LATEST NEWS

Each month we highlight individuals or programs that have received funding from SSE. This month we hear from RADCamp NYC 2019, which received funding through the Early-Career Vocational Opportunities (EVO) Workshops grants:

“Last year we received $1500 from the Society for the Study of Evolution for an Early-Career Vocational Opportunities Workshop and $1500 in ad hoc funding from the Society for Systematic Biology to run the RADCampNYC-2019 workshop. Our goal for this workshop was to teach participants how to generate and analyze RADseq data to understand genetic differences among species/populations. During this workshop, we were able to provide a diverse group of participants with hands-on training across a broad array of techniques from lab work to bioinformatic processing, and statistical inference. Participants arrived for part 1 with extractions in hand from 16 samples, and left at the end of part 2 with an assembled pilot dataset and a phylogeny & PCA plot generated from their real data. The success of this workshop was due in no small part to the financial contributions of SSE and SSB. Look out for RADCamp 2020 hopefully coming this summer.” 

The Society for the Study of Evolution and the American Society of Naturalists are deeply saddened to convey that George W. Gilchrist, a long-time member of our community, recently passed away. 

George earned his BS at Arizona State University working on butterflies with Ron Rutowski, his MS at Brown on damselflies with Jon Waage, and his PhD at the University of Washington with Joel Kingsolver working on the evolution of thermal sensitivity (1993). He then completed a postdoc with Ray Huey at the University of Washington on experimental evolution of thermal sensitivity in Drosophila. George extended his work on the evolutionary genetics of Drosophila while in faculty positions at Clarkson University and the College of William and Mary before becoming a long-time Program Director (Division of Environmental Biology) at the National Science Foundation. For 10 years, George was the liaison between the Education and Outreach Committees of ASN and SSE. His impact on our science and young scientists has been exceptional.

George’s family has asked that a fund be created in his honor to support additional graduate student research and travel to the annual Evolution meetings.

Donations in George’s honor can be made through SSE here or through ASN here.

Join us for an outstanding conference in one of the coolest cities in N. America - Cleveland Rocks! Registration and talk/poster submission are now open! Register first and then you will be able to submit a presentation. We anticipate 1700-2000 attendees, 1,000+ talks, and 400+ posters. Put your talk in the spotlight by submitting to a Spotlight Session. There will be a variety of symposia, plenaries, spotlight and contributed talk sessions, and evening poster sessions/mixers. On Friday before, and throughout  the conference, there are a variety of workshops, special events, and networking opportunities. Your registration includes admission to all of this, as well as morning and afternoon coffee breaks (with snacks), the Friday evening opening reception and Gould lecture, and three evening poster receptions/mixers. This year our Tuesday evening Super Social is at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Evol2020 strives for Inclusiveness and diversity and we are offering diverse social programs as well as Free Childcare, Science Knows No Borders, and Sustainability programs. Look around on the meeting website for more information including hotel accommodations and dorm housing. Share your plans for the meeting on social media using #Evol2020!

SSE Council is pleased to announce the recipient of the inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award, Dr. Deborah Charlesworth. Dr. Charlesworth has been a key champion for the field of evolutionary biology. Her wide-ranging work has led to crucial insights into some of the most important outstanding evolutionary questions. She has also shown a tireless commitment to mentorship and encouragement of young scientists in evolutionary biology as an exemplary mentor and role model. Furthermore, she has served the evolution community as president of both the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution and the European Society for Evolutionary Biology. Congratulations, Dr. Charlesworth!

In the New Faculty Profiles, we invite highlighted faculty to discuss their research, describe how SSE has impacted their career, and share any tips or stories they may have for other researchers. This month we highlight Dr. Felipe Zapata.

In the New Faculty Profiles, we invite highlighted faculty to discuss their research, describe how SSE has impacted their career, and share any tips or stories they may have for other researchers. This month we highlight Dr. Vanessa Koelling.

DEADLINE EXTENDED TO FEBRUARY 21, 2020

The SSE Public Policy Committee is pleased to offer grants to SSE members to attend science communication and advocacy training held by the American Institute for Biological Sciences (AIBS) on April 20-22 in Washington, DC. In addition to the training, participants will speak with their elected congressional representatives during meetings organized by AIBS. Scientists and graduate students who are interested in communicating the importance of federal investments in scientific research and education to lawmakers are encouraged to participate in this valuable workshop. Funding will cover economy travel and reasonable lodging.

To apply, please complete this application and provide a brief (250 words or less) statement describing your interest in participating in federal policy making and what issues you would like to address. Applications are due February 21, 2020.

