{"id":1525,"date":"2021-10-19T11:34:29","date_gmt":"2021-10-19T11:34:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sicb.burkclients.com\/wp\/?page_id=1525"},"modified":"2021-11-03T15:35:44","modified_gmt":"2021-11-03T15:35:44","slug":"fall-2021-division-of-phylogenetics-comparative-biology","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/sicb.burkclients.com\/wp\/?page_id=1525","title":{"rendered":"Fall 2021: Division of Phylogenetics & Comparative Biology"},"content":{"rendered":"

Message from the Chair<\/b><\/h2>\n

David Blackburn<\/strong>,<\/span> chair.dpcb@sicb.org<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

The Division of Phylogenetic and Comparative Biology is gearing up for returning to an in-person meeting for SICB 2022 in Phoenix. We are sponsoring several symposia (more information below) and will return with the well-loved Ask-an-Expert booth (see below…experts, we need your help!). While details are not quite sorted, the DPCB leadership is working on what should be a great social event in historic downtown Phoenix.<\/span><\/p>\n

As I\u2019m confident nearly everyone reading this newsletter already knows, David Wake passed on April 29th of this year. An evolutionary biologist that spent his career focused on salamanders, Dave was a friend and colleague to many in SICB. Dave served as the president of the American Society of Zoologists (the predecessor of SICB) in 1992, as well as many other leadership roles. We hope that DPCB and other SICB members\u2014many of whom were students of Dave\u2019s\u2014will use the annual meeting as a time to share memories of \u201cCommander Salamander\u201d with one another and with Marvalee.<\/span><\/p>\n

Because DPCB\u2019s Best Student Presentation award is named in honor of both David and Marvalee Wake, at the annual meeting our BSP session of student talks will begin with a presentation in honor of Dave. We will highlight both David and Marvalee\u2019s contributions to our field, our division, and to SICB (and to the American Society of Zoologists before that!). If you have images or details that you think might be appropriate to incorporate into this presentation, please email Dave Blackburn to share these: <\/span>chair.dpcb@sicb.org<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

David and Marvalee Wake Award for Best Student Presentation<\/strong><\/h4>\n

We are looking forward to an excellent BSP competition at the annual meeting. We have selected eight presentations (from 15 submissions, all excellent!) for the Wake Award for best student talk, and these cover a wide range of organisms, data types, and methods. We also have 12 outstanding submissions that will be competing for the Wake Award for best student poster. I have no doubt that the talks and posters for the Wake Award will be a highlight of the meeting.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Because some presenters may still be unable to attend the annual meeting in person, all of our best student talks will be pre-recorded. However, the speakers will be present, either in-person or virtually, to answer questions at the end of their presentation.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u200b\u200b<\/span>Message from the Secretary and Secretary-Elect<\/b><\/h2>\n

Haley O\u2019Brien<\/strong>, <\/span>secretary.dpcb@sicb.org<\/a>;\u00a0 <\/span>Ryan Felice<\/strong>, <\/span>secretary-elect.dpcb@sicb.org<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Changes to Division Bylaws<\/strong><\/h4>\n

This year we have made a few small changes to the DPCB bylaws. First, we have updated the stated purpose of the division to include phylogenetic comparative methods, rather than \u201ccomparative biology\u201d broadly-defined, which better represents the interests and goals of our division today. Similarly, we have changed all the references of \u201czoologists\u201d to \u201cbiologists,\u201d recognizing the growing membership of SICB and the division. We have made some changes related to term limits for officers: now, executive committee positions are limited to two terms (consecutive or non-consecutive). We have also updated eligibility for the Wake Awards for Best Student Prize (BSP), which previously was limited to recent PhD students but is now open to all types of students (e.g., undergraduates). In addition, the BSP judging processes have been updated. Finally, we have updated the use of all pronouns in the bylaws from \u201chis\/her\u201d to \u201ctheir.\u201d Updated bylaws are available on the DPCB website<\/a><\/strong>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Ask-An-Expert Booth Returns!<\/strong><\/h4>\n

We are in search of Experts to volunteer with the 2022 Ask-An-Expert Booth. This year marks the fourth “Ask-An-Expert” booth: a flexible, open session where SICB members can seek assistance from Experts one-on-one. Each year, the Booth has been a wonderfully approachable and fun way of connecting SICB members with resources and recommendations for genomics, phylogenetics, comparative methods, and more. To-date, over 100 SICB members of all career stages were able to stop by the Booth to consult with an Expert or receive methods pro-tips and troubleshooting advice.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

DPO Leigha Lynch tells us that the meeting has a huge space this year for posters and vendors, so we should be able to set up a great space for the booth. We had great turn-out last year, even though it was virtual, so hopefully the return to an in-person booth will be just as successful!<\/span><\/p>\n

We are searching for postdocs, senior PhD students, and early-career researchers who are interested in serving as Experts this year. This is a one-hour commitment during one of the poster sessions.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the past, we have featured experts in the areas of:<\/span><\/p>\n