AIBS Congressional District Visit at Michigan State University
Platform:
I would like to offer more resources and training to ABS members wh are interested in communicating their science to the public or to policymakers. I've been involved in a number of science communication workshops, and have communicated my own science in a variety of venues, including blogs, "Ask Me Anything" on Reddit, presentations at Science Cafe events, presentations to K-12 students and teachers, K-12 classroom materials, traditional university press releases, and an episode of a PBS-NOVA webseries. I am also interested in exploring more ways that ABS can communicate with US policymakers, and I would like to expand the committee to include more graduate students and postdocs.
GRADUATE STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE:
Katherine Crocker (University of Michigan)
Education:
MS completed, PhD to be defended in March 2018.
Current Position:
PhD Candidate, University of Michigan (Ann Arbor).
Research Interests:
Behavioral endocrinology, sexual conflict, parent-offspring conflict,
parental provisioning.
ABS Related Activities:
Have attended ABS meetings since 2014
Co-facilitated Turner program 2015 & 2016
Judged undergraduate posters 2015 & 2017
Co-facilitated Undergraduate Luncheon 2017 (and 2018)
Diversity committee member since 2015
Platform:
-Equitable access: The society needs to be sure that all conference
venues are accessible to those in wheelchairs (or otherwise mobility
impaired), and to provide options for (a) childcare and translation
services for those who are perceptually impaired.
- Inclusion, not just diversity: The society needs to have a code of
conduct that involves consequences for members who engage in overt
intentional acts of harassment and bigotry. These acts reduce the
ability of marginalized people to participate in society events, and
thereby diminishes the quality of science that we, as a community, can
produce.
- Social media presence: ABS needs to have a dedicated suite of social
media accounts. Animal behavior is amazing, fascinating, weird, and
thus very relatable--we can do better at sharing our animals'
behaviors with the general public. I have experience managing social
media, and can work with the executive committee and social media
chair to manage our presence.
- Commitment to outreach: I have experience recording and managing
radio shows and podcasts. I would like to start a society-wide podcast
that releases 30-minute-long episodes every week. These episodes will
feature the research of society members, but especially graduate
students, and can be recorded remotely. Ideally, the podcast episodes
will be available on our website and featured scientists will be able
to upload a video, photos, or other supplementary material. Not only
would this be an excellent way to do outreach to the general public,
but it will allow public schools to access current research free of
paywalls and jargon.
- I have a track record of committed service to the society, and hope
that you will elect me to represent graduate students on the executive
committee--thank you so much!
Patrick Green (Duke University)
Education:
B.S., Ecology, Behavior and Evolution, 2009, University of California, Los Angeles
Ph.D., Biology, planned defense 2018, Duke University (transferred with advisor, Dr. Sheila Patek, in 2013 from University of Massachusetts, Amherst).
Current Position:
Ph.D. candidate, Duke University, Patek Lab.
Research Associate, Duke University. Nowicki Lab.
Research Interests:
Assessment and communication, including the use of animal weapons in the resolution of resource-based conflict. Other interests include: mechanisms of assessment, perceptual systems, and biomechanical/physiological approaches to questions in animal behavior.
ABS and Related Activities:
Attendance and oral presentations at ABS meetings: 2015 – 2017; Moderator for ABS sessions: 2015, 2017; Participation in ABS Academic Karaoke: 2017; Oral presentations at Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB) meetings: 2013, 2015 – 2017, SICB Division of Animal Behavior Best Student Award presentations: 2015, 2018 (accepted); MS reviewer for Ethology, Behavioral Ecology, Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology; Co-taught professional development course in Duke Biology, 2015, 2017; Co-founder and Researcher Liaison for SciREN (Scientific Research and Education Network) outreach program: 2014 – 2017; Founder and head of BLeRG, a collaborative graduate-student and post-doc review group in Duke Biology (2014 – present); Participated in PRIDE (Pursuing Respect, Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity) training offered by Duke Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity (October 2017).
Platform:
As Graduate Student Representative, my goals will be to facilitate the professional and personal development of all graduate students in ABS. I plan to learn about and address the issues ABS grad students face, including by taking the following actions:
- Designing training for networking at and beyond conferences.
- Organizing discussions and individual mentorship programs to address the transition from graduate student to postdoc positions.
- Creating resources to help graduate students identify transferable skills and find jobs outside of academia.
- Continuing efforts to increase funding for research and conference attendance, especially for grad students with limited access to other funding sources.
- Developing training and outreach to make ABS a leader among scientific societies in ensuring inclusion of all scientists, including those with marginalized sexual and gender orientation/expression, race, etc….
I will solicit graduate student feedback using Twitter, Facebook, and regular surveys, then address important topics by planning yearly events at ABS conferences and by facilitating ongoing discussions using online resources.
As a graduate student who has embraced, and been embraced, by the ABS community, I am passionate about improving the graduate student experience in the Society. I have strong relationships with ABS grad students, postdocs, and faculty, and will strive to communicate across groups to best serve grad students and the Society as a whole.