{"id":4439,"date":"2026-02-10T03:53:24","date_gmt":"2026-02-10T03:53:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sicb.burkclients.com\/wp\/?page_id=4439"},"modified":"2026-05-12T14:34:14","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T14:34:14","slug":"spring-2026-division-of-vertebrate-morphology","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sicb.burkclients.com\/wp\/?page_id=4439","title":{"rendered":"Spring 2026: Division of Vertebrate Morphology"},"content":{"rendered":"

Andie Ward, Chair (<\/span>chair.dvm@sicb.org<\/span><\/a>); Lara Ferry, Past Chair (<\/span>Lara.Ferry@asu.edu<\/span><\/a>); Casey Holliday, Chair-elect (<\/span>chairelect.dvm@sicb.org<\/span><\/a>); Marguerite Butler, Program Officer (<\/span>dpo.dvm@sicb.org<\/span><\/a>); Kelly Diamond (<\/span>dpoelect.dvm@sicb.org<\/span><\/a>); Teri Orr, Secretary (<\/span>secretary-elect.dvm@sicb.org<\/span><\/a>); Emily McParland, SPDAC Representative (<\/span>emily_mcparland@brown.edu<\/span><\/a>)<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

SICB Annual Meeting Recap\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Portland provided us with a vibrant venue and city to showcase everyone\u2019s work! We hope attendees had the chance to soak in everything Portland had to offer, from indulging in great science while experiencing the incredible local food scene. At this year\u2019s meeting, we had 84 oral presentation abstracts and 66 poster abstracts submitted with DVM as the primary division. We had an eventful DVM Member Meeting, to catch up on the minutes please visit:<\/span><\/p>\n

https:\/\/sicb.burkclients.com\/divnew\/DVM\/DVM%20Jan%202025%20Annual%20Member%20Meeting%20Minutes.pdf<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

We would like to thank Crystal Reynaga for her service to the Division as DVM Secretary over the past two years. We are equally excited to welcome our new secretary, Teri Orr, and look forward to her continued support of the DVM community. As the DVM Officers, we are excited to see everyone for next year\u2019s annual meeting in Pittsburg PA.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Best Student Presentation Awards<\/b><\/h2>\n

This year\u2019s Best Student Presentation sessions highlighted exceptional early-career talent. This year, six students competed for the D. Dwight Davis Award, while nine students showcased their work in the Best Student Poster Competition. Congratulations to all participants and their impressive work!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Davis Award winner, Miranda Margulis-Ohnuma<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The winner of the D. Dwight Davis Award for oral presentations was Miranda Margulis-Ohnuma (second-year PhD student at Yale University), for the talk “Testing for functional regionalization in the snake vertebral column”.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Davis Award honorable mention, Danielle Adams<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The honorable mention of the D. Dwight Davis Award for oral presentations was Danielle Adams (Postdoctoral Researcher at the Field Museum), for the talk “Evolution of bone material properties in the skulls of artiodactyls and cetaceans”.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Karel Liem Poster Award winner, Samantha Trail<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The winner of the Karel Liem Poster Award was Samantha Trail (Fifth year PhD Candidate at Florida Atlantic University) for an outstanding poster on, \u201cThe right tool for the job: ontogenetic shifts in morphology and early sea turtle dispersal\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Students interested in competing for the Best Student Presentation (BSP) Award for a poster or oral presentation, don’t forget to submit your one-page summary on or before the SICB-wide abstract submission deadline typically in late August. Full details on the one-pager requirements and a complete overview of the competition guidelines can be found on the SICB website: <\/span>https:\/\/sicb.org\/awards\/best-student-presentation-bsp-program\/summary-of-bsp-divisional-guidelines\/#bspdvm<\/a><\/strong>)<\/span><\/p>\n

