February 2012 Vol.57, No.1
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Animal Behavior SocietyNEWSLETTERFebruary 2012 Vol.57 No.1 |
| Sue Margulis, Secretary Department of Animal Behavior, Ecology and Conservation Department of Biology Canisius College, Buffalo, NY 14208 |
Heather Paye, Editorial Assistant Department of Animal Behavior, Ecology and Conservation Canisius College, Buffalo, NY 14208 |
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- ABS Election Results
- Direction of Correspondence
- 2011-2012 ABS Officers
- 2012 Warder Clyde Allee Competition
- 2012 Genesis Award Poster Competition
- Student Funds for Annual Meetings
- Latin American Travel Award
- Diversity Fund Student Registration Fee Award
- Charles H Turner Award
- Call for ABS Meeting Invitations
- Career Awards
- Call for Symposia
- 2013 ABS Meeting - Organizing Symposia and Paper Sessions
- Symposia for the 2013 AAAS Meeting
- Call for Resolutions
- Join an ABS Committee
- Notice to Developing Nation Scientists planning to attend ABS 2012
- Attention Authors
- Animal Behaviorist named Top Influential Hispanic Academic in Nation
- Announcements: ABS-HBES 2012 Meetings, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque
- George W Barlow Award for Outstanding Student Research Proposal
- Monster Bug Wars
- Obituary: Erich Klinghammer
- ABSnet: The Electronic Mail Network of the Animal Behavior Society
- Opportunities
- Meetings
- Did You Know?
RESULTS ABS ELECTIONS:
A total of 749 validated ballots were cast in the 2011 - 2012 election. This represents approximately 36% of the ABS membership, a 9% increase over the proportion that voted last year. A big THANK YOU to those who voted, and to Shan Duncan and Lori Pierce for their help in the Central Office.
Congratulations to the new officers:
Second President-Elect: Regina Macedo
Treasurer: Molly Cummings
Member-at-Large: John Swaddle
Executive Editor: Michelle Pellissier Scott
2012 WARDER CLYDE ALLEE COMPETITION
The 2012 Warder Clyde Allee Competition for Best Student Paper will take place June 10 to 14, 2012 at the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque. All eligible students are encouraged to participate. The following rules govern the Allee Award for best student paper presented in the Warder Clyde Allee session at the annual meeting:
Eligibility requirements:Any independent graduate student research (including, but not limited to, the doctoral dissertation) is eligible. The work presented may be part of a larger collaborative effort, but the student should be first author and have the principal responsibility for the conceptualization and design of the research, the collection and analysis of the data, and the interpretation of the results. The entrant cannot have been awarded the Ph.D. degree before the preceding ABS annual meeting (for the 2012 competition, this date is July 25, 2011). An individual can enter the session only once in their lifetime.
To enter: Students must indicate their desire to be considered for the competition by checking the appropriate box on the abstract submittal form for the annual meeting; submit an electronic version of their paper, which includes their addresses, telephone numbers, and e-mail addresses; fill out a signed and dated form indicating that they meet all eligibility requirements (to be supplied to entrants after receipt of their papers); present a spoken version during the 2012 Annual Meeting; attend both the Allee welcoming dinner on the evening before the competition day and the Awards Ceremony during the Annual Meeting. The spoken portion of the competition is limited by the number of papers that can be presented on the day assigned for the competition. The deadline for applications for the 2012 competition, including the written paper, is February 16th, one month before the meeting abstract submission deadline (March 16th, 2012). The Allee judges will evaluate the written papers and determine further eligibility. Applicants will be informed of status prior to the abstract submission due date for the meeting. The manuscript must be submitted in electronic PDF format, of no more than seven double-spaced, line-numbered, text pages, and no more than a total of four tables and/or figures (this limit does not include abstract, references, or acknowledgments), and must be received by ABS 2nd President-Elect Dan Rubenstein, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA, Phone: (609) 258-5698, E-mail: [email protected]. Electronic submission is required. If you do not receive acknowledgement of receipt within 7 days, please send a follow-up query. Papers MUST be formatted using the instruction for authors for a research paper in the journal Animal Behaviour to insure eligibility. Check instructions at the site: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/622782/authorinstructions. If significant new results arise after submission, students may submit a one-page addendum to their papers up to 30 days before the first day of the Annual Meeting. Questions should be addressed to Dan Rubenstein, [email protected].
