Graduate Student Information
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, 2007.
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 systematic's, techniques in systematic's, zoogeography, paleontology, and faunal descriptions.
- General Herpetology includes, but is not limited to, morphological and molecular systematic's, techniques in systematic's, 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.
CARCNET/RÉCCAR Student Presentation Awards
In 2008 CARCNET/RÉCCAR will again award prizes for best student poster presentation and best student oral presentation for CARCNET/RÉCCAR student members presenting at the JMIH 2008. Details can be found at www.carcnet.ca
You are ELIGIBLE for a CARCNET/RÉCCAR Student Presentation Award if:
- You are currently enrolled in a Canadian University, or a recent graduate
- You are a member of CARCNET/RÉCCAR.
- You are conducting research to support amphibian and reptile conservation in Canada
- You are presenting your research at the 2008 JMIH (oral or poster presentation)
- You have not previously received a CARCNET/RÉCCAR student award
The Herpetologists’ League Graduate Research Awards
If you are a Master's or Ph.D. student with research results, consider participating in the annual competition for The Herpetologists' League Graduate Research Awards. To participate, you must (1) be a member of The Herpetologists' League, (2) be either a registered graduate student or have completed your graduate degree requirements within 14 months of your presentation, (3) submit an abstract (of which you must be the senior author and have done the majority of the work) by the deadline for submission of abstracts to the Joint Meetings, indicating your desire to compete for the HL Graduate Research Award, and (4) give the oral presentation at the meeting. All presenters will receive evaluations from the judges after the meeting. The top five presentations, as ranked by the judges, will be announced at the meeting banquet. Presenters of the second to fifth ranked presentations will receive $200 awards. The presenter of the best presentation as ranked by the judges will receive $500, ten years of back issues of Herpetologica, and an invitation to submit a manuscript based on the work presented to either Herpetologica or Herpetological Monographs, depending on its length. The Herpetologists' League will commit to publishing this manuscript, following successful peer review and editorial revision, as a lead article identifying the author (or senior author) as the winner of the Herpetologists' League Graduate Research Award.
For further information or questions concerning The Herpetologists' League Graduate Research Award, contact Dawn Wilson, Director, Southwest Research Station, P.O. Box 16550, Portal, AZ 85632, USA.
SSAR Henri Seibert Awards for 2008
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 Patrick Owen at owen.133@osu.edu for further information.
Travel Awards
ASIH Graduate Student Travel Awards
Travel awards of $300 each ($500 for intercontinental travelers) will be awarded to help defray travel expenses to participate in the 2008 Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists. Up to five regular and three intercontinental awards will be given each for herpetology and ichthyology. A student may apply for an award in only one category. The awards will be chosen by random draw. You are eligible for an ASIH travel award if:
- You are currently a graduate student AND a member of ASIH
- You are presenting your research at the 2008 JMIH (oral or poster presentation)
- You have not previously received an ASIH travel award
You are eligible for one of three intercontinental awards in each category if you will be traveling to the meeting from a location that will require an intercontinental flight. Students attending North American schools are eligible for an intercontinental travel award if they will be traveling to the meeting directly from a field site in another continent. Applications for student travel awards are due on May 1, 2008, no exceptions. Please fill out this form, and send it via email to Lara Douglas. If you receive a travel award, you are obligated to work four 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 coordinator.
CARCNET/RÉCCAR Student Travel Bursaries
CARCNET/RÉCCAR will award Travel Bursaries to help students participate in the Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists. The number of bursaries and bursary amounts will be determined by the CARCNET/RÉCCAR board. Awards will be granted based on demonstrated financial need. Applications are due 15 May 2008. More details can be found at www.carcnet.ca
You are ELIGIBLE for a CARCNET/RÉCCAR Travel Bursary if:
- You are currently enrolled in a Canadian University, or a recent graduate
- You are a member of CARCNET/RÉCCAR.
- You are conducting research to support amphibian and reptile conservation in Canada
- You are presenting your research at the 2008 JMIH (oral or poster presentation)
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 2009. 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.
Workshops
AES Student Workshop
Is Graduate School Enough?
We all enter graduate school hoping that a master’s or doctoral degree will guarantee more quality employment opportunities once we graduate. While obtaining that degree is no minor task, is it enough to ensure a future in scientific research? With the scarcity of higher academic and research positions, junior scientists are faced with a daunting situation upon graduating. It is increasingly important that graduate students prepare themselves to enter the job market not only with their degree, but also with additional skills and experiences that will help them stand out. For instance, how important is getting a PhD or doing postdoctoral research? What are some particularly important supplementary skills that employers look for in a job candidate? This workshop will help inform students of what they need to do to obtain a research position in today’s job market. Recently hired professors/researchers will provide advice on staying competitive in the current job market, while more experienced professors will provide insight on what they look for when serving on job search committees. Scientists from outside academia will offer a different perspective based on their experiences.
Organizer:
Tricia Meredith
ASIH Graduate Student Workshop
How to be a Successful Researcher
This workshop, created by members of ASIH graduate student committee, will consist of a panel of professors spanning the many levels of research and teaching institutions. The goal of the workshop is to give graduate students tips and suggestions for conducting a successful research project from start to finish. This workshop will provide tools to facilitate the graduate student experience and aid in professional development. The format will be a short introduction by a panel member followed by discussion, and an informal Q & A session with the panel.
Symposium Chair:
Tiffany Schriever
tiffany.schriever@utoronto.ca
Co-organizers:
April Bagwill
april.bagwill@okstate.edu
Alison Hamilton
ajenni2@lsu.edu
Rocky Parker
parkermi@science.oregonstate.edu
Social Events
SSAR Student Social
- Thursday, 24 July
- 5:30 – 7 p.m.
Join SSAR Board members and several invited senior herpetologists at this special reception for students. Finger food and drink tickets will be provided.