Greetings, SMM Conference Delegates!

In one short week, marine mammal scientists will flood the city to attend the biggest conference on Marine Mammalogy we’ve ever had!

With 1300+ abstracts in the program and over 2200 marine mammal scientists attending, we want to give you an easy way to search the detailed program, plan your agenda and connect with each other before and during the conference.

And so today, we officially launched our first conference app.

You can download it by searching for “Marine Mammalogy Conference” on Google Play or the app store on your phone and download to your mobile device or tablet. Or click this link from your mobile device: https://m.core-apps.com/smm-2015

No smart phone or tablet? Explore the program through your desktop computer here: https://l.core-apps.com/smm

Want to find each other, share itineraries and notes? Publish your profile to be visible to other delegates. (Only other app users can find you and your information will not be shared outside of the app in any way.)

We hope you have fun with it and look forward to hearing your thoughts and feedback on using an app at the conference and how to make it even better for future ones.

Other news:
Online registration ends on December 8
After Tuesday, December 8, all conference-related purchases must be made in person at the registration desk, which will open at noon on Sunday, December 13.

Friday Night Birthday Bash is almost sold out
We’ve done everything we can to make it the best party the Society for Marine Mammalogy has ever had. Buy your tickets now. If you haven’t already purchased a ticket, log into your registration profile, click ‘edit registration’ and buy a ticket.

Monday Movie Night: A special presentation of Racing Extinction
We are hosting a free showing of Racing Extinction on Monday, December 14, 2015 from 7:00 – 8:30 PM in the Continental Ballroom at the Hilton Hotel

Thanks for being a part of this conference. It is going to be great and we are so looking forward to seeing you.

Ellen Hines and Frances Gulland
SMM 2015 Conference Co-Chairs

Conference questions?
E-mail: conference@marinemammalscience.org

Today we officially launched our first app, in connection with the Biennial Conference.

You can download it by searching for “Marine Mammalogy Conference” on Google Play or iTunes and download to any mobile device or tablet.

No smart phone or tablet? Explore the program through your desktop computer here: https://l.core-apps.com/smm

Want to find each other, share itineraries and communicate? Publish your profile so other delegates can see you are attending (Only other app users can find you and your information will not be shared outside of the app in any way.)

Have fun with it! We are looking forward to hearing your thoughts and feedback on using an app at this and future conferences.

Attending the Society for Marine Mammology (SMM) Conference in San Francisco? The Oceanic Society is offering two different adventures for conference attendees and their families.

Our first trip is suitable for adults and families with children at least 6-years-old. We will tour the San Francisco Bay to hear about the history of the bay and its inhabitants. The SF Bay History tour is offered each week day, Monday through Friday, departing at 9:30 am and returning at 12 noon. The boat leaves from the San Francisco Marina Harbor at 3950 Scott Street.

Our second adventure is a rigorous and exciting 8 hour boat trip to the Farallon Islands. Along the way, we usually encounter a variety of whales and other marine mammals. In the past we’ve seen humpbacks, blues, grays, orcas, dolphins, porpoises, seals and sea otters. The Farallon Islands are a protected bird sanctuary, so you will see a variety of marine birds and much more. The Farallon Islands trip is suitable for adults and families with children at least 10 years old. This excursion also departs from the San Francisco Marina Harbor on Saturday, December 12, or on Saturday, December 19.

SMM discounted conference prices for the trips to the Farallon Islands are $110 per person for attendees who register before Wednesday, December 9. Normal price is $128. The 2-1/2 hour family tour around the San Francisco Bay will cost $49 for adults, $45 for children ages 6-12 years old. Be sure to mention you are an SMM participant. Reservations are required and can be made by calling us at 415-256-9604 or by purchasing tickets online. For additional information about these trips or to see our latest international excursions, please visit our website: www.oceanicsociety.org.

This is a new concept we will be trying out this year to highlight posters presentations, and ensure each poster presenter is visited.

We hope that it will also make poster presentation easier and more fun, as presenters can talk to groups of people rather than repeat themselves multiple times to individual people, and poster viewers can move more easily amongst the posters they wish to see.

The concept is that “Poster Pods” consisting of about 10 people move amongst the posters, led by their charismatic, extrovert, brilliant leader, through an assigned series of about 20 posters. The “Pod” will spend 5 minutes at each assigned poster, during which the poster presenter has 2 minutes to explain the poster, and the “Pod” has 3 minutes to ask questions as a group. Then the “Pod” moves on to the next poster.