2012 GENESIS AWARD POSTER COMPETITION
Undergraduates who submit posters for presentation at the annual meeting of the Animal Behavior Society are automatically entered in the Genesis Award poster competition unless they indicate they do not want to be included in the competition when they submit their abstract. Judging criteria include significance of the research topic, research methods, research results, and presentation. Presentation encompasses the student's oral discussion with the judges and the poster itself, including clear statements of the questions and results, demonstration that there has been appropriate literature review, good organization and visual appeal. Students should be prepared to demonstrate a mastery of their subject material. Information about this award is available at the ABS website link: http://new.animalbehaviorsociety.org/web/grants-and-awards/ meeting-related-awards/genesis-award-for-under graduate-research. Further information, if needed, can be obtained from the Education Committee Chair, Jennifer Mather,[email protected].
STUDENT FUNDS FOR ANNUAL MEETINGS
The Latin American Travel Awards are intended to encourage greater participation of Latin American researchers in ABS meetings, by helping to defray the costs of international travel, housing, and/or meals at meetings. These awards are restricted to Latin American graduate students enrolled in programs in Latin American institutions, who will be presenting a talk/poster at the ABS meeting. Priority will be given to Ph.D. students who are attending an ABS meeting for the first time and who have not received a Latin American Travel Award in previous years. Award values vary according to funds available. The deadline for applying is 1 APRIL 2012.
You may apply for a Latin American Travel Award once you have successfully submitted an abstract for a talk or poster, via the 2012 meeting web page. To apply for a Latin American Travel Award, please submit by email a single electronic file (.pdf is preferred) that contains the following materials, to Member at Large, Dr. Kevin McGraw ([email protected]): (1) a copy of the abstract of your talk or poster; (2) a short CV (two pages maximum); (3) a brief statement (one page maximum) explaining how the meeting will enhance the applicant's career development; and (4) an itemized budget estimating travel costs, the amount of funds available or requested from other sources, and the amount requested from ABS.
DIVERSITY FUND STUDENT REGISTRATION FEE AWARD
The Diversity Fund Student Registration Fee Awards are intended to encourage participation and defray costs of attending the annual Animal Behavior Meetings by covering registration fees for graduate students and, in some cases (see below), established professionals, of under-represented minorities. Awards will be made by lottery of all valid applications received before the deadline, which is 1 APRIL 2012. Applications should be submitted at http://new.animalbehaviorsociety.org/web/grants-and-awards/meeting-related-awards/diversity-grant. There will be a form for you to fill out at this site. Preference is given to individuals presenting research results.
Eligibility: Applicants from North America must be enrolled in a graduate program at the time of application and must be members of under-represented minorities who are of African, Asian, or Latin American descent or of Native American heritage. Citizens (graduate students or established professionals) of Latin American countries and non-white citizens of African countries are also encouraged to apply.
The Animal Behavior Society has once again been awarded travel funding from the National Science Foundation to bring undergraduates to the Annual Meeting. The ABS Diversity Committee is calling on the membership to identify applicants for the Charles H. Turner Award, and to encourage them to apply right away. This travel grant is geared toward addressing the Society's goal of increasing diversity of our membership through supporting undergraduate student attendees of our annual meetings.
Look for the Charles H. Turner Program website http://www.indiana.edu/~animal/Turner/ to learn more about Charles H. Turner, or go directly to the online form on that site http://www.indiana.edu/~animal/Turner/TurnerApp.html to apply for funding for the 2012 Annual Meeting in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
The deadline for applications is March 1, 2012, and this will be the absolute deadline for those wishing to bring a poster. Preliminary decisions for most of the awards will be made by March 8th so that students will be able to submit abstracts by the March 16th deadline. Interested students should apply as early as possible.
CAREER AWARDS
The Animal Behavior Society has a series of Career Awards which include the following: Distinguished Animal Behaviorist - outstanding lifetime achievement in animal behavior; Exemplar Award - major long-term contribution to animal behavior; Outstanding New Investigator - outstanding contribution by a new investigator; Quest Award - outstanding seminal contribution; Exceptional Service Award - sustained service contributions to the Animal Behavior Society; and Distinguished Teaching Award - distinguished contributions in teaching animal behavior to undergraduates.
All members of the society are encouraged to prepare and submit nominations for these awards. To aid the Selection Committee and to help codify the procedures involved, the following items must be submitted for a nomination: (1) a letter of nomination indicating the award for which the nominee is being proposed. It should provide details on the reasons the nominee should be considered for that award; (2) a curriculum vitae of the nominee; and (3) additional supporting letters from colleagues solicited by the nominator. The Call for Nominations will be published in the August Newsletter and the deadline for submission of material will be Nov. 30th, 2012. Further instructions will be forthcoming.
