Category Archives: Conference News

Call for 2023 SMM Conference Venue Hosts

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Aloha SMM Community-

One of my responsibilities for the Society is to bring to the membership options for the venue for our 2023 Biennial (as a reminder 2021 will be in Florida). As we have in the past, we are reaching out to the membership to engage with groups who may wish to host the conference in their region. This challenging but important honor is vital to our scientific, conservation and educational mission, so we hope several groups will step up to the opportunity.

We are open to hear from any geographic location, but are especially interested in venues outside of North America. We would also strongly encourage expressions of interest from regions/countries that have not previously hosted the conference. For a list of past conference locations, follow this link.

We will simultaneously be exploring venue options through our contracted conference organizing company. This might allow us to find a more cost effective location, but would require organizing and scientific committees to work remotely from the site with occasional travel to the venue. So if your group is interested in hosting a conference, but do not happen to be around facilities that could support it, this could be an opportunity for you.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to me with any questions about this opportunity or what hosting the conference entails at president-elect@marinemammalscience.org. It is hard work but there is a lot of support from the Society and previous conference organizers. Our Society benefits from having several choices and these efforts are focused on finding the most cost effective model for holding a conference to ensure it is as accessible as possible to our entire membership.

I would like to receive expressions of interest by Friday August 23 so that there is sufficient time to work with each group in the lead up to the conference. Conference venues will be presented and voted on by the membership at the closing members meeting in December.

Thanks in advance to everyone who considers this opportunity/request

Charles Littnan, PhD.
SMM President-Elect
president-elect@marinemammalscience.org

2019 F.G. Wood Award and John R. Twiss Jr. Award Winners Announced

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During the year of the biennial conference, the Society for Marine Mammalogy gives out two awards for student papers published in Marine Mammal Science.  The awards are F. G. Wood Award and the John R. Twiss, Jr. Award.     

The Wood Award was established in honor of Forest G. Wood, a founding member of the Society for Marine Mammalogy and is given for the best student paper published in Marine Mammal Science during the period between the Society’s Biennial Conferences. The award includes an opportunity to deliver a session presentation on the topic of the award paper at the Biennial Conference, and funds to cover costs of participation in the Conference (registration, travel, lodging, meals, and necessary incidental expenses). Judging of eligible papers is be done by the Editor in consultation with the Board of Editors. There was a total of 33 eligible papers evaluated. The winner is this year is Hannah Cubaynes for her paper entitled, “Whales from space: four mysticete species described using new VHR satellite imagery.”

The Twiss Award was established in honor of John Twiss Jr., who was the first Executive Director of the U.S. Marine Mammal Commission and is given for the best student paper that describes innovative research related to marine mammal habitat and ecosystem conservation. A committee of four judges, evaluated the top-ranking papers that were eligible. There was a total of 22 eligible papers. The Twiss Award winner receives $500 and a certificate. The winner this year is Guillemette Labadie for her paper entitled, “First demographic insights on historically harvested and poorly known male sperm whale populations off the Crozet and Kerguelen Islands (Southern Ocean)”

24 Hours until WMMC 2019 Abstract Submissions and Workshop Proposal Deadline

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Greetings,

This is a friendly reminder from your WMMC’19 Organizing Committee that there are 24 hours left before the abstract and workshop submission deadline – April 30, 2019 at midnight, Barcelona time (GMT +1).

If you have not completed and/or submitted your abstract or workshop yet, please login to the conference system via ECS or SMM to submit your abstract.

Please select from the options below to sign-in to the conference system:

  • For ECS members, click here.
  • For SMM members, click here.
  • For those who are not currently a member of either society, and do not plan to become members, you can choose to login as a non-member (via SMM). To create an account as a non-member, click here.

* Please be sure to use the same account to submit an abstract (i.e. ECS, SMM, Non-Member), as you would to register for the conference.

If you have any questions, please contact our Abstract Review Team. Workshop questions? Please contact our Workshop Team. We look forward to reviewing your submissions for WMMC’19!