“Pod” leaders will have a little paddle to hold up to help move their Pod along. We realize “Pods” will be loosely cohesive (an ‘open’ fission-fusion society J), members may come and go, other attendees may join when they see how much fun you are having, but the leader will try and herd his “Pod” through their entire set of posters for that the session.

As “Pod” leader, we hope you can assemble a group of 10-15 colleagues to guide a “cooperative alliance” for an hour or so. Morning sessions will be helped along with coffee or tea, for evenings there will be a no-host bar.

We hope this will ensure that every poster presenter will be visited and their work receive attention, and that the process will facilitate interaction amongst delegates and presenters.

There will be four poster presentation sessions, one each Tuesday and Thursday morning and evening.

Please join a poster pod leader, or join a group that looks small and needs members, or has a cool leader…

Thank you!

A letter of greeting from the Mayor of San Francisco to the SMM delegates:

Monday, December 14, 2015
7:00 – 8:30 PM
Continental Ballroom, Hilton Hotel

Utilizing state-of-the-art equipment, Oscar®-winner Louie Psihoyos (The Cove) assembles a team of artists and activists intent on showing the world never-before-seen images that expose issues of endangered species and mass extinction.

Watch Racing Extinction Trailer Here

Thursday, December 17, 2015 • 6:00–8:00 p.m.
Exploratorium, Pier 15, Fisher Bay Observatory
Free, RSVP required. Email reserve@exploratorium.edu, or call 415.528.4444 and choose option 4

Join AGU members in Conversations About Landscape: Marine Mammals at the Poles: Sentinels for Climate Change.

Featuring Drs. Sue Moore, Brendan Kelly, and Dave Mellinger discussing marine mammals at the poles during climate change. A conversation amongst the speakers will be followed by refreshments, mixing with attendees from AGU, and free admission to the exhibits of the Exploratorium wearing SMM conference badge.

Thank you for your interest in touring The Marine Mammal Center during your attendance at The Society for Marine Mammalogy conference in San Francisco, California.

The Center will host a very limited number of free tours for conference attendees on Saturday, December 19.  The tour times are at 12:00 noon and 2:00 p.m.  Space is limited to 25 people per tour; please make your reservation early.

You may register here (follow the steps listed below to complete your registration):
https://tmmc.doubleknot.com/facility/society-of-marine-mammalogy-tour/1824394

1.      Scroll to the bottom of the page where you will see a calendar (center) and a program listing (left).
2.      Click on the program titled “Society for Marine Mammalogy Tour”.
3.      Advance the calendar to the month of December (using the right arrow, if needed) and click on the calendar cell for Saturday, December 19.
4.      Click on the rust-colored button that says “RESERVE”.
5.      Click on the second rust-colored button that says “CHECK OUT”.
6.      On the next page, complete the registration information, including selecting the tour time you want to join (12:00 or 2:00 p.m.) and the number of people in your group (from the pull down menu options).
7.      Click “Continue”
8.      On the next page (Shopping Cart), click “Checkout”
9.      On the final page, you will be asked to provide your contact information, then click “SAVE”.
10.  You will be directed to a page with a receipt and you will be sent a confirmation to the email address you provided.

If these tour times are sold-out or you would like to visit the Center on a different day or time, you may join a tour offered to the general public.  You can find information about booking one of these tours here:
https://tmmc.doubleknot.com/event/calendar/3026.  Please note that a small registration fee applies for these tours.

Getting to the Center
The Center is located in the Marin Headlands, part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, and just north of the Golden Gate Bridge.  The Center is accessible by car, bicycle, and public transport busses (on a very limited basis on Saturdays and Sundays only).  While bicycling into the Headlands is possible, we recommend that bicyclists review the routes into and out of the park before making plans to cycle.  Taxis can be booked into and out of the Headlands, but arrangements will need to be made ahead of time.  There is not regular taxi traffic in the Headlands (no cab stands, etc…)

You can find more information about driving directions and public transportation options here: https://www.marinemammalcenter.org/visiting-us/directions.html#public_trans

If you have questions, please contact the Center’s education department at edu@tmmc.org or (415) 289-7330.