Recipients of the 2012 awards will receive their plaques during the Awards Ceremony at the annual meeting in Albuquerque.
CALL FOR SYMPOSIA
2013 ABS MEETING - ORGANIZING SYMPOSIA AND PAPER SESSIONS
The historic 50th meeting of the Animal Behavior Society will be held July 28 to August 2, 2013, at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Hosted by Michael Breed, this meeting will mark 50 years since the formation of the Animal Behavior Society. Members interested in hosting a symposium are encouraged to contact the Program officers to discuss preparation of a proposal. Symposia that include 'state of the field' reflection may be particularly appropriate for this 50th anniversary meeting. To organize a symposium, an invited paper session, or a workshop for the ABS Annual Meeting, you should contact the Program Officers to discuss your ideas. We will first make sure that there are no potential conflicts with the topic that you are considering. Then we will ask you to prepare a pre-proposal and submit it to the Program Officer Elect. Organizers often find that consultations with the Program Officers are helpful when drafting the pre-proposal. The pre-proposal should be a page or two summarizing your intent for the session, and suggesting potential participants.
A symposium should be a profound and stimulating review of an important subject area that currently is a major focus of research. It should be a thorough treatment of past work and current research advances, and should be of general interest to the majority of ABS members.
An invited paper session is a special grouping of papers that focus upon empirical results relating to a particular topic. Usually there is no all-encompassing historical-theoretical perspective, although the organizer(s) may wish to summarize the individual papers or arrange them according to some theme.
Pre-proposals for the 2013 meeting are due before the annual meeting at the University of New Mexico in 2012 and will be circulated to the Executive Committee - EC prior to the Annual Meeting and then discussed at the EC meeting.
The 2012 meeting is scheduled for 10-14 June. The Program Officer Elect encourages potential organizers to begin discussions about proposals for that conference. Further information can be found on the ABS website or by contacting the ABS Program Officers: Maydianne Andrade, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, 1265 Military Trail, Scarborough, Ontario, Canada M1C 1A4. Phone (416) 287-7425, E-mail: [email protected] and Michael Beecher, University of Washington, Animal Behavior Program, Seattle, WA 98195-1525, USA. Phone: (206) 543-6545, E-mail: [email protected]
SYMPOSIA FOR THE 2013 AAAS MEETING
ABS is striving to expand awareness of its excellent science via symposia for the annual AAAS meeting. The target date for the next symposium is 14-18 February, in Boston, MA. Anyone interested in organizing a symposium please contact Maydianne Andrade at: [email protected].
CALL FOR RESOLUTIONS
Resolutions that deal with timely and substantive political or social issues that members wish to submit for the consideration of the ABS membership should be submitted by 20 April, 2012. Submitted resolutions should provide direction to the ABS President to facilitate prompt action and will be evaluated by the Public Affairs Committee for appropriateness. Resolutions will be voted on at the annual business meeting in Albuquerque. Approved resolutions reflect the views of the Animal Behavior Society membership and are sent to the appropriate external agencies, organizations, or to the general public. Send resolution proposals to the Chair of the Public Affairs Committee Caitlin Gabor, Department of Biology, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX 78666, USA, or electronically to [email protected].
JOIN AN ABS COMMITTEE!
Would you like to volunteer for one of the society's active committees? This is an important and rewarding way to participate in the business of the society, and we need your help! Committees include Membership, Policy, Public Affairs, Education, Latin American Affairs, Conservation, Animal Care, Film and others. Contact ABS President Joan Strassmann, Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, One Brookings Drive, Campus Box 1137, St. Louis MO 63130, USA. Phone: (314) 935-3528, E-mail: [email protected].
NOTICE TO DEVELOPING NATION SCIENTISTS PLANNING TO ATTEND ABS 2012
The Latin American Affairs Committee and/or Diversity Committee can provide letters of invitation to help scientists (faculty or students) from developing countries obtain travel funding from their universities in order to attend the ABS meeting in 2012. If such a letter would be useful in helping you to obtain funding, please contact Zuleyma Tang-Martinez: [email protected] to request an invitation. Please provide your name and address, as well as the title or topic of the paper you will be presenting at the conference.