Read statements from previously funded participants here. Apply here.

The SSE Diversity Committee (DC) seeks to add two new members starting in 2020. The DC works to create a professional society that is supportive of members from all backgrounds through several main actions: by broadening representation to the SSE Executive Council, by pursuing initiatives that support underrepresented groups, and by creating an inclusive, accessible environment at the Evolution conference. Continue reading to learn more.

Congratulations to all the SSE officers elected in the 2020 election! On January 1, the current SSE Council will be joined by Lynda Delph as President-Elect, Andrea Case as returning Executive Vice President, Ophelie Ronce as Vice President, and Joel McGlothlin and Nicole Valenzuela as Councilors. We are pleased to announce the proposal to create a new Treasurer position passed. We welcome Chris Caruso as our newly elected Treasurer! We also welcome new GSAC President-Elect Elizabeth Carlen and GSAC members Catherine Chen and Erin Giglio.

We extend a heartfelt thank you to our Council members who are rotating off: Hopi Hoekstra as Past President, Tracey Chapman as Vice President, Jodie Wiggins as GSAC Past Chair, Daniel Matute and Trisha Wittkopp as Councilors, and José Cerca and Melissa Plakke as GSAC members. We would also like to voice our appreciation for the Evolution Associate Editors who are rotating off. Thank you all for your hard work on behalf of the Society!

Congratulations to the 2019 recipients of the Graduate Research Excellence Grant - Rosemary Grant Advanced Awards! 

View the full list of previous winners here: http://www.evolutionsociety.org/content/society-awards-and-prizes/graduate-research-excellence-grants.html#gregwinners

The Society for the Study of Evolution (SSE) is pleased to announce the 2020 Graduate Research Excellence Grant (GREG) – R.C. Lewontin Award competition. These awards are to assist student members in the early stages of their Ph.D. programs. These grants are part of the Graduate Research Excellence Grants award program. Only Ph.D. students in their first two years of their programs are eligible. Awards will range from $1,500 - $2500 and approximately twenty awards will be made. Proposals are due February 15, 2020. Learn more here.

SSE is pleased to announce the 2020 Stephen Jay Gould Prize for the Understanding of Evolution. This award recognizes, promotes, and rewards individuals who have increased public understanding of evolutionary biology and its place in modern science. 

The award will include a cash prize of $5,000, and the recipient will present the Public Outreach Seminar at the 2020 Evolution Meeting in Cleveland, OH on June 19-23. The awardee should be a leader in evolutionary thought and in public outreach who can deliver an inspiring lecture for both professionals and the broader public. Nominees do not need to be members of SSE. Nominations are due January 15. Learn more here.

The Theodosius Dobzhansky Prize is awarded annually to recognize the accomplishments and future promise of an outstanding young evolutionary biologist. We consider candidates working on all areas of evolutionary biology, broadly defined. We value diversity, and are seeking a broad and diverse applicant pool from all axes and components of diversity in the evolutionary biology community. Nominees do not need to be members of SSE. The Dobzhansky Prize is accompanied by a check for U.S. $5000 and funds to attend the annual Evolution meeting. Nominations are due January 31. Learn more here.

The R. A. Fisher Prize is awarded annually for an outstanding Ph.D. dissertation paper published in the journal Evolution during a given calendar year. To be eligible for consideration, a manuscript must be based on graduate work of the primary author. The manuscript must have been published in an issue of the journal Evolution in 2019 (Volume 73). Nominees do not need to be members of SSE. The Fisher Prize is accompanied by a check for U.S. $1000 and funds to attend the annual Evolution meeting. Nominations are due January 31. Learn more here.

These grants provide support for local and regional educational outreach activities to take place during 2020. It is our hope that these projects will lead to ongoing outreach collaboration in future years. Preference will be given to new collaborations, but extensions of previous projects that have evidence of success are allowed. Amounts requested may be up to $1000. Proposals are due January 18. Learn more here.

See the SSE Sponsorship Highlight below for an example of a funded Small Grants program.

In the New Faculty Profiles, we invite highlighted faculty to discuss their research, describe how SSE has impacted their career, and share any tips or stories they may have for other researchers. This month we highlight Dr. Genevieve Kozak.

In the New Faculty Profiles, we invite highlighted faculty to discuss their research, describe how SSE has impacted their career, and share any tips or stories they may have for other researchers. This month we highlight Dr. Diogo Borges Provete.</p>

 When someone asks me if I’ve “seen the Amazon,” I think it reveals that people don’t know what the Amazon forest really is. I was born in Manaus, a city in the middle of the Amazon; the Amazon Forest is my home. I studied biology, but my contact with the forest began when I was a child. Like my parents, I was raised to like and respect nature.

