LATEST NEWS

Dr. Field is an assistant professor in evolutionary paleobiology in the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Cambridge studying the macroevolutionary history of birds. Read his full profile here.

Congratulations to the 2019 Fisher Prize winner, Dr. Matthew Zuellig for his paper, “A two‐locus hybrid incompatibility is widespread, polymorphic, and active in natural populations of Mimulus” Evolution (2018) 72: 2394-2405. Read more about his elegant study here.

Reminder: Early registration for Evolution 2019 ends tonight! Register before 10:00 PM tonight, April 15, to receive the early-bird rate and apply for travel awards, apply to volunteer, or apply or the Hamilton Award symposium. Start your registration here: https://www.evolutionmeetings.org/registration.html

Tell your story at Evolution 2019!

Stories are powerful. Whether hilarious or heartbreaking, subversive or soothing, it matters who takes the stage and what stories are told. We want to hear yours and highlight the diverse voices of evolutionary biology!

On June 23, 2019, The Story Collider will host a very special edition of our live show at the Evolution Meetings in Providence. This event is organized by the ASN, SSE, and SSB Diversity Committees, with funds from each of the three societies. We are searching for five people to share true, personal stories on the theme ‘Outside the Distribution.’

All you need at this point is the seed of an idea for your story. It can be about almost anything—an important experiment, a rough day in the field, misadventure, love, loss, and more; but it must be about you. Our format does not include slides or props. It’s not the place for lectures. It’s about lived experiences. Exotic locations and exciting action never hurt, but what we care about is how you’ve grown as a result of the events in your life. If you’re selected for the show, experienced Story Collider producers will work with you for more than a month to help you prepare.

Send a brief pitch to stories@storycollider.org with “Evolution Story Idea” in the subject. The deadline for pitches is May 3, 2019. If you are curious or would like some inspiration, read more at https://www.storycollider.org/submissions or browse The Story Collider podcast archive at http://soundcloud.com/the-story-collider.

Earlier this year, the SSE Public Policy Committee offered grants to four SSE members to attend science communication and advocacy training held by the American Institute for Biological Sciences (AIBS) on March 25-27 in Washington, DC. In addition to the training, participants spoke with their elected congressional representatives during meetings organized by AIBS. Continue reading to hear from two SSE-funded participants about their experiences.

The SSE Graduate Student Advisory Council (GSAC) is in search of three additional PhD student members to serve in the 2020 cohort! GSAC values diversity, and encourages applications from the full diversity of the student and postdoc evolutionary biology community, including (but not limited to) all aspects of identity and background, types of institution, or scientific approach. Applicants should be organized, possess leadership skills, and be interested in working with SSE members to contribute to the society. The GSAC represents student and postdoc interests to the SSE Council and facilitates interaction among students and postdocs and between students, postdocs, and mentors. Our goal is to become a source of information for students to use both during their graduate school career and as they make career transitions. Apply HERE by April 15!

The SSE Council invites proposals for two SSE-sponsored symposia to be held at the 2020 Evolution meeting in Cleveland, OH, USA on June 19-23, 2020. SSE Council considers the novelty of the topic and likely interest among its members when selecting symposia to sponsor. Sub-fields or taxonomic groups that have been underrepresented in past symposia will be considered preferentially. Previous sponsored symposia are listed on the SSE webpage along with detailed instructions for preparing proposals.

SSE Council seriously considers the diversity of participants as a criterion for symposium funding. Symposium organizers are expected to take into account gender, seniority, nationality, and other axes of diversity traditionally underrepresented in Society symposia, and to describe their efforts in the proposal.

To be assured of full consideration, proposals must be received by midnight Eastern Standard Time on June 1, 2019. Read more here.

This program sends undergraduate students to the annual Evolution meeting to (i) present a poster, (ii) receive mentoring from graduate students, postdocs, and faculty, and (iii) participate in a career-oriented 'Undergraduate Futures in Evolutionary Biology' panel and discussion. The program is funded by SSE and the BEACON Center for Evolution in Action. Each selected awardee receives conference registration, round-trip airfare, dorm accommodations (double occupancy), a $200 meal stipend, and a ticket to the Super Social. Deadline March 31. Learn more here.

Are you a current or recent graduate student presenting a talk based on your graduate work at Evolution 2019? Considering applying for the W.D. Hamilton Award during meeting registration. 15 finalists will be selected to present during the day-long Hamilton Symposium on Saturday, June 22. Finalists receive a $500 travel stipend, and the best talk will receive the W.D. Hamilton Award and $1000. Register by April 15 if you wish to apply. Learn more about the award here.

SSE is offering 50 travel stipends, $500 each, for graduate students and postdocs to attend the meeting. Recipients must present a talk or poster at the meeting. Application is part of meeting registration. Researchers at various careers stages working in low-GDP countries may be eligible for the SSE International Travel Stipend, which may cover travel and lodging expenses. Each meeting attendee may only receive one society-sponsored travel award. Learn more here.

Have questions about life outside of academia? The Diverse Careers Workshop, held Friday, June 21 at 1:00 PM at the Evolution 2019 conference in Providence, RI, offers information and resources for graduate students about a wide variety of evolutionary biology careers. The workshop will allow students to interact with PhDs in a variety of fields in small groups. Registration required; sign up during meeting registration. Learn more about past workshops here.