ATTENTION AUTHORS
Are you an author or editor of a book related to animal behavior? If so, we would like to list it on the ABS Books by Members Web page (http://new.animalbehaviorsociety.org/web/abs-media/abs-books/). Listing your book is quick and easy! And remember, if the book is still available, there is a direct link to Amazon.com from the web site for interested buyers (and ABS earns up to 5% from purchases made through this link). Send the following information to the Chair of Public Affairs Committee Caitlin Gabor, at [email protected]: Author name(s), book title, publication year, publisher, number of pages, ISBN number (specify whether for hardcover or paperback), and a *brief* abstract of the book.
ANIMAL BEHAVIORIST NAMED TOP INFLUENTIAL HISPANIC ACADEMIC IN NATION
UMSL animal behaviorist Zuleyma Tang-Martinez was named one of the top eight Hispanic academics in the nation. Animal behaviorist Zuleyma Tang-Martinez has been recognized for her work many times during her storied career. Her latest accolade names her as one of the top eight most influential academic Hispanics in the nation.
Tang-Martinez earned the distinction from Hispanic Business magazine, which highlighted her attempts to increase Latino participation in science and in her professional society, the Animal Behavior Society.
The Founders Professor of Biology at the University of Missouri-St. Louis said she is surprised and deeply honored by this recognition.
"I continue to be very involved with ABS's efforts to increase diversity in our science. I am particularly active with the ABS Latin American Affairs Committee, the diversity committee, which I chair, and an ad hoc committee that will be submitting a grant proposal to the National Science Foundation's new Broadening Participation Initiative," Tang-Martinez said. "At UMSL, I am trying to adjust to being partially retired, writing scientific papers and working on a number of other scientific projects, including planning new research. I also continue my involvement in diversity-related issues on campus."
Tang-Martinez, born in Venezuela, received her PhD in zoology from the University of California at Berkeley in 1974. She was the first Latin American president of the international Animal Behavior Society, and was honored as the first woman and first Hispanic woman to receive tenure and be promoted to full professor in her department at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. She has taught university courses in Mexico and Venezuela, and maintains research partnerships with Venezuela colleagues.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
ABS-HBES 2012 MEETINGS,
UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO,
ALBUQUERQUE
The 49th Annual meeting of the Animal Behavior Society will be held at the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico from June 10 to 14 2012, hosted by Steven Gangestad. This meeting features a special joint meeting day with the Human Behavior & Evolution Society (HBES) meeting (June 14- 17) which promises to be a unique opportunity for cross-fertilization of ideas relating to overlapping areas of interest. The joint meeting day will include plenary talks, symposia and talk sessions open to members of both societies.
| Membership | Early | Late |
| Full-Member | $200 | $280 |
| Non-Member | $260 | $340 |
| Student | $100 | $150 |
| Guest/Partner | $100 | $150 |
| Developing Country* | $70 | $70 |
| Developing Country Student* | $50 | $50 |
*Developing country attendees are those currently enrolled or working at an institution in the developing world. This does NOT include persons currently working or enrolled in institutions in the USA, Canada or other developed countries, regardless of country of origin.
The deadline for submission of abstracts is March 16, 2012.
Registration will open shortly! Please check http://abs-hbes.unm.edu periodically for updates.
Several exciting symposia have been organized for the conference:
Evolution of Communication:
A symposium to honor R. Haven Wiley (recently retired, UNC Chapel Hill)Organizers: Marc Naguib, J. Jordan Price
Understanding the mechanisms underlying animal signals and the evolution of signaling systems has been a central focus of animal behavior research. Signals are shaped by a variety of factors, including characteristics of the sender, the receiver, and the habitat through which the message must transmit. This symposium brings together researchers working on these different components of communication systems with the goal of outlining future paths of research. Confirmed speakers include: Steve Nowicki, Haven Wiley, Steve Pruett-Jones, Marc Naguib, Jordan Price, Barbara Ballentine, Jeremy Hyman, Jean Boal, David Luther, Dana Moseley, William Searcy, and David Westneat
Sexual Selection in the Neotropics: Celebrating diversity
Organizers: Regina Macedo & Glauco Machado
This symposium will synthesize research on sexual selection that has been conducted in the Neotropics during the last 15 to 20 years with model organisms that are relatively novel to the academic public. Additionally, by comparisons with species and models traditionally studied in North America and Europe, presentations will challenge widely accepted paradigms and attempt to integrate various concepts in topics associated with sexual selection. A final objective is to combine different perspectives and levels of analysis using a broad taxonomic basis. (This symposium is based on a book in development by Macedo & Machado, to be published by Elsevier by the end of 2012). Confirmed speakers include: Regina Macedo (Universidade de Brasilia, Brazil), Rogelio Macias-Ordonez (Instituto de Ecologia, Mexico), Alfredo V. Peretti (Universidad Nacional de Ccrdoba, Argentina), Alex Cordoba-Aguilar (Instituto de Ecologia, UNAM, Mexico), Molly Morris (Ohio University, USA), Jeff Podos (Un iv. Massachusetts, USA), Glauco Machado (Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil)
Presidents' Symposium: Behavioural Plasticity and evolution
Organizers: Susan Foster & Andy Sih
The first day of this special two-day symposium will involve papers on conceptual issues (informed by empirical data) concerning the ways in which the patterns of ancestral plasticity of behavior influence subsequent evolutionary change in phenotype (including but not limited to behavior). This day will set the stage for the second day (on the joint day with HBES) which considers plasticity and its relevance both to human health and the necessity of considering behavioral plasticity in understanding the ways in which/conditions under which human activities are leading to rapid evolutionary change in natural populations (HIREC; human induced rapid evolutionary change).
