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: http://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):
http://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:
http://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: http://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.

We are just about one month away from the 21st Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals in San Francisco.  By all accounts this is shaping up to be an epic conference.  The plenaries look impressive.  The science is going to be better than ever. So to keep in line with this high standard, we are making sure that the student travel fundraiser is the best party yet. This is an opportunity to dance, to mingle, to turn off your brain for a bit, and help support our student scientists.

We have been receiving some emails asking for more information so here is almost everything you need to know for the party that you can’t miss.

The Venue:  Mezzanine  (444 Jessie St.) http://mezzaninesf.com/private-events/

This is a great space with lounge areas upstairs and plenty of room on the dance floor.  A world-class sound system will ensure the best dance experience all night.  Best of all, the venue is a 9-minute walk from the conference hotel!

The Music:  We know you love to dance.  We are bringing on a professional DJ who has been briefed on the musical wants and needs of our marine mammal colleagues.  You will be moved to dance!

The Date:  The party is Wednesday Dec 16.  Doors will open at 8 PM and things are shutting down at 2AM.  That gives you 6.5 hours of sleep before the Thursday morning poster session.  We are here for sciences so don’t miss the poster session!

Ticket Prices:  Tickets gain you entry into the party and provide a long-lasting warm fuzzy feeling that you are helping our next generation of marine mammal scientists make it to the Halifax conference in 2017.

Student               $15 (comes with 1 free raffle ticket)
Non-Student       $25 (comes with 1 free raffle ticket)
Raffle Ticket       $2 (or 12 for $20)

The Raffle:  As always we are selling raffle tickets to help raise funds and give you the opportunity to take home some excellent prizes.  We are changing things a little this year and having two drawings.  The first drawing for most of the prizes will be at the party and YOU MUST BE PRESENT TO WIN.  The second drawing will happen at the closing of the conference
and you don’t need to be there to win.  We will make sure you get your prize.  So what are the prizes? Well just to name a few: iPads, GoPros, gift certificates, shwag from The Marine Mammal Center, tacky marine mammal items and more!  The more tickets you buy, the better your chances, and the more students get to travel in 2017!

Where to Purchase:  At this point you are probably asking yourself where you can get these tickets.  Tickets to the party can be purchased while registering for the conference. If you have already registered, go back into your registration profile, edit your registration profile and add on a ticket to the party and some raffle tickets. We will make sure that they are part of your registration packet when you check in.  Otherwise, we will have a small station set up near registration where you can purchase all the tickets you desire.  Cash only!!

ESSENTIAL INFORMATION:
1.     Must be 21 years old or older.
2.     Must have valid ID.  For our foreign guests, that means bring a passport!
3.     Dress code.  Don?t wear your field clothes.  Hawaiians, no slippahs (flip flops).
4.     Drink Prices: Standard prices for San Francisco. Cocktails between $9-11.  So we recommend a few beverages beforehand and enjoying at least a couple at the venue (we do have a minimum bar tab we need to reach people!).
Stash away a little extra cash in the next month to make sure you help put a dent in the bar bill!

Have any questions? Hit us up on the Seal Clubbing II: Beachmaster’s Ball FB Page!
https://www.facebook.com/Seal-Clubbing-II-Beachmasters-Ball-1439791866338284/

Cheers,
Charles and Ari

Attending the Society for Marine Mammology Conference in San Francisco? Add a whale watch to your agenda! Monterey Bay Whale Watch will be offering special 6 hour trips for conference attendees on December 11th, 12th, 19th & 20th. Join them to search for Humpback Whales, Blue Whales, Gray Whales, Killer Whales, Dolphins, Porpoises, Pinnipeds, Sea Otters, Marine Birds and much more in Monterey Bay. Recently featured in the BBC and PBS production – Big Blue Live and in National Geographic, Monterey Bay is a global marine mammal hotspot. Their newly acquired catamaran, The Blackfin, will be taking trips at 10am with a capacity of 120 passengers. Tickets are $65 for adults and $45 for children ages 4-12 years old. Reservations can by made by phone at 831-375-4658 or online at gowhales.com. They are located on the Fisherman’s Wharf in Monterey, about 2 hours south of San Francisco.

Can’t make those dates? They will be offering our regular whale watch schedule everyday during the conference as well. Find out more here: http://gowhales.com/

Dear Biennial delegates,

What’s this I hear about leaving early? Friday night is going to be amazing, the frosting on the cake, the birthday celebration of our Society!

And..its going to be in the most amazing building in San Francisco, City Hall! We’ve rented it for you!

We’ll have incredible food available all night, free wine and beer, a champagne toast to our award winners….and dance to Linda Tillery’s Soul Explosion with James and Eric, our DJ’s filling in.

And..we’ve priced this event to be accessible to all of you! Please stay and celebrate with us! Sign up soon, attendance is limited.

Best, Ellen & Frances (It’s going to be great in San Francisco)