This year’s contest invites scientists and science educators (students, postdocs, faculty, and full- or part-time science communicators) to make a 3-minute-or-less video telling an interesting evolution story in a fun, creative way. The finalists will be screened at the Evolution 2019 conference on Saturday, June 22 at 7:30 PM. Learn more on the film festival website.

The SSE Diversity Committee is partnering with ASN, SSB, and the Story Collider to bring you “Stories from Outside the Distribution”, featuring personal accounts from a diverse group of evolutionary biologists. Sign up during meeting registration. $10 for students and postdocs; $15 for faculty.

Are you interested in promoting scientific research to the public and legislators, but are not sure how to get started? This event, which will feature a panel of experts in science policy, will equip you with the tools you need to begin engaging with key decision makers in your community. Sign up during meeting registration. $15, includes lunch.

We would like to extend a warm welcome to our first honorary lifetime members, 2018 Nobel Laureates Dr. Frances Arnold, Sir Gregory Winter, and Dr. George Smith. They shared the 2018 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their pioneering work in directed evolution. You can read an article highlighting this award and its significance for evolutionary biology here.

The SSE Graduate Student Advisory Council (GSAC) is in search of three additional PhD student members to serve in the 2020 cohort. The GSAC represents student and postdoc interests to the SSE Council and facilitates interaction among students and postdocs and between students, postdocs, and mentors. Their goal is to become a source of information for students to use both during their graduate school career and as they make career transitions. To learn more about how to apply, visit the GSAC page. Applications due April 15.

The GREG R.C. Lewontin Early Awards assist students in the early stages of their Ph.D. programs by enabling them to collect preliminary data or to enhance the scope of their research beyond current funding limits. Last year, 21 students received this award. Continue reading to hear from eight recipients about the impact of receiving this award. 

Are you interested in hosting a K-12 teacher in your lab this summer? The Teachers Researching Evolution program, run by BEACON Education and Outreach and supported by the SSE Education and Outreach Committee with funds from Wiley Publishers, will provide support for three teachers this summer. If you would like to host a teacher, please complete the interest form (https://goo.gl/forms/1pykVgnELNEOCzLy2) by Friday, March 22. Continue reading to learn more about how you can participate.

The Society for the Study of Evolution (SSE) seeks nominations of faculty members for four open positions on SSE Council to begin January 1, 2020. These positions include:

1. President-Elect (1 position, 3-year term)
2. Non-North American Vice-President (1 position, 2-year term)
3. Council Member (2 positions, 3-year terms)

To learn more about the responsibilities for these offices please see the SSE Handbook for Council and Committee Members.

If you are interested in nominating yourself or another individual for Council, please complete the nomination form by April 1, 2019, which is available here:  https://goo.gl/forms/P6H9Rj4H0r05GG1y1

On the form you will be asked to provide: i) the nominee’s name, ii) contact information, and iii) a brief rationale for the nomination.

SSE values diversity on Council, and we particularly encourage nominations of individuals that represent the full diversity of the evolutionary biology community, including (but not limited to) all aspects of identity and background, types of institution, or scientific approach. All candidates for election to Council must be SSE members at the time they are listed on the ballot. Nominations will be reviewed by the Nominating Committee (Marc Johnson, Anne Charmantier, and Johanna Schmitt) and the current SSE Council.

Questions can be addressed to the Chair of the Nominating Committee, Marc Johnson (marc.johnson@utoronto.ca).

We're excited to announce the launch of the new SSE Community Blog! Check out the welcome message from our new Blog Editor Fellow, Dr. Sasha Mushegian, and stay tuned for new posts starting this Friday, March 8!

Registration for Evolution 2019 is now open! The conference will be held in Providence, RI, USA from April 21-25. It is the joint annual conference of the Society for the Study of Evolution, the Society of Systematic Biologists, and the American Society of Naturalists. Members of any of these Societies receive discounted registration. Fees cover attendance at all scientific events over June 22-25, including concurrent sessions, symposia, spotlight sessions, plenary addresses, and three evening poster sessions with light food (drink tickets included). A small additional fee covers registration for the Super Social, to be held the last night of the conference at the riverfront Skyline venue. Childcare will be offered free of charge. Safe Evolution conference policies and response procedures will be in place to ensure a safe, inclusive environment for all participants. Learn more about the various travel awards, housing options, and special events on the meeting website. Early registration closes April 15!

Keep an eye out for the opening of registration for Evolution 2019 in Providence, RI on June 21-25. You can view registration rates on the meeting website. SSE members receive $100 off registration. A variety of travel awards are available to undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and international researchers. View the full list here. Graduate students will also have the opportunity to apply during registration to volunteer at the conference to receive a rebate equal to early student registration fees.

The GREG – R.C. Lewontin Early Awards are to assist students in the early stages of their Ph.D. programs by enabling them to collect preliminary data (to pursue additional sources of support) or to enhance the scope of their research beyond current funding limits (e.g. by visiting additional field sites, or working at other labs). Awards will be made up to $2500. Proposals are due February 15. Learn more and apply here.

The SSE Education and Outreach Committee is pleased to announce the T. H. Huxley award, which recognizes and promotes the development of high quality evolution education resources. This award provides funding for an SSE member to present evolution education resources at the National Association of Biology Teachers annual conference. If you have an interesting project or educational activity to share, consider applying for this award. Graduate students and postdoctoral fellows are especially encouraged to apply. Learn more here and apply by March 24.