This two-day symposium will include members of ABS and ASAB (Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour, our European counterpart), and will form the basis of a first-ever Special Issue of Animal Behaviour.
Education Symposium: Educating about animal behavior
Organizer: Penny Bernstein
The first Education symposium in over 10 years will feature past recipients of the Distinguished Teaching Award, and will cover broad topics in animal behavior education.
Poster Symposia:
Behavior Conservation. Sponsored by the conservation committee, attendees with a research focus in behavior & conservation are invited to submit abstracts for this special poster symposium. Posters will be clustered and presented on the same night to facilitate discussion.
Education in Animal Behavior. Sponsored by the Education committee, attendees with a focus on Education in Animal Behavior are invited to submit abstracts for this special poster symposium. Posters will be clustered and presented on the same night to facilitate discussion.
Film Festival
The ABS film festival will be held over two nights this year.
GEORGE W. BARLOW AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING STUDENT RESEARCH PROPOSAL
An endowment fund has been established in memory of George W. Barlow for the purpose of encouraging excellence in graduate student research in the field of animal behavior. The Barlow Award will be awarded annually to one top-ranked proposal in the Student Research Grant cycle in accordance with the most recent ABS Student Research Grant competition rules. A cash award and a certificate will be given to the student selected. The amount of the Barlow Award will be the maximum amount allowed for a Student Grant Award as specified in the most recent ABS bylaws or policies.
If you would like to make a US tax-deductible donation to this cause, please send your donation to: Animal Behavior Society, 2111 Chestnut Ave, Suite 145, Glenview, IL 60025-3828, USA (with appropriate notation for this fund). We will recognize major donors in a future issue of the newsletter. Thanks to Dr. Judy Stamps for arranging for ABS to manage this endowment and for her generous seed donation.
MONSTER BUG WARS!
The second season of 'Monster Bug Wars' premiered on the Science Channel on Tuesday, 24 January at 10pm EST. This season will include seven new shows, including one with the highlights from both seasons, on Tuesdays at 10pm. Monster Bug Wars is about the behavior of predatory arthropods. Each episode features the behavior of five different pairs of predatory arthropods (spiders, insects, centipedes, scorpions, amblypygids, crabs) that come into conflict with one another. The two human stars, ABS member, Dr. Linda S. Rayor, Department of Entomology, Cornell University, and Dr. Bryan Grieg Fry, University of Queensland, discuss the biology and behavioral strategies of the combatants. The show is fun, the science is accurate, and the macrovideography is spectacular. This season, there are more diverse animals and the goofy sound effects have been minimized. The show is appropriate to all ages, from K-12 classes to college courses. Previous 'Monster Bug Wars' episodes can be seen online or purchased from Amazon.
OBITUARY
Erich Klinghammer
Dr. Erich Klinghammer, known to many ABS members, died on October 6, 2010. He was born February 28, 1930. Dr. Klinghammer emigrated from Germany in the 1960s; he shortly completed his education with a PhD from the University of Chicago. His early studies were on doves and then killer whales, but his primary love was for the canids. He operated what is now called Wolf Park from 1972 until his death; the park is located in Battle Ground, Indiana. He was a retired professor of ethology at Purdue University. His park was a model for combining excellent research on wolves with an education and public observation component. Wolf Park served as a training ground for undergraduates, some graduate students, and for everyday people.
