The deadline is approaching for abstract submission, Friday April 22nd. Registration will be accepted up to the day of the meeting. Register and submit your abstract at: http://bit.ly/20Mn9EB. Registration is FREE, and will include breakfast, snacks, and lunch on Saturday May 21st.

Meeting information:
The 20th Annual Meeting of the Northwest Student Chapter of the Society for Marine Mammalogy (NWSSMM) will take place at the University of Washington (UW) in Seattle on May 21-22, 2016! The conference will be held at the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences.

The purpose of the annual meeting is to cultivate community among students studying marine mammals by creating a relaxed atmosphere to share research ideas, tribulations, and triumphs. It is an opportunity to meet other students across the region, collaborate, and generally have a good time in a supportive and informal setting.

Schedule:
Saturday May 21st will involve a full day of student oral and poster presentations, followed by a group dinner. On Sunday May 22nd we will be offering a FREE behind the scenes tour of the marine mammal collection at the Burke Museum on the UW campus.

Follow along on the Facebook event page.

Limited housing with student hosts will be available on a first-come first-serve basis. Please indicate on your registration form if you would like to be considered for accommodations and contact us if you have any questions. Even if you are not presenting, we suggest registering by this Friday – housing requests will be accepted until Friday April 22nd.

We look forward to seeing you in Seattle!

Erica Escajeda (escajeda@uw.edu) and Jessie Hale (jrh33@uw.edu)

NWSSMM 20th Annual Meeting Student Organizers

On April 28, 2014, we lost an amazing friend and colleague, Coll Gordon Perske. To honor Coll’s life and unwavering dedication to marine mammals, the National Marine Mammal Foundation established the Coll Perske Memorial Fund for Marine Mammals. The mission of the fund is to improve the lives of marine mammals, with a focus on California sea lions, through scientific research, education, and promotion of ocean stewardship. The first project launched by the Coll Perske Memorial Fund is the Perske Pinniped Health Project. The Perske Pinniped Health Project will focus on research that continues to enhance the health and welfare of all pinnipeds, with a special emphasis on the California sea lion.

Program Description

This year, the Coll Perske Memorial Fund committee has elected to provide a student stipend of $2000.00 to a qualified undergraduate, recently graduated, or graduate student interested in marine mammal physiology and training. The study chosen for the Perske Pinniped Health project this year is a sea lion diving physiology and training project that Coll Perske helped collect data for while working as a U.S. Navy Marine Mammal Program sea lion trainer. For this study pre and post dive blood samples were acquired voluntarily from 4 adult male sea lions after diving to various depths (500 ft, 600 ft, 800 ft and 900 ft). Blood samples were then analyzed using iSTAT (CG4, CG8) to obtain blood gas information. The award recipient will work with Dr. Sam Ridgway to evaluate the methodology and data previously collected for this project.

In addition to working with Dr. Ridgway, the student will also have the opportunity to spend time working with the sea lion training staff, and some of the animals that participated in the data collection for this study. By the end of their time onsite, the student will have gained exposure to working with the National Marine Mammal Foundation and the U.S Navy Marine Mammal Program. They will also have gained a better understanding of marine mammal training as a research tool. It is our expectation the award recipient will present the results of this project by the end of their time onsite, as well as at a related conference within the following year. Ideally, this project will also result in a publication in an appropriate peer reviewed scientific journal.

Due Date:
• Applications are to be submitted by April 26, 2016. Applications must be sent to the Director of Education, Erika Putman at Erika.putman@nmmf.org and the subject line must state “Coll Perske Memorial Fund Student Research Award 2016”.

Eligibility:
• Undergraduate student or recently graduated individual interested in gaining research experience. Graduate students will also be considered.
• Must be a U.S. citizen
• Ability to spend a minimum of 2 months onsite at our facility in San Diego, CA. (start date is flexible and to be determined by the award recipient, Dr. Sam Ridgway and the Coll Perske Memorial Fund committee)

Application Requirements:
• Letter of intent detailing how this opportunity will benefit the applicant’s career goals and specifically why this project is of interest to them
• Student’s curriculum vitae
• Official school transcripts
• Three references with e-mail address, phone number, and relationship to applicant

Award recipient will be announced by May 18, 2016.

The American Cetacean Society, Los Angeles Chapter (ACS-LA) is happy to announce the opening of applications for 2015 Student Travel Grants.

The Los Angeles Chapter of the American Cetacean Society (ACS-LA) is offering two travel grants in the amount of $500.00 each to students working or attending school in the greater Los Angeles area who will be attending the 21st Biennial conference on the Biology of Marina Mammals hosted by the Society for Marine Mammalogy (SMM) in San Francisco, CA, this December.

The two $500 travel grants will be awarded to two students exhibiting an outstanding commitment to research on marine mammals. Students should either be attending school in Southern California and/or conducting their marine mammal research in Southern California, with priority being given to those attending school and/or working in the greater Los Angeles area.

Eligibility:
1. Applicant needs to be a student (undergraduate or graduate) and be giving either an oral or poster presentation at the SMM Biennial.
AND
2. Applicant should be attending an accredited institution and living in Southern California with priority being given to students enrolled in a school in the greater Los Angeles area (research projects can be located anywhere world-wide).
OR
3. Current research focus should be on Marine Mammals located in or around Southern California with priority being given to work conducted in the greater Los Angeles area.

