OPPORTUNITY TO WIN FREE CONFERENCE REGISTRATION

The SMM Board has decided to sponsor the development of a series of Fact Sheets about interesting and important topics relating to marine mammals.  The Board has offered its student members the opportunity to win free registration to the 17th Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals by submitting a winning Fact Sheet.  Click here to get all the details of the Fact Sheet competition.  Click here to see an example Fact Sheet drafted by Jennifer Laliberte of Duke University in 2006.

FUNDING FOR RESEARCHERS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

The SMM Board offers small grants to help support marine mammal research in economically disadvantaged countries.  The awards are geared toward nationals, particularly early career researchers such as students.  The deadline for applications has been extended to 30 June 2007 (the previous deadline was 31 May).  For more information, see the SMM Grants-in-Aid webpage.

April 2007
Hello again!  There is much to report, but hopefully everyone interested is up to date via the listserv that is up and running.  If you are not on the listserv, but would like to be, contact me and I'll sign you up!  The most important news is that the website for the 17th Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals is now on-line.  Note that there is also a student conference webpage.  More information will be added to the conference website in the coming weeks, so keep checking back for updates!

January 2007
Hi everyone!  I wanted to let you know what has been happening during the last few months.  The current SMM Board, who recently met for the first time, has been very busy with various activities, including the upcoming 17th Biennial Conference in South Africa.  The website for the conference will on-line soon, so stay tuned for links to the student portion of that site.  I will soon be communicating with you all more directly once I finalize the establishment of an SMM student listserv.  I expect that the listserv will be functioning by the end of the month.  If you are a current SMM student member, you are already on my email list, but I will solicit additional emails over MARMAM and the SMM Newsletter.  However, if you have not gotten an email from me by mid-February 2007, it means you have not made it to my list, so contact me and I'll sign you up!  Other updates to look for in the near future are revisions to the SMM Student Chapters application form and guidelines, which are starting to show their age.  Use the existing information for now, but note that the Student Chapters page will soon contain a variety of new material.

September 2006
Greetings SMM students!  My name is Amanda Bradford and I am a Ph.D. student at the University of Washington, where I am studying the population and spatial dynamics of endangered baleen whales in the North Pacific.  After several years of serving in the main leadership role of the Northwest SMM Student Chapter, it is with great pleasure that I now accept the position as your new Student Member-at-Large.

Please join me in taking a moment to thank the SMM Board and membership for their continued and enthusiastic support of the ever-growing SMM student contingent.  This commitment to students has created a dynamic environment where students can actively participate and contribute to the SMM and to our field, while simultaneously learning and growing as professionals.  Please also help me to thank the out-going Student Member-at-Large, Nick Kellar, for his representation over the last two years.  Specifically, Nick’s leadership and dedication led to a very successful Student Affairs Workshop at the 16th Biennial Conference, increased Biennial travel support, and vast improvements to the SMM student website.  Thank you, Nick!

Finally, I would like to thank you for entrusting me with the responsibility of representing you and your diverse needs.  I have taken this trust very seriously and will work hard to serve as your liaison with the SMM Board and to advocate on your behalf.  My short-term goals are to become familiar with the current members and agenda of the SMM Board, to work with Nick for a smooth transfer of Student Member-at-Large responsibilities, and to update the SMM student website.  Over the long-term, I aim to continue encouraging SMM student membership and Biennial participation, particularly for international students; to increase student financial support; to promote the growth of SMM student chapters; and to foster increased contact between students and professionals in our field.  If you have any thoughts, ideas, or advice about these or other topics, please feel free to contact me.