Waterbird Society Annual Meeting/Conference
Professional development opportunity for students
The Waterbird Society, an international scientific, not-for-profit organization dedicated to the study and conservation of waterbirds is planning to hold its annual meeting at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) this coming November. To further its efforts to increase diversity and inclusion in the natural resources sciences, the Society is partnering with UMES to offer a full-day program on Friday, November 8, 2019, to teach students about the Society and opportunities in natural resource sciences. We are seeking 50 student participants from the University of Maryland (UMD).
Registration, transportation and lunch will be provided for all students.
All registrants will receive a letter to excuse you from class on Friday, November 8. If you plan to attend, consult with your professors as soon as possible to arrange to complete all work you may miss on November 8.
If you are interested, register at https://agnr.umd.edu/student-registration. The deadline to register is October 9, 2019. Please remember, this opportunity is limited to only 50 students. Register now! Preference will be given to juniors and seniors, but we encourage all to apply.
To learn more about the Waterbird Society and the 43rd Annual Meeting in Princess Anne, Maryland, go to https://waterbirds.org/annual-meeting/.
Click "Read more" below to view the program description
Waterbird Society Diversity Day Program Description
Morning session (begins at 9 a.m.)
· Miguel Mora, Ph.D. (Professor, Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences and Intercollegiate Faculty of Toxicology, Texas A&M University)
· Jerome Ford (Assistant Director for Migratory Birds, USFWS).
· Teferi Tsegay, Ph.D. (National Program Leader, Natural Resources and Sustainable Agricultural Systems USDA Agricultural Research Service)
· Dawn O’Neal, Ph.D.* (Director, NatureNet Science Fellows and Science Impact Project, Nature Conservancy)
· Benjamin Tuggle, Ph.D.* (Assistant Director for Science Applications for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
· A panel-format Q&A will follow these talks; students will have an opportunity to ask questions.
Lunch session
Workshop for students to discuss their own potential academic and career pathways. This session will allow students to network and meet with prospective employers.
Afternoon session
Three "demonstration" papers. Presenters will be doctoral students or post-docs, drawn from underrepresented groups, who will explain how they became interested in biology/ecology; their college majors; undergrad or summer fieldwork projects; how they decided to go to grad school and how they selected their graduate program; whether to seek an M.S. vs. a Ph.D. and why; and what grad school is like in terms of coursework and research and working with an advisor. They will explain why they chose to do this particular research - what questions were they trying to answer; why they decided to use these particular methods; then the traditional paper presentation. This will be followed by a discussion about how the information they produced can be used by natural resource agencies, private landowners, decision-makers and how the information gets to the people who we hope will use it.
Other program elements
A wide variety of state and federal natural resource agencies, natural resource conservation and management NGOs, corporations, and other organizations will offer information about career opportunities and diversity programs at their agencies and organizations.
Professional development opportunity for students
The Waterbird Society, an international scientific, not-for-profit organization dedicated to the study and conservation of waterbirds is planning to hold its annual meeting at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) this coming November. To further its efforts to increase diversity and inclusion in the natural resources sciences, the Society is partnering with UMES to offer a full-day program on Friday, November 8, 2019, to teach students about the Society and opportunities in natural resource sciences. We are seeking 50 student participants from the University of Maryland (UMD). Registration, transportation and lunch will be provided for all students.
All registrants will receive a letter to excuse you from class on Friday, November 8. If you plan to attend, consult with your professors as soon as possible to arrange to complete all work you may miss on November 8.
If you are interested, register at https://agnr.umd.edu/student-registration. The deadline to register is October 9, 2019. Please remember, this opportunity is limited to only 50 students. Register now! Preference will be given to juniors and seniors, but we encourage all to apply.
To learn more about the Waterbird Society and the 43rd Annual Meeting in Princess Anne, Maryland, go to https://waterbirds.org/annual-meeting/.
Click "Read more" below to view the program description
Waterbird Society Diversity Day Program Description
Morning session (begins at 9 a.m.)
- Talks by six notable achievers in academia, federal agencies, and conservation organizations. The speakers will tell the students how they became interested in nature, obtained academic degrees, internships, and other training opportunities, and found career opportunities and excelled in natural resource conservation and management and academic science. They will also address challenges faced as a person of color in white-dominated fields and how they are changing that culture in their own organizations and universities.
· Miguel Mora, Ph.D. (Professor, Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences and Intercollegiate Faculty of Toxicology, Texas A&M University)
· Jerome Ford (Assistant Director for Migratory Birds, USFWS).
· Teferi Tsegay, Ph.D. (National Program Leader, Natural Resources and Sustainable Agricultural Systems USDA Agricultural Research Service)
· Dawn O’Neal, Ph.D.* (Director, NatureNet Science Fellows and Science Impact Project, Nature Conservancy)
· Benjamin Tuggle, Ph.D.* (Assistant Director for Science Applications for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
· A panel-format Q&A will follow these talks; students will have an opportunity to ask questions.
Lunch session
Workshop for students to discuss their own potential academic and career pathways. This session will allow students to network and meet with prospective employers.
Afternoon session
Three "demonstration" papers. Presenters will be doctoral students or post-docs, drawn from underrepresented groups, who will explain how they became interested in biology/ecology; their college majors; undergrad or summer fieldwork projects; how they decided to go to grad school and how they selected their graduate program; whether to seek an M.S. vs. a Ph.D. and why; and what grad school is like in terms of coursework and research and working with an advisor. They will explain why they chose to do this particular research - what questions were they trying to answer; why they decided to use these particular methods; then the traditional paper presentation. This will be followed by a discussion about how the information they produced can be used by natural resource agencies, private landowners, decision-makers and how the information gets to the people who we hope will use it.
Other program elements
A wide variety of state and federal natural resource agencies, natural resource conservation and management NGOs, corporations, and other organizations will offer information about career opportunities and diversity programs at their agencies and organizations.