Vol. 60, No. 1 | February 2015
 

Opportunities



The Public Affairs Committee

 

The Public Affairs committee is being revived after a hiatus of a few years.  Dr. Patricia Brennan is the newly appointed committee chair, and we are looking for at least 3 additional committee members. What are we looking for? Anyone with a passion for science communication, and science policy, but particularly anyone interested in spending some time coming up with, and executing ideas on how ABS can best promote our discipline is welcome to join us. You must be willing to attend the ABS meetings throughout the time of your appointment. Applications will be considered on a first come, first serve basis for those that express a desire to participate, but please write a paragraph on why you think you will be a good committee member, and if you are interested in a one, two or three year appointment. Once we have identified potential committee members, the President of ABS in consultation with the committee chair will confirm them. Please email [email protected] if you are willing to serve.

What does the public affairs committee do? The bylaws state that the committee “Shall receive and evaluate Resolutions submitted by the membership and present these, if appropriate, to the membership for vote at the annual Business Meeting. Shall make available to the membership the ABS procedures for submission of Resolutions. (Essentially help to submit laws on behalf of the members). Shall be responsible for promoting an appreciation and understanding of animal behavior and ethological research among the public at large.” Following this mission, the ABS will be reinstating its membership with AIBS, and sharing information relevant to members that may foster increasing visibility of our discipline.




Herpetology of the Southwest Field Course

 

The American Natural History Museum is pleased to announce the 2015 edition of its Field Herpetology of the Southwest course, held at the Southwest Research Station in the Chiricahua Mountains, Arizona between July 24 - August 2, 2015.

This course is open to anyone interested in learning more about the behavior and ecology of amphibians and reptiles native to the Southwest U.S., and the environment in which they live.  

Students get the opportunity to participate in labs, attend seminars on a variety of topics, and get hands-on experience with these taxa in the field, even assisting with several long-term in-situ conservation projects.  This course provides an educational and rewarding opportunity to see an abundance of herpetofaunal species in one of the biodiversity hot spots of the U.S.

The application deadline for the course is June 1, 2015.  For more information, see the following URL: http://research.amnh.org/swrs/herpetology-southwest




Pheromones and Animal Behavior Won the Award for the Best Postgraduate Textbook from the Society of Biology

 

The judges said: “Revised and extended since the first edition, this splendid, comprehensive resource covers both 'classic' ideas in the field of chemical communication as well as recent advances, such as the surprising discovery that the chemoreceptors of insects and vertebrates evolved independently. The attractive cover, featuring a ring-tailed lemur, hints at some of the delights to be found inside with the content aimed at both the serious researcher and those just wanting a good overview of the discipline. Despite being a serious text, it is very readable and bursting with examples. A particular strength of this text is the author’s aim to integrate examples from across the animal kingdom so, for example, it is possible to read about nematodes, moths, snakes and mice in the same paragraph. Advice on methodology is given along with suggestions for further reading, both likely to be useful to anyone starting out in this field. Sufficient chemistry is helpfully explained in the appendix, so that those with less grounding in chemistry can follow the ideas. Abbreviations are also thoughtfully listed at the start. All in all, an outstanding textbook and a worthy winner of this year's Society of Biology Book Prize (postgraduate category).” https://thebiologist.societyofbiology.org/biologist-book-reviews/161-biologist/book-reviews/1095-pheromones-and-animal-behavior-2nd-edition
Wyatt (2014) Pheromones and animal behavior (2nd ed.)(Cambridge Uni. Press)




22nd Annual Animal Behavior Conference at Indiana University

 

The 22nd Annual Animal Behavior Conference will be held at Indiana University on March 26-28, 2015. The conference will open on Thursday, March 26, at 2:00 pm with a symposium entitled “Every Signal Thing: Mechanisms and Evolution of Animal Communication.” This symposium will feature keynote speaker James Hare from the University of Manitoba. The keynote speaker for the main conference on Friday, March 27, will be David Crews from the University of Texas at Austin. This year the conference will also feature a special symposium on the mechanisms of social behavior to celebrate the life and career of IU Professor of Biology Jim Goodson. This symposium will be on Saturday, March 28. Invited speakers for this exciting day of talks include: Elizabeth Adkins-Regan, Andrew Bass, Hans Hofmann, Rick Thompson, Steven Phelps, Rosemary Knapp, Alexander Ophir, Paul Forlano, David Kabelik, and Aubrey Kelly.

The Animal Behavior Conference welcomes attendees to contribute presentation or poster abstracts, with special encouragement to undergraduate presenters. The deadline to submit an abstract is February 25, 2015. Registration for the Animal Behavior Conference is FREE.

For more information and to register, please visit: http://www.indiana.edu/~animal/conference/index.php




Lecturer in Conservation Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of London

 

Applications are invited for the post of Lecturer in Conservation Biology in the School of Biological Sciences. The School is seeking to appoint a lecturer within its Centre for Ecology, Evolution & Behaviour to provide teaching and research duties in conservation biology. The appointee should hold a PhD and will be expected to conduct research in practical conservation and contribute to the School’s curriculum in conservation biology and data analysis.  Applicants will need to demonstrate enthusiasm for curriculum development and the teaching of conservation in the field and laboratory.  We are looking for a candidate with a research portfolio of high quality and with the potential to generate lasting impact in conservation biology, or other areas with applications to the subject.  We are particularly interested in a field-based person, whose research involves vertebrate systems, in particular mammals or birds.

The successful candidate will contribute to teaching in organismal biosciences at undergraduate and post-graduate levels, and will be encouraged to initiate collaborative work with existing staff in the School and with other institutions.

This is a full time and permanent post, available from June 1, 2015 or as soon as possible thereafter.  This post is based in Egham, Surrey UK, where the College is situated in a beautiful, leafy campus near Windsor Great Park and within commuting distance from London.

For an informal discussion about the post, please contact the Head of School, Professor Alan Gange at [email protected] or +44 (0) 1784-44-3188.

The RHUL Recruitment Team can be contacted with queries by email at: [email protected] or via phone: +44 (0) 1784-41-4241.




Master's program in Animal Behavior and Conservation (ABC)

 

Come and study in New York City for an exciting research-focused degree in ABC at Hunter College. Certificate in ABC program is available for pre-master's students. For more information, please visit: http://tinyurl.com/mfamrpb.




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ABS Newsletter

Send general correspondence concerning the Society to Sue Bertram, [email protected]. Deadlines for materials to be included in the Newsletter are the 15th of the month preceding each issue. The next deadline is 15 April, 2015. 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 Behaviour

Animal Behaviour, manuscripts and editorial matters: Authors should submit manuscripts online to Elsevier’s Editorial System (http://ees.elsevier.com/anbeh/). For enquiries relating to submissions prior to acceptance, contact the Journal Manager ([email protected]). For enquiries relating to submissions after acceptance, visit Elsevier at http://www.elsevier.com/journals. For other general correspondence, contact Kris Bruner, Managing Editor, Animal Behaviour, Indiana University, 407 N. Park Ave., Bloomington, IN 47408, USA. E-mail: [email protected]. Phone: 812-935-7188.

Change of address, missing or defective issues: ABS Central Office, 2111 Chestnut Ave., Ste 145, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. Phone: 312-893-6585. Fax: 312-896-5614. E-mail: [email protected].