Submitted by Lee DrickamerA B S n e t
THE ELECTRONIC MAIL NETWORK OF THE ANIMAL BEHAVIOR SOCIETY
ABSnet provides a fast electronic forum for animal behaviorists, and others interested in the study of animal behavior, in a digest or newsletter form. ABSnet provides job announcements, requests for information, computer related news (virus and bug alerts), appropriate software and hardware reviews, and new of Society activities and business. ABSnet is not an interactive, listserv-type of discussion group, but rather a moderated forum for exchange of information of general interest to animal behaviorists. The digest or newsletter does not replace the official Society newsletter sent to all Society members via email link or regular mail.
Note: ABSnet is moving to a new system. In the meanwhile, all announcements can go to ABSNews at http://www.animalbehavior.org/ABSNews/. We will be sending out a notice with instructions to all ABSnet subscribers when the new system is ready.
OPPORTUNITIES
APPLICATIONS ARE BEING SOUGHT FOR THE FOLLOWING PHD PROJECT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF OTAGO, DEPARTMENT OF ZOOLOGY, NEW ZEALAND.
Theme:
Animal personality and social networks in a species with variable mating systems, the dunnock (Prunella modularis).
Supervisor:
Dr. Shinichi Nakagawa ([email protected])
Project Description:
So-called animal personality (i.e. individual consistency within behaviours and correlations among behaviors) has become a major area of research in Behavioural Ecology. However, the understanding of individual consistency and variation in behaviour within populations is still far from complete. Although statistical approaches termed social network analyses have been extensively used for human personality research, the application of this technique to animal personality research is still limited.
By employing social network analysis, we plan to investigate one of the most diverse and complex mating systems observed to date in the animal kingdom - i.e. those of Dunnocks (see the brilliant book by the father of Behavioural Ecology, Prof. Nick Davies - Dunnock Behaviour and Social Evolution. Oxford Press, 1992). Our group has established a study population of Dunnocks in the Dunedin Botanic Garden where most of the individuals are uniquely marked and have been monitored for a period of 3 years. Dunnocks were first introduced in New Zealand around 150 years ago and probably took an original evolutionary path compared to their source populations in the UK. We have discovered that many life-history aspects are different in this population in relation to the well-studied population from Cambridge (e.g., mating patterns and longevity).
Combining extensive field data, sophisticated statistical techniques and computer simulations, this study tries to understand the maintenance of consistent individuals variation in behaviours, especially mating and parental care behaviours. This PhD programme is demanding but comprehensive in a way that students are exposed to: 1) a variety of field skills, 2) diverse statistical skills, 3) basic molecular techniques, and 4) computer simulations using agent-based modeling. Students are encouraged to form their own questions within the framework of the research programme (visit our website: http://sparrow.otago.ac.nz/). I expect that the candidate will come out of this PhD as a well-rounded scientist with a multitude of skills.
The Ideal Candidate:
The ideal candidate will possess experience in field ornithology, behavioural ecology and molecular ecology. They will be motivated, organized and extremely hardworking, with a demonstrated capacity to master the broad skill set necessary for the successful completion of a research programme. They will be a competent field worker, with experience of mist netting, and should be computer literate with familiarity with database management and statistical analyses (computer programming experience is plus but not required).
Minimum qualifications:
B.Sc. (Hons) and/or M.Sc. in Biological Sciences or equivalent with and A- average or better (note that adjustments are applied to other grade systems around the world; see below).
Scholarship Funding:
Financial support should be available for a high achieving student with an A- average or better via a University of Otago scholarship (see http://www.otago.ac.nz/study/scholarships/). The scholarship provides NZ$ 25,000 stipend per year for a total of 3 years, and also covers tuition fees.
Eligibility:
The University of Otago and Departmental scholarships are open to all nationalities. However, overseas candidates for whom English is not a first language must satisfy the English Language Requirements of the University to be eligible for study (see http://www.otago.ac.nz/international/postgraduate/ index.html#englishlanguage). Other eligibility criteria are detailed here:http://www.otago.ac.nz/international/ postgraduate/otago002221.html.
How to Apply:
Interested applicants are encouraged to make informal enquiries to Dr Shinichi Nakagawa. Please send your Curriculum Vitae, a copy of your academic transcript, a sample of your written scientific work and the names of two referees with a cover letter (a letter of your motivation) to:
Dr Shinichi Nakagawa ([email protected]), Department of Zoology, University of Otago, 340 Great King Street, P. O. Box 56, Dunedin, New Zealand.
The position will remain open until filled, application for University of Otago scholarships are now available year round. It would be desirable, however, for the successful applicant to be able to start by July 2012.
