Graduate Student Information

Student Awards | Travel Awards | Fundraisers | Workshops

Student Awards

AES Carrier Award

The American Elasmobranch Society will present the Carrier Award for the best student poster presentation on elasmobranch biology given during the AES Poster Session. Initiated in 1999, this award has been made possible through a donation from Jeffrey C. and Carol A. Carrier, who have been longtime advocates of student participation in the Society.

AES Samuel Gruber Award

The American Elasmobranch Society will present the Samuel Gruber Award for the best student oral presentation on elasmobranch biology given during the AES paper sessions. This award is named for the society's founder, who continues to be a source of inspiration for students in this challenging field of study.

Gruber Award and Carrier Award Eligibility and Judging

To be eligible, a student must (1) be enrolled as an undergraduate or graduate student, or have completed his/her degree within 12 months of the presentation; (2) be a member in good standing of AES; (3) be in his/her second year of AES membership; (4) be first or sole author of a contributed paper; and (5) indicate at the time of abstract submission his/her intention to compete for the appropriate award. To be a member in good standing, students must renew their student memberships by December 31, 2006.

Student oral presentations and poster presentations will be judged by separate panels of AES members representing various backgrounds, and will include the previous year's award recipient, whenever possible. Evaluation will be based on the quality, originality, and significance of the research, as well as the student's presentation. Each participant will receive a copy of the judging evaluation criteria prior to the meeting. A minimum of three student presenters must be eligible for judging for either award to be considered. Winners of the Gruber Award and Carrier Award will be announced at the AES Banquet.

ASIH Stoye Award

Stoye Awards of the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists recognize the best student oral presentation in the following categories. Submission for oral presentation will be reviewed based on the following emphases:

Conservation Biology includes, but is not limited to, studies whose primary focus is on the conservation of biodiversity, broadly defined as the identification, protection, preservation, restoration, management, or sustainable use of currently or potentially imperiled taxa or assemblages and their habitats.
General Ichthyology includes, but is not limited to, morphological and molecular systematics, techniques in systematics, zoogeography, paleontology, and faunal descriptions.
General Herpetology includes, but is not limited to, morphological and molecular systematics, techniques in systematics, zoogeography, paleontology, and faunal descriptions.
Genetics, Development, and Morphology includes, but is not limited to, population genetics, DNA analysis, comparative embryology, heterochrony, descriptive and experimental development, comparative and evolutionary morphology, functional morphology, and biomechanics.
Ecology and Ethology includes, but is not limited to, population and community ecology, life history strategies, descriptive and experimental ethology, behavioral ecology, neuroethology, and ecomorphology.
Physiology and Physiological Ecology includes, but is not limited to, comparative and experimental physiology, biochemistry, sensory and behavioral physiology, and endocrinology.

ASIH Storer Awards

Storer Awards of the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists recognize the best student poster presentation in each of the following categories:

Ichthyology
Herpetology

Stoye and Storer Awards Eligibility and Judging
To be eligible for either Stoye or Storer Awards, the student must

be the sole author and presenter;
be a member of ASIH;
indicate a desire to be considered when submitting an abstract (see instructions for Submitting Abstracts); and
meet the ASIH criteria for student: "an individual who at the time the paper is given is the equivalent of a full-time student (. an individual who is devoting his or her major efforts to a formal program of study) or who has satisfactorily completed a thesis or dissertation defense during the past twelve months." Stoye and Storer presentations are judged by the following criteria: introduction; methods; data analysis and interpretation; conclusions; innovation, originality, and scientific significance; presentation; and visual aids or graphic design. The rating scale is 0 to 10 points: excellent (9 to 10), very good (7 to 8), good (4 to 6), fair (2 to 3), poor (0 to 1).

Questions about the Stoye and Storer Awards should be directed to Maureen Donnelly at donnelly@fiu.edu.

SSAR Henri Seibert Awards for 2007

The Henri Seibert Awards were initiated in 1992 to provide recognition for the best student papers presented at the annual meeting of the SSAR. To be eligible, the presented paper must be the result of research conducted by the individual making the presentation. The research must have been conducted while the student was enrolled in either an undergraduate or graduate degree program. Please refer to Herpetological Review 28(4):175 and the SSAR website for recommendations to students entering the Henri Seibert competition. Students entering the competition must be members of SSAR. The presentations will be judged by the SSAR student prize committee. One Henri Seibert Award of US $200 may be given in each of the following four categories: Systematics/Evolution, Ecology, Physiology/Morphology, and Conservation. Students may only win the award one time. Please indicate the appropriate category for which you are applying on the abstract submission form. Announcement of winners will be made at the SSAR Business Meeting. All participants should be present at the business meeting. Contact Margaret S. Gunzburger for further information.

NIA Student Competition

The Neotropical Ichthyological Association (NIA) will recognize with a cash award the best student papers (1 oral presentation and 1 poster presentation) presented on a topic that substantially includes the study of Neotropical fishes. To be eligible the student must be the first author and the presenter of the paper or poster. Multi-authored presentations are eligible.

