Thursday, January 12, 2012

Grad Hosted Speaker events - January 26 & 27!

Hello grads!