MASTERS PROJECT AVAILABLE:
We are looking for a motivated student for a
masters project at the Konrad Lorenz Research
Station in Grünau im Almtal, Upper Austria.
Topic:
Performance of carrion crows on touch-screen in the presence of bystanders
Subjects:
Ethology, Behavioural Ecology, Cognitive Biology, Zoology
Term of appointment and qualifications:
The project will start in March and will last for 6-8 months. Prior to that, a three weeks internship needs to be accomplished to insure mutual understanding.
Unless you can afford otherwise, it is necessary to emotionally be capable of living in a dense housing situation at a research station 5km apart from the next small village. Experience in working with animals is beneficial because it will be necessary to work in touching distance to captive carrion crows and keep them motivated. Assiduous data taking, self confident and careful attitude to work, and interest in animal behaviour and cognition needed. At the station, students are free to use the Internet, shower, washing machine etc.
Funding and Application:
Room and a 10 Euros per day allowance are provided. To apply, please send a letter of motivation, CV and two letters of recommendation to: [email protected]
For further information do not hesitate to call: ++49-6201-9591873
POST DOC AND GRADUATE STUDENT OPPORTUNITY ADVENTURE IN PANAMA, SURINAME, AND GUYANA: THE NEUROBIOLOGY AND ENDOCRINOLOGY OF MANAKINS.
A position is open a for a postdoc and a graduate student in the laboratory of Dr. Lainy Day in the Biology Department at the University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS. Successful applicants will be involved in studies analyzing the relationship between euroanatomy/ neuroendocrinology and courtship display complexity in birds of the manakin family (Pipridae). Fieldwork will take place in Panama and along the Amazon Basin in Suriname and Guyana.
Fieldwork will include long hours of mist-netting birds beginning before dawn, processing of tissue samples, and assistance conducting behavioral studies. Laboratory work will include immunocytochemistry, in situ hybridization, and molecular techniques including PCR and qualitative PCR.
Experience with these techniques and previous mist-netting experience is preferred as is experience living or working in the tropics.
Applicants should be creative, independently motivated, and work well with others. Proficiency in Spanish or Dutch is useful. Applicants must have a valid driver's license from their country of origin and be able to operate manual transmission.
For postdocs the start date is negotiable but preference is for someone who can start no later than April 2012. Graduate students must be able to start by Fall of 2012. Strong preference will be giving for commitment to fieldwork in summer of 2012. Support is expected to be available for 2 years for post docs. Graduate students will be supported by a research assistant stipend for three years and by a teaching assistantship for the remainder of their studies.
Interested postdoc applicants can send a CV directly to Dr. Day ([email protected]). Graduate students should apply at http:/ /www.olemiss.edu/depts/graduate_school/ AND send a letter directly to Dr. Day ([email protected]) informing her of your interest in the program with a summary of your GRE scores, GPA, and a one-two page statement of purpose. Information about the Biology Department can be found here: http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/biology/programs/graduate/ap.php. The University of Mississippi is located in Oxford, Mississippi, one of the top college towns in the U.S., and a community known for outstanding educational and cultural opportunities (http://www.oxfordms.com/ and http://www.oxfordcvb.com/).
MEETINGS
ANIMAL BEHAVIOR SOCIETY ANNUAL MEETINGS
2012: 10-14 June, Animal Behavior Society - 49th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, New Mexico, followed by the Human Behavior and Evolution Society (HBES) meeting from June 13-17 (one day overlap of open sessions for members of both societies). http://abs-hbes.unm.edu
2013: 28 July -2 August, Animal Behavior Society - 50th Annual Meeting, Boulder, Colorado.
OTHER US MEETINGS
2013: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), 14-18 February, Boston, MA.INTERNATIONAL MEETINGS
2012: Australasian Society for the Study of Animal Behaviour, 26-28 June, Deakin University, Geelong Botanic Gardens, Victoria. http://www.assab.org/conference/2012: 46th Congress of the International Society for Applied Ethology (ISAE), 31 July-4 August, Vetmeduni Vienna, Vienna, Austria http://isae2012.com/home.html
2012: Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour Easter Meeting, 11-13 April, Aberystwyth University, UK. http://www.aber.ac.uk/en/ibers/events/asab-easter-conference-2012/
2012: 1st Joint Congress on Evolutionary Biology, European Society for Evolutionary Biology Congress, 6-10 July, Ottawa Convention Centre, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. http://www.confersense.ca/Evolution2012/index.htm.