To be eligible a student must be registered in a degree program (graduate or undergraduate), or have received their degree no more than 15 months prior to the presentation, and indicate to the meeting organizers their intention to compete in compliance with the guidelines and deadlines set forth by the organizers of the JMIH meeting. For questions please contact Jonathan Armbruster armbrjw@auburn.edu or Jonathan N. Baskin jnbaskin@csupomona.edu.

Travel Awards

ASIH Graduate Student Travel Awards

Travel awards of $250 each will be awarded to help defray travel expenses to participate in the Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists. The awards will be chosen by random draw. You are ELIGIBLE for an ASIH travel award if...

You are CURRENTLY a graduate student
You are presenting your research at the 2007 JMIH (oral or poster presentation)
You have NOT previously received an ASIH travel award

*Applications for student travel awards are due on May 1, 2007, no exceptions.

Please fill out this form (doc), and send it via email to Ralph Saporito (saporito@fiu.edu). If you receive a travel award, you are obligated to work three, one-hour shifts at the ASIH raffle table during the meeting. Once you have completed your shifts, you can pick up your check from the raffle coordinators (Lara Douglas and James Van Dyke).

SSAR Student Travel Awards - Call for Applications

Ten awards of US $200 each are available. An applicant for a travel award must be a student and a member of SSAR, must not have previously received a travel award from SSAR, and must be the first author of a paper or poster to be presented. Application package must include: 1) letter signed by his/her major advisor or department chair that states: he/she is not completely funded for travel from another source; 2) an official copy of the poster or paper abstract to be presented; 3) a self-addressed, stamped envelope. If the research is co-authored, the applicant must also include a letter from his/her advisor stating that the work was primarily the product of the applicant. Qualified applicants are pooled and winners are drawn at random. Students from local meeting site and current members of the SSAR Travel Awards Committee are excluded from applying for a travel award. Applications must be postmarked by 14 April 2007. Award checks will be disbursed at the meeting.

Send application package to Dawn S. Wilson, Southwestern Research Station, P. O. Box, 16550, Portal, AZ 85632 or for further information email: dwilson@amnh.org.

Graduate Student Fundraisers

ASIH Graduate Student Travel Award Book Raffle

A book raffle will be conducted to raise funds for graduate student travel awards. Tickets may be purchased during the Joint Meeting, with the funds going directly toward student travel awards for 2007. The books are donated by publishers, booksellers, society members, etc.

ASIH thanks meeting attendees who participate in the student-run book raffle, which directly supports student travel to the JMIH. In recognition that today's student members are the future of ASIH and that attendance at the JMIH encourages society involvement, ASIH matches dollar for dollar funds raised at the raffle. Please help ASIH promote our students, be generous, and make this year's raffle a great success.

Graduate Student Reprint and Book Scavenge

Do you have extra or duplicate reprints, books, or other publications taking up valuable shelf space in your office? If so, please consider donating them to the Graduate Student Reprint & Book Scavenge, to be held at the 2007 Joint Annual Meeting in St. Louis, Missouri. Both herp and fish reprints are requested. This is a great opportunity for younger herpetologists and ichthyologists to add to their research libraries.

Any reprints you would like to add to this year's scavenge can be brought to the ASIH Book Raffle table during the meeting, or they can be directly mailed to:

ASIH Reprint Scavenge
c/o Lara Douglas
Dept. of Biological Sciences
Science & Engineering 632
Fayetteville, AR 72701

SSAR Frameable Art Silent Auction

The SSAR STAC announces the Eleventh Annual Frameable Art Silent Auction to be held at the 2007 SSAR meeting in St. Louis, MO July 11-16. Preferred donations include herp-related photos, line drawings, prints, paintings, plates, engravings, or anything frameable, if not already framed. If you are interested in donating an item (tax deductible for U.S. residents), please email Robert D. Aldridge

Workshops

AES Student Workshop - "The Media and Shark Research"

When conducting scientific research on highly charismatic species such as sharks, attention from the mainstream media can be unavoidable. Media interactions can be frustrating in that they can be a distraction from normal academic pursuits, and may sensationalize or misconstrue the featured research. Due to the widespread public misperceptions of sharks and shark research, however, the media can be an effective way to reach a very broad audience with accurate information for the promotion of shark research and conservation. This workshop will provide students with a chance to learn from the vast experience of a few leaders in the field; scientists who have dealt with the media for many years. They will address things such as how to avoid sensationalism, extreme self-promotion, and TV-style science, how to get accurate facts across during an interview, and how to use the media to the advantage of research, education, and conservation in any sub-discipline. There may be some interesting cautionary tales along these lines. A local reporter or an elasmobranch/wildlife filmmaker may provide some additional insight from another perspective on communicating with the media effectively. Tricia Meredith is serving as the student workshop organizer.