Continue reading Érica M. S. Souza’s story on the SSE Community Blog.

From evALLution organizer Telma Laurentino:

The SSE local and regional outreach grant was the main funding source of our inclusive outreach activity: evALLution. These funds allowed us to acquire materials to bring our multi-sensory tree-of-life to… life! The activity taught more than 100 participants - from 5 to 90 years old - about evolution, including 40 participants with visual disability. The funds allowed us to set up a multi-sensory phylogeny with specimens and materials representative of 20 taxonomic groups for everyone to touch, which allowed the people with visual disability to experience biodiversity like never before, while learning about adaptation, natural selection and common ancestry! Smiles were wide and constant and the data we collected show that when knowledge is made accessible everyone can learn and everyone benefits. For this, we are extremely grateful to SSE for supporting our idea and helping us make the wonders of evolution available to ALL. 

Watch a video of the event here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4o3JLsXH12w

Learn more about the evALLution program in Telma's post on the SSE Community Blog: https://ssecommunityblog.org/evallution-3-lessons-the-blind-community-taught-us-about-inclusive-teaching-of-evolution/

Learn more about the Small Grants program here: http://www.evolutionsociety.org/index.php?module=content&type=user&func=view&pid=19

SSE elections are now open through November 27! All members should have received an email with a link to the 2020 candidates' statements and the ballot. Members have the opportunity to vote for the 2020 President-Elect, Executive Vice President, Non-North American Vice President, and two Councillors. The ballot also includes a proposed Constitutional amendment to create a new position of Treasurer and a candidate for that position if the amendment passes. Cast your vote today!

The 2019 transparency report from the ASN/SSE/SSB Evolution Meetings Code of Conduct Committee is now available. Each year, the Code of Conduct Committee will release a transparency report summarizing incidents, consequences, and related changes. The Code of Conduct has a strong emphasis on confidentiality; reports have been aggregated to avoid inadvertently linking reporters or respondents to incidents or any sanctions. The goal of this transparency report is to provide the community with a sense of how the Code of Conduct functions so they can build trust in the process, if such trust is warranted, and recommend improvements. Read the full report here. Learn more about the Safe Evolution program here.

The SSE New Faculty Profiles series highlights and introduces up-and-coming PIs in SSE. We invite highlighted faculty to discuss their research, describe how SSE has impacted their career, and share any tips or stories they may have for other researchers. Find out how to submit a nomination here.

This month we highlight Dr. Emily Josephs. Dr. Josephs is an assistant professor in the Plant Biology department at Michigan State University studying how various evolutionary forces shape patterns of genetic variation and trait variation in natural and domesticated plant species. Read her full profile here.

The SSE New Faculty Profiles series highlights and introduces up-and-coming PIs in SSE. We invite highlighted faculty to discuss their research, describe how SSE has impacted their career, and share any tips or stories they may have for other researchers. Find out how to submit a nomination here. 

This month we highlight Dr. Jonathan Puritz. Dr. Puritz is an assistant professor in the Biological Sciences Department at University of Rhode Island studying how natural and anthropogenic processes affect the evolution of marine populations through the lens of larval dispersal. Read his full profile here.

“I started doing research as an undergraduate student at the University of Sao Paulo in my native Brazil. By the time I was starting my master’s degree at the same university, I was very much set on a research career, but at that point I had never seriously entertained the possibility of leaving Brazil for a PhD. The thought had crossed my mind, but I thought it wasn’t for me: the process of finding a suitable advisor and lab, applying for a graduate program and moving overseas just seemed daunting.”

Continue reading for Rafael’s step-by-step primer for international students applying to PhD programs in the US. 

This month we highlight the 8th Annual Evolution Film Festival/Video Contest. Every year, scientists, science communicators and science film-makers are invited to submit an original, short (three-minute-or-less) video which tells an interesting story of evolution in a creative, engaging, entertaining way. The finalists are screened at the annual Evolution meeting and audience members vote on their favorite. As in previous years, SSE sponsored this year’s event by providing cash prizes for the winner ($1,000) and runner-up ($500).

This year’s winner (“How to Make Humans Sick”) was submitted by Noah Resnick of Arbor Vitae Animations and can be viewed here. The runner up was high school student Josh Mott of Largo, FL, who submitted “Josh’s Evolution Exploration” (view it here).