Applications:
Applications should include the following:
1. Cover sheet with:
a) Title of presentation being given at the SMM Biennial Conference,
b) Full copy of the abstract submitted (and accepted) by the SMM committee
c) Applicant Contact Information (Name, Address, E-mail, and Phone numbers)
d) Current school and major including current supervisor and department
2. Proof that applicant is a student (photo of the front and back of current student ID card)
3. A one-page CV or Resume

Deadlines:
Deadline for submission is 10 November, 2015.
Awards will be announced by 20 November, 2015

Applications should be sent by E-mail to ACSLA.Grants@gmail.com.

Information about the Los Angeles Chapter of ACS can be found on our website: www.acs-la.org.
To join ACS-LA, please go to http://acsonline.org/support-acs/become-member/ and specify the Los Angeles Chapter.
For further information about specific chapters and other grant-making programs, please visit the Chapter page of the National American Cetacean Society website: www.acsonline.org.

The UK and Ireland Regional Student Chapter of the Society for Marine Mammalogy is pleased to announce its annual student conference! The event will take place at the Sea Mammal Research Unit, University of St. Andrews, Scotland between 20th – 22nd of January 2016. Abstract deadline is 6th of January, 2016.

For full details and to register, please visit synergy.st-andrews.ac.uk/ukrsc

The American Cetacean Society-Puget Sound Chapter (ACS/PS) would like to encourage local student participation in the Society for Marine Mammalogy’s 21st Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals (San Francisco, California, 13-18 December 2015) by offering travel grants for ACS Student Members.

Three student travel grants ($500 each) will be selected by lottery system from all eligible applications received by the Friday, 28 August 2015 deadline.

One (1) grant will be restricted to research related to acoustics or hearing in cetacean populations occurring within the waters of Alaska, Oregon, Washington, or British Columbia

Two (2) grants will be open for any type of research in cetaceans within the waters of Alaska, Oregon, Washington, or British Columbia

To qualify for this grant, you need to:

Make sure you are a current ACS member at the time of submission. Application for membership to ACS may be completed at the following website:
http://acsonline.org/support-acs/become-member/
Be currently enrolled as a student at a recognized academic institution.
Be first author on an accepted oral or poster presentation.
Register for the conference by the early registration deadline (www.marinemammalscience.org).
Currently reside and study within the Pacific Northwest region of the US or Canada (WA, OR, AK, or British Columbia).

To apply:
Submit a title and abstract (as submitted and accepted by the Society for Marine Mammalogy).
Give your name and school affiliation.
E-mail your application to: acspsgrants@acspugetsound.org
Note: As an awardee, you will be asked to present your poster or oral talk at a future ACS/PS general meeting in Seattle, or provide a summary report of your poster/spoken presentation for possible inclusion in future ACS publications.

The student travel grant application period closes Friday 28 August 2015 (11:59pm PST)!

Notification of the student travel grant awards will be made by Friday, 4 September 2015.

IMPORTANT: If you are selected for an award, you will need to make sure you register for the conference by the end of the early registration period (30 September 2015) or the award will be given to someone else.

For questions or to submit your application, contact Dr. Stephanie Norman, ACS/PS Grants Chair: acspsgrants@acspugetsound.org

The UK and Ireland Regional Student Chapter of the Society for Marine Mammalogy is pleased to announce that registration is now open for the 8th annual UKIRSC student conference. The meeting will take place between 21st – 23rd of January 2015 at Bangor University, Wales. Abstract deadline is December 5th. Detailed information is available on our website: http://synergy.st-andrews.ac.uk/ukrsc.

Attention student members of the Society for Marine Mammology: the Board is requesting that you get involved in one of the standing committees. Each committee should have at least one student member.

We are seeking an indication of interest from students, and committee chairs will draw from the pool of interested students to put forward individuals for Board consideration as potential committee members.

It is very exciting as it lets you get actively and directly involved with issues regarding the Society and enact one of its main purposes: to evaluate and promote the educational, scientific and managerial advancement of marine mammal science.

I have included a brief description of each of the Society’s Standing Committees that require your involvement:

1. Membership Committee
   Solicits, receives and reviews membership applications. Maintains the members’ area on the Society’s website including the membership database with the listing of current Society members, and may itself propose new members
2. Committee of Scientific Advisors
   Provides the Board of Governors with scientific information as may be requested and manages and administers the Society’s “Small Grants in Aid of Research” program
3. Conference Committee
   Is responsible for making all the necessary arrangements for Biennial conferences, including scheduling and arranging facilities and other amenities
4. Education Committee
   Is responsible for duties such as the dissemination of fact sheets and information on careers, facilities, programs, and institutions
5. Scientific Program Committee
   Is responsible for arranging for scientific programs for conferences, meetings and workshops
6. Awards and Scholarship Committee
   Is responsible for establishing policies relating to awards and scholarships. It also oversees the development, judging, and granting of the awards and scholarships of the Society.
7. Nominations/Election Committee
   Provides the Board of Governors with a slate of candidates for elective officers, collaborates with the Secretary and the Membership manager to produce electronic ballots to voting members
8. International Relations Committee
   Advises the Board of Governors on specific issues and actions concerning contributions to libraries and academic institutions that otherwise could not afford subscriptions to the Society’s journal, and contributions to non-student members from developing nations that require assistance to participate in the Society’s Biennial Conferences.
9. Ethics Committee
   Provides oversight and guidance to the Board on the ethical considerations for all society activities, publications and products
10. Conservation Committee
    Advises the Board of Governors on matters related to the conservation and management of marine mammals and provides the Board of Governors with information that may be requested from time to time

I know we are all busy with our studies and our other activities, but I strongly advise you to provide one of the student members at large with your name along with your committee(s) of interest..