Hello SICB DEE Colleagues and Friends!
We are excited for this SICB meeting in Seattle this Jan 2024! The Division of Ecology and Evolution will have a big presence at this meeting with over 300 DEE abstracts this year: 188 talks and123 posters! We are a broad, integrative division, so DEE-centered abstracts spanned the gamut of research covered by the society. One common theme includes the effects of climate change on everything from life history to thermal physiology to community ecology and species interactions. In addition to our usual programming, DEE is supporting several symposia at the upcoming meeting.
As in previous years, the Huey Best Student Presentation session will happen on the first day (Wednesday) of the conference, in the early afternoon session. We have an excellent lineup of finalists, and this session consistently proves to be one of the most engaging and well attended. We hope to see you there!
DEE will be participating in a joint social with the Division of Botany and the Division of Phylogenetics at Comparative Biology. This year we are trying something new – a breakfast social! This will occur on Thursday morning in and around the Waterfall room in the lovely conference center atrium. Join us for breakfast treats and networking.
Be on the lookout for divisional emails asking you to sign up for our flagship mentoring event, Beers & Brains. As with the SICB 2022 and 2023, this year we will match mentors with 3-4 mentees at a time, and mentors will rotate. With inflation, the cost of hosting this DEE event is becoming unsustainable with the past budget model. With the help of the SICB executive committee we are able to continue this event this year and expand a little to ~110 mentees and ~30 mentors. The event will be held at the conference hotel, and we will have food and drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) at the event. We plan to send out an email with a link to sign-up in mid/late November. It is usually first-come-first-served, so make sure to sign up early.
Please come to the SICB DEE Members Meeting. In addition to our usual business, we hope to discuss ways to innovate our programming for the future, and discuss the future of Beers & Brains. Your input is vital. We hope to see you there!
Welcome Ariel and Morgan! Ariel Kahrl is our new Secretary-Elect. Ariel is an Assistant Professor at Hamilton College, and her lab studies the evolution of sperm morphology. Morgan Muell is our new DEE representative on the Student/Postdoctoral Affairs Committee. Morgan is a PhD Candidate at Auburn University, and she studies the evolution of developmental plasticity in Anolis lizards. We are so glad to have you both on board!
Here is a rundown of your current and future DEE officers: Tonia Schwartz is Chair until Feb. 2025, when current Chair-elect Christian Cox will take over. Ryan Earley is Secretary until Feb 2025, when Ariel Karhl will take over. Martha Muñoz is Program Officer until Feb 2024, when Kristi Montooth will take over. Morgan Muell is the DEE SPDAC representative until Feb 2026.
If you are interested in being an officer for DEE, elections will be held in 2024 for Chair-Elect and Program-Officer Elect.
We hope to see you all in Seattle at SICB 2024!