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MEETING THE NEEDS OF SCB'S STUDENT MEMBERS

The Student Affairs Committee and SCB's Board of Governors are working consistently to ensure that we meet the needs of students and encourages participation in SCB. In this dynamic period of change in technology and information-transfer, it is important for us to make sure that we are providing relevant services to student members. With this need in mind, we are soliciting feedback from students (and any other members that might have suggestions) as to what student membership in SCB should provide. Please contact committee chair Dave Patrick (dpatrick@esf.edu) with your thoughts on the following questions.

1. What do you, as a student, hope to gain from your membership in SCB?

2. What new services could SCB provide that would make being a student member more worthwhile and encourage you to remain as a member?

2008 Student Award Finalists

The 12 finalists for student awards at the 2008 annual meeting have now been identified. As in previous years, the process of selecting finalists was extremely difficult due to the overall high quality of the submissions. We would like to thank our reviewers who represented conservation professionals from all of SCB's Regional Sections. These individuals provided thorough reviews of a large number of abstracts in a short turnaround time.

The students will present their research in a special session on the afternoon of Tuesday, 15 July. We encourage all to attend; the student awards session typically is one of the best of the meeting. Reed Noss, President of the North America Section, and John Robinson, Past President of SCB, will moderate the two-part session. The session also will feature plenary presentations by two recipients of 2008 Distinguished Service Awards. Please join the Student Affairs Committee in congratulating the following individuals.

Bhojkumar Acharya (Sàlim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History, Anaikatty, Coimbatore, India): Conservation priorities based on altitudinal distribution of species in Sikkim, Eastern Himalaya

Rena Borkhataria (University of Florida, Gainesville, USA): Everglades water levels influence source-sink dynamics of endangered Wood Storks in South Florida, USA

Alison Boyer (University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, USA): Selectivity of ancient and modern avian extinctions on Pacific islands

Julia Ekstrom (University of California, Santa Barbara, USA): Measuring gaps in ocean law for ecosystem-based management

Edward Game (University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Australia): Should we protect the weak or the strong? An analysis of risk and resilience in marine protected areas

Alana Grech (James Cook University, Townsville, Australia): Rapid assessment of risks to a mobile marine mammal in an ecosystem-scale MPA network

Alexandra James (University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia): Can species reintroductions aid ecosystem restoration? A case study from arid Australia

Allison Leidner (North Carolina State University, USA): The effects of urbanization on an endemic coastal butterfly

Deborah McArdle (University of California, Santa Barbara, USA): Describing historical patterns of marine life population dynamics using a life-history approach: a 120 year history of the California spiny lobster

Thomas Morrison (Dartmouth College, USA): Estimating seasonal abundance of migratory wildebeest in northern Tanzania using a computer-assisted individual identification method

Brent Sewall (University of California, Davis, USA): Integrated ecological and social assessments for conservation planning and reserve design

Kristina Smyth (Saint Louis University, Saint Louis, USA): Do-it-yourself conservation: how home landscaping choices affect biodiversity

Thanks to our 2008 Student Mentors

We would like to thank all who served as mentors on abstracts submitted for the 2008 annual meeting. This mentoring programs was initiated in 2007 to assist students for whom English is a second language in submitting abstracts. This year professional mentors provided advice to students from a wide variety of countries including Mexico, Ghana, Egypt, India, Cameroon, and Madagascar. The time, care and attention provided by our mentors helps us to encourage and facilitate full participation in SCB by student members across the globe.

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