Sincerely,

WMMC’19 Organizing Committee

WMMC Workshop Proposals Due In By April 30, 2019 at midnight, Barcelona time (GMT+1)

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Greetings all,

The deadline to submit workshop proposals for consideration at the upcoming World Marine Mammal Conference in Barcelona (Wednesday, April 30, 2019 at midnight, Barcelona time (GMT +1) is less than one week away!

World Marine Mammal Conference-affiliated workshops are half day, full day, or two day events proposed by individual researchers (the “workshop leaders”) and organised by them if their proposal is accepted by the WMMC conference committee. WMMC workshops will be held on Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 December, 2019, during the weekend just prior to the conference.

WMMC-affiliated workshops are open to all conference registrants up to the stated capacity of the workshop. Workshops are separate from the conference presentation program, so you can give a presentation at the conference and organize or participate in a workshop.

We expect to receive between 20-40 workshop proposals and have 12-16 rooms available per day, so may not have space for all the proposed workshops. A group of reviewers approved by the WMMC Conference and Scientific Program Committee chairs will evaluate the workshop proposals and select those to fill the available slots based on their review scores. Other workshops will be placed on a waiting list and added to the schedule by rank order of their review scores if additional slots become available.

If you want us to consider your proposal for a workshop please prepare your online application form soon! You can start filling out the form and if you get tired, or have to check something out, you can save (click on “Submit Workshop Proposal”) and resume later (but note, you must put something into all the required fields or you will not be able to save). You have until the submission deadline (Wednesday, April 30, 2019 at midnight, Barcelona time (GMT +1) to finalize your proposal – saved proposals will not be reviewed until after that date.

Proponents will be notified by May 16, 2019 as to whether their workshop proposal has been accepted for presentation at the conference. The list of workshop descriptions will be posted on the conference website and registration will be available online June 1, 2019.

For more information on workshop requirements and fees, location, workshop registration, and how to submit a workshop proposal, be sure to check out our:

In order to access the conference system, authors are required to sign-in via ECS or SMM. Please select from the options below to sign-in to the conference system:

  • For ECS members, click here.
  • For SMM members, click here.
  • For those who are not currently a member of either society, you can also choose to login as a non-member (via SMM). To create an account as a non-member, click here.
  • then, from the WMMC’19 login page, click on the “Pre-Conference Workshop Proposal Submission“ button

* Please be sure to use the same account to submit an abstract or workshop proposal (i.e. ECS, SMM, Non-Member), as you would to register for the conference.

If you would like to discuss the options before you submit a proposal, or have questions about any of the requested information, please contact the workshop coordinators (Frank Cipriano and Juanita Zorrilla). We look forward to reviewing your proposal for WMMC’19 workshops!

Sincerely,
WMMC’19 Organizing Committee

World Marine Mammal Conference – Abstract Deadline 30th April 2019

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Greetings,

Are you interested in submitting an abstract for the upcoming World Marine Mammal Conference in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, December 2019? Well, the submission deadline for abstracts is rapidly approaching! Be sure to submit your proposal(s) online by 12PM CET on April 30th, 2019. Successful abstract applicants will be notified on July 5th, 2019.

For more information on submitting an abstract, be sure to check out our conference resources:

In order to access the conference system, authors are required to sign-in via ECS or SMM. Please select from the options below to sign-in to the conference system:

  • For ECS members, click here.
  • For SMM members, click here.
  • For those who are not currently a member of either society, you can also choose to login as a non-member (via SMM). To create an account as a non-member, click here.

* Please be sure to use the same account to submit an abstract (i.e. ECS, SMM, Non-Member), as you would to register for the conference.

If you have any questions, please contact our Abstract Review Team. We look forward to reviewing your submissions for WMMC’19!

Sincerely,
WMMC’19 Organizing Committee

WMMC 2019 Abstract Submission Deadline is April 30, 2019

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Greetings,

Are you interested in submitting an abstract for the upcoming World Marine Mammal Conference in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, December 2019? Well, the submission deadline for abstracts is rapidly approaching! Be sure to submit your proposal(s) online by midnight Barcelona Time (GMT +1) on April 30th, 2019. Successful abstract applicants will be notified on July 5th, 2019.

