Committee Reports
Student Support Committee
Brian Tsukimura, Chair
The Student Support
Committee (SSC) wishes to announce 2 award opportunities this Fall,
2005. A similar letter has been sent out to each graduate student
member of the SICB in early October. The membership of the SICB has
generously set aside funds to provide two forms of research awards,
the Grants-In-Aid-of-Research (GIAR)and Fellowship of
Graduate Student Travel (FGST). Students can apply to only ONE
program per year. Students have a "lifetime eligibility" to
receive only one award (FGST or GIAR). To apply for both the GIAR
and FGST, please visit the Society website,
http://www.sicb.org/awards.php3
and complete the online application. Please read the instructions
carefully. Please understand that the SICB requires the applicant to
contact their recommenders and arrange that letters be sent. The
Deadline for applications and Letters of Support is November
21, 2005.
In Fall 2004, 80
applications were submitted for the GIAR. The SSC reviewed these at
the San Diego meeting (January, 2005) and made 26 awards (32%) for a
total of $24,000 to students from the 9 different divisions of the
Society. In Fall 2004, 15 applications were received for the FGST and
the SSC granted 4 (27%) FGST for a total of $6000. Both award
categories have a good level of funding percentage, and the SSC
encourages all graduate student members of the SICB to apply.
Support for students
presenting at the Orlando meeting (2006) have the opportunity to
apply for the Student Support Program, which offers either housing
accommodations or registration costs in exchange for half day
services at the conference. The deadline is October 28, 2005.
Apply at: http://www.sicb.org/meetings/2006/studentsupport.php3
The SICB has a strong
history of supporting students. This being illustrated by the
awarding of $30,000 in student research grants every year. In
addition, the SICB, through the SSC, provides housing for students
making presentations at annual meetings. In San Diego (2005), 249
students were housed at a cost of $36,700. In addition, 70 students
received registration waivers at a cost of $2,660. Thus, the total
expended on student support in 2005 was $69,360.
As this is my last
year on the SSC, I wish to thank the current and numerous past
members of the SSC who have made serving on this committee a great
pleasure. Their hard work has epitomized the SICB commitment towards
encouraging and promoting our next generation of research scientists.
After the Orlando meeting, I will leave the SSC in the very
competent hands of Adam Summers, who will be able to continue to
improve and expand our future support for our students.
Student/Postdoctoral
Affairs Committee (SPDAC)
Shea
R. Tuberty, Chair
As the SPDAC
chair, I have the honor of leading a team of very enthusiastic
divisional representatives to develop a new orientation format at the
Orlando SICB meetings in January. Please see the list of new and
returning divisional reps and the agenda for the SPDAC workshops
below. After reading over the workshop ideas, if you know of anyone
that you would like to nominate for a workshop panel position please
forward that name to myself or your division rep. This would be a
great way to provide some well-deserved kudos for your hard-working
faculty mentors or provide a venue to show off your favorite
professor, postdoc, or mentor with the rest of the SICB student
membership- sense of humor is appreciated!
This year SPDAC
will revamp the "First-timers Orientation" and make it a more
informative program for both returning members and newbies. It will
be entitled "The SPDAC Welcome and SICB Meeting Orientation" and
will occur beginning at 5:30pm on Wednesday, January 4th.
If you have been granted a student registration/housing award -- you
must attend! Please see the list of material to be covered
below. Suggestions for further materials to be included are welcome!
Membership
Chair:
2004-'07
Shea
Tuberty Appalachian State University
Assistant
Professor tubertysr@appstate.edu
; (828) 262-6857
Divisional Representatives |
Animal Behavior: 2005-'08 | Lawrence Spezzano | Miami University (of Ohio) |
| Graduate student | spezzalc@muohio.edu |
Comparative Endocrinology: 2004-'07 | Darren Lerner | University of Massachusetts, Amherst |
| Graduate student | dlerner@forwild.umass.edu |
Comparative Physiology and Biochemistry: 2005-'08 | Joanna Joyner-Matos | University of Florida |
| Graduate student | jjoyner@zoo.ufl.edu |
Developmental and Cell Biology: 2004-'07 | Candace McGuinness | University of South Carolina |
| Graduate student | timcandace@bellsouth.net |
Ecology and Evolution: 2004-'07 | Sofia Hussain | University of South Florida |
| Graduate student | smhussai@mail.usf.edu |
Evolution and Developmental Biology: 2005-'08 | Nathan Bird | George Washington University |
| Graduate student | nbird@gwu.edu |
Invertebrate Zoology: 2003-'06 | Ben Miner | Bodega Bay Marine Lab |
| Postdoc | bgminer@ucdavis.edu |
Neurobiology: 2004-'07 | Mark Frye | California Institute of Technology |
| Postdoc | frye@caltech.edu |
Systematic and Evolutionary Biology: 2005-'08 | Rena Bryan | University of Florida |
| Undergraduate | renabr@ufl.edu |
Vertebrate Morphology: 2005-'08 | Russell Main | Harvard University |
| Graduate Student | rmain@oeb.harvard.edu |
WORKING
AGENDA FOR THE 2006 SICB MEETINGS IN ORLANDO FLORIDA
The Student
and Postdoc Affairs Committee Welcome and SICB Meeting Orientation.
(Wednesday, First day of meetings)
A)
We will discuss some tried and true ideas on "How to get the
most out of your SICB meeting." Powerpoint presentation
with bulleted info including:
i.
How to find relevant talks/posters during the meetings
ii.
How to find everyone at the meetings -- This should focus on the
importance of schmoozing with the PIs, hobnobbing/socializing
iii.
How to approach a "big guy or gal"
iv.
How to enter or leave a room/move between rooms
v.
How to plan your meeting
vi.
How to get involved in SICB or attend business meetings and the
importance of attending the meetings (exposure, recognition).
B)
Lightning round of 1st timers' questions.
SPDAC Free
Lunch (Second day of meetings) -- this 20K
lunch has been canceled this year due to budget constraints --
sorry!!
Workshops
(Last Evening of meetings)
Two workshops
are being planned and will be held one after the other
6:00-7:00pm
Workshop #1:
"Optimizing Your Graduate School Experience"
i)
dealing with funding your graduate studies (even after TAships
expire)
ii) finding a
good mentor (CUR, COS, societies, web listservers)
iii) getting
research funding as a graduate student
iv) getting
to meetings and making future connections (aka, networking)
v) building
your CV to impress future hirers
vi) how to
get the "right" postdoc for the "right" job
Perhaps
this will be paneled by postdocs? We definitely encourage students to
attend both.
7:00-8:00pm
Workshop
#2: "Strategies for Landing an Academic Job/Postdoc"
i)
Differences in the requirements for an RO1, comprehensive, and
undergraduate liberal arts college (or hybrid of the above) resume.
ii)
Paneled by new and senior faculty SICB members from each of the 3
levels of academic institutions.
iii)
Each group will give a basic level of research/teaching/service
expected at their college or university.
iv)
A question and answer session will follow up the panel discussions.
SICB
Society-Wide Evening Social in Honor of Students and Postdocs
Join your fellow SICB members for a Society-Wide
Social on Saturday, January 7, from 8:00-9:30 pm. Coffee, desserts
and fruit will be served and a cash bar will be available.
USEFUL
WEBSITES FOR SICB's STUDENT AND POSTDOC MEMBERS
If you know of
other useful sites for the student/postdoc membership or you would
like additional information, contact the Student/Postdoctoral Affairs
Committee Chair (tubertysr@appstate.edu)
or see the Committee's SICB webpage (given above)