Course in Communicating Science Effectively

The Integration and Application Network is conducting a 5-day course in communicating science effectively. The course is being held in Annapolis, Maryland, 22-24 April, 2008. The hands-on approach means that participants come away from the course with the technical skills to effectively communicate scientific information in a variety of communication products. Further details and online registration are available on the course website.

Asian oysters: Science to inform policy decisions

Asian oyster newsletterIt has been proposed to introduce the Asian oyster (Crassostrea ariakensis) into Chesapeake Bay as one potential solution to the loss of the historic oyster fishery and ecological functions that oysters perform for Chesapeake Bay. This three-part series of newsletters summarizes: (1) the research topics addressed in the Asian oyster Environmental Impact Statement (EIS); (2) the current findings on interactions between the Asian oyster and the native oyster; and (3) the implications of an introduction on oyster disease. This effort was in collaboration with NOAA's Chesapeake Bay Office.

Attendance at the Estuarine Research Federation Conference in Providence, RI

Estuarine Research Federation Conference logoIAN, EcoCheck, and the Chesapeake Bay Program Office showed a strong presence at the Estuarine Research Federation (ERF) Conference: Science and Management Observations / Syntheses / Solutions on 4 - 8 November, 2007, in Providence, RI. Combined, over 50% of staff participated in some way at ERF. Talks were given by Tim Carruthers, Bill Dennison, Ben Fertig, Jeni Keisman, Jane Thomas, Caroline Wicks, Michael Williams, and Jing Wu, while posters were presented by Kate Hopkins, Dave Jasinski, Ben Longstaff, and Ping Wang. Presentations given by members of the Chesapeake Bay Program's Tidal Monitoring and Analysis Workgroup (TMAW) are available. Furthermore, many conceptual diagrams using IAN symbols were found in talks and posters given by other scientists at the conference.

New seagrass fact sheet

Seagrass Factsheet CoverA seagrass fact sheet was produced by the Integration and Application Network entitled "Seagrass: A Hidden Treasure" to complement a previous fact sheet entitled "Seagrasses: Prairies of the Sea". These fact sheets are part of a series of images, diagrams, and fun facts produced by the Global Seagrass Trajectories working group, funded by the National Science Foundation and conducted at the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis in Santa Barbara, California. Both seagrass fact sheets can be downloaded as pdfs from the IAN website. Drs. Bill Dennison and Tim Carruthers participated in the working group, along with a dozen seagrass colleagues from around the world.

Conservation Science Awards

BBVA PanelThe BBVA Foundation, sponsored by the BBVA bank group based in Madrid, Spain, annually awards an international prize worth 500,000 Euro. This prize for the best Scientific Research in Ecology and Conservation Biology recognizes the contribution of scientists who have significantly advanced the boundaries of theoretical, methodological, or empirical knowledge. The BBVA Foundation also sponsors an annual public scientific debate about key issues, which in 2007 was about trajectories of coastal ecosystems, hosted by Dr. Carlos Duarte. Dr. Bill Dennison contributed to the 2007 debate and has joined the international judging panel for the Scientific Research in Ecology and Conservation Biology prize and will be traveling to Madrid in January for deliberations on the 2008 prize.