For more information on submitting an abstract, be sure to check out our conference resources:

In order to access the conference system, authors are required to sign-in via ECS or SMM. Please select from the options below to sign-in to the conference system:

  • For ECS members, click here.
  • For SMM members, click here.
  • For those who are not currently a member of either society, you can also choose to login as a non-member (via SMM). To create an account as a non-member, click here.

* Please be sure to use the same account to submit an abstract (i.e. ECS, SMM, Non-Member), as you would to register for the conference.

If you have any questions, please contact our Abstract Review Team. We look forward to reviewing your submissions for WMMC’19!

Sincerely,
WMMC’19 Organizing Committee

Grants available for Latin American students to attend 2019 Biennial Conference

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YAQU PACHA, an organization that promotes aquatic mammal protection, conservation, and research in South America and sponsors LAJAM (Latin American Journal of Aquatic Mammals), has generously offered SOLAMAC (the Latin American Society of Specialists in Aquatic Mammals) two travel grants to assist students attending the 2nd World Marine Mammal Science Conference/23rd Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals.

The conference will take place at the International Convention Centre of Catalonia in Barcelona, Spain, on December 9-12th, 2019.

This meeting will be hosted jointly by the Society for Marine Mammalogy and the European Cetacean Society, together with the active involvement of SOLAMAC, effectively bringing together experts in the field from every continent. The gathering of interdisciplinary scientists will enable discussion amongst the marine mammal research community and policy makers, and will facilitate collaboration and training of the next generation of scientists and practitioners.

Travel grant eligibility

To be eligible for one of the grants, an applicant must:

– Submit a manuscript as first author to LAJAM by March 31, 2019. Late applications will not be accepted. The manuscript will have to be accepted to be considered for one of the grants.

– Attach a certificate showing that he/she is enrolled as a student (graduate or undergraduate level) at the time of submission.

– Indicate in the cover letter of the manuscript that he/she meet the above criteria and would like to be considered for the scholarship.

What does the travel grant cover?

Each grant will cover airfare, accommodation, and registration to the upcoming World Marine Mammal Conference for the student author of the best two manuscripts accepted for publication in LAJAM´s first issue of 2019.

Evaluation

An independent panel of experts will be appointed by LAJAM’s Editor-in-Chief to evaluate all manuscripts submitted by eligible students to LAJAM, and will deliver their results by the end of June 2019. The decision of the panel will be unappealable.

Manuscripts will be judged by the originality of the research, the quality of manuscript, and the potential impact of the study on the conservation of aquatic mammals in Latin America.

Questions regarding this travel grants should be directed to lajam.editors@gmail.com

The Conservation Committee seeks nominations for the 3rd Conservation Merit Prize

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The Conservation Committee seeks nominations for the 3rd Conservation Merit Prize. The prize is public recognition given to a person or team that has done extraordinary work towards solving a pressing conservation problem for marine mammals. The person or representative of the team receiving the Prize receives travel to the presentation at the biennial conference including two night’s lodging. Choice of the person or team will be by the Conservation Committee and approved by the Board. Any SMM member may propose recipients. The Prize is only given when the Conservation Committee finds a case of exceptional merit and may not be awarded at every biennial. Please send nomination inquiries (self nominations welcome) to: subspecies.def@gmail.com.

Barbara Taylor
Chair, Conservation Committee

Conservation Committee seeking nominations for the 3rd Conservation Merit Prize

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The Conservation Committee seeks nominations for the 3rd Conservation Merit Prize. The prize is public recognition given to a person or team that has done extraordinary work towards solving a pressing conservation problem for marine mammals. The person or representative of the team receiving the Prize receives travel to the presentation at the biennial conference including two night’s lodging. Choice of the person or team will be by the Conservation Committee and approved by the Board. Any SMM member may propose recipients. The Prize is only given when the Conservation Committee finds a case of exceptional merit and may not be awarded at every biennial. Please send nomination inquiries (self nominations welcome) to: Barbara.Taylor@noaa.gov.