2012: 3-7 December, Annual Conference of the Ecological Society of Australia. Melbourne, Victoria
2012: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), 16-20 February, 2012, Vancouver, Canada
2012: 14th Congress of the International Society of Behavioral Ecology, 11-17 August, Lund, Sweden
DID YOU KNOW?
Consider helping the Animal Behavior Society earn up to 7.5% on your purchases by ordering your books and other qualifying products from Amazon.com (up to 5%) or Powell's Bookstore (up to 7.5%) using the links found here: http://new.animalbehaviorsociety.org/web/abs-media/abs-books/.
CALL FOR ABS MEETING INVITATIONS
ABS is seeking proposals for future meeting venues. Sites can be a resort or hotel, university campus or a mixture of the two. Contact ABS Past President, Susan Foster, Department of Biology, Clark University, 950 Main St., Worcester, Massachusetts 01610-1473 USA. Phone: (508) 793-7204, E-mail: [email protected]
2011-2012 ABS OFFICERS
President: Joan Strassmann, Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, One Brookings Drive, Campus Box 1137, St. Louis MO 63130, USA. Phone: (314) 935-3528, E-mail:[email protected]
First President-Elect: Robert Seyfarth, Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, 3815 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6196, USA, Phone: (215) 898-9349 E-mail: [email protected]
Second President-Elect: Dan Rubenstein, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA, Phone: (609) 258-5698, E-mail: [email protected]
Past President: Susan Foster, Department of Biology, Clark University, 950 Main St., Worcester, Massachusetts 01610-1473 USA. Phone: (508) 793-7204, E-mail: [email protected]
Treasurer: Philip Stoddard, Department of Biological Sciences, University Park, Florida International University, Miami, Florida 33199, USA. Phone (305) 348-0378, E-mail: [email protected] Secretary: Sue Margulis, Departments of Biology and Animal Behavior, Ecology, and Conservation, Canisius College, 2001 Main Street, Buffalo, NY 14208, USA, Phone: (716) 888-2773, Email: [email protected]
Program Officer: Maydianne Andrade, Integrative Behaviour & Neuroscience Group, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto at Scarborough, 1265 Military Trail, Scarborough, Ontario M1C 1A4, Canada. E-mail: [email protected]
Program Officer-Elect: Michael D. Beecher, Departments of Biology and Psychology, Department Box 351525, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA. Phone: (206) 543-6545. E-mail: [email protected]
Parlimentarian: Peggy Hill, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Tulsa, 800 Tucker Drive, Tulsa, Oklahoma 74104 USA. Phone: (918) 631-2992. E-mail: [email protected]
Executive Editor: William A. Searcy, Department of Biology, University of Miami, 1301 Memorial Drive, Coral Gables, Florida, 33124-0421 USA. Phone: (305) 284-2065, E-mail: [email protected]
Members-at-Large: Scott Forbes, Department of Biology, University of Winnipeg, 515 Portage Ave, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3B 2E9, Canada. Phone (204) 786-9441, E-mail: [email protected]
Kevin McGraw, School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287-4501, USA, (480) 965-5518, E-mail: [email protected]
Gail L. Patricelli, Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, One Shields Avenue 2320 Storer Hall, Davis, CA 95616, USA. Phone: (530) 754-8310, E-mail: [email protected]
Historian: Lee Drickamer, Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, 86011-5640, USA. Phone: (520) 523-0388, E-mail: [email protected]
DIRECTION OF CORRESPONDENCE
ABS Newsletter and general correspondence concerning the Society should be sent to Sue Margulis, [email protected]. Deadlines are the 15th of the month preceding each Newsletter. The next deadline is 15 April 2012. Articles submitted by members of the Society and judged by the Secretary to be appropriate are occasionally published in the ABS newsletter. The publication of such material does not imply ABS endorsement of the opinions expressed by contributors.
Animal Behavior Society Website: The Animal Behavior Society's website has moved to a new domain located at http://new.animalbehaviorsociety.org/web
Animal Behaviour, manuscripts and editorial matters: Animal Behavior Society, 2111 Chestnut Ave, Suite 145., Glenview, IL 60025, USA. E-mail: [email protected]. Phone (812) 856-5541, Fax (812) 856-5542.
Change of address, missing or defective issues: Animal Behavior Society, 2111 Chestnut Ave, Suite 145., Glenview, IL 60025, USA. E-mail: [email protected]. Phone (812) 856-5541, Fax (812) 856-5542.