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DVM Mentorship Award<\/b><\/h2>\n
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DVM Mentorship Award recipient, Dr. Patricia Brennan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This year we were thrilled to recognize Patricia Brennan, an Associate Professor at Mount Holyoke College for her exemplary mentorship. Patricia has expanded access to research opportunities and inspired countless mentees to pursue careers in STEM. Congratulations to Patricia for her exceptional leadership and transformative impact on mentorship within the DVM community.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If you have benefited from the efforts of an outstanding mentor, please consider nominating them for this award. Additional information on award guidelines and the nomination process can be found on the <\/span>DVM webpage<\/span><\/a> (url: <\/span>https:\/\/sicb.org\/divisions\/vertebrate-morphology\/<\/span><\/a>). The next target review date will be September 10, 2026. Stay tuned for the opening of nominations\u00a0<\/span>in the spring!<\/span><\/p>\n

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DVM Support & Announcements<\/span><\/h2>\n

Extension of Travel Award to Post-docs in Discussion<\/b><\/h4>\n

We know that attending SICB is an invaluable experience, however the costs associated with travel and registration can be a barrier. A recent SPDAC survey found that at least 50% of students and postdocs face financial hardships when it comes to attending the meeting. SICB provides support for students, but currently there is little support available for postdocs. This is why we are exploring the development of a Postdoc Travel Award to help support postdocs who may not have sufficient funding to attend. This is still in the early stages, and we want to make sure we get it right.<\/span><\/p>\n

We’d love to hear from you! Your feedback and input will be instrumental in shaping this initiative, so please don’t hesitate to share your thoughts with Andie Ward (<\/span>chair.dvm@sicb.org<\/span><\/a>).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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2026 OA Publication Award<\/b><\/h4>\n
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Open Access (OA) Award recipient, Cassie Shriver.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We are excited to feature Cassie Shriver, PhD Candidate at Georgia Tech, and her team who were recently awarded an Open Access (OA) Publication Award to support their manuscript entitled, \u201c<\/span>Bridging Science Across Species: A Biomechanics Outreach Event at the Zoo<\/span><\/i>\u201d submitted to <\/span>Integrative Organismal Biology (IOB)<\/span><\/i>. We are looking forward to learning more about their pioneering work and outreach at zoos.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Support for OA Publication Fees for IOB<\/b><\/h4>\n

DVM offers up to $1,000 to support OA fees for papers submitted to IOB\u2014covering ~75% of the $1,355 SICB member rate. These funds prioritize authors with limited OA support, including students, postdocs, and PUI faculty. Applications can be submitted before manuscript submission, but reimbursements are only issued after acceptance and payment. Awardees must submit to IOB within one month of notification.<\/span><\/p>\n

Learn more on the <\/span>DVM webpage<\/a><\/strong> (url: <\/span>https:\/\/sicb.org\/divisions\/vertebrate-morphology\/<\/a><\/strong>) and apply via the <\/span>google form<\/a><\/strong> (url: <\/span>https:\/\/forms.gle\/3CA7AmpvnxteyYph9<\/a><\/strong>).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Call for 2028 SICB Symposia \u2013 Los Angeles, CA<\/b><\/h2>\n

Consider contributing to DVM by hosting a symposium! Symposia offer DVM members a platform to showcase innovative and forward-thinking research to the wider scientific community, including through publication in Integrative and Comparative Biology.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re inspired to organize a symposium, SICB provides support and incentives for symposium organizers. Guidelines for preparing a symposium proposal can be found on the <\/span>SICB meetings page<\/span><\/a> (url: <\/span>https:\/\/sicb.org\/events\/<\/span><\/a>). Proposals are welcome from SICB members at any career stage. Applications for the 2028 meeting are due on <\/span>September 1st, 2026<\/b>. For questions and feedback on your symposium ideas, please reach out to our Program Officer, Marguerite Butler (<\/span>dpo.dvm@sicb.org<\/span><\/a>). We are eagerly awaiting your symposia contributions!<\/span><\/p>\n

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Sponsoring Regional SICB-related Meetings<\/b><\/h2>\n

Thinking about organizing a meeting in your region? DVM members can request up to $500 in support for their organized meetings. If you’re interested, please reach out to the DVM Chair, Andie Ward (<\/span>chair.dvm@sicb.org<\/span><\/a>) for more details.<\/span><\/p>\n

Regional meetings provide excellent opportunities for student presentations and idea-sharing ahead of the national meeting, and many regions have successfully hosted these events over the years. A special thank you to the 2025 Regional Meeting Organizers for their efforts in fostering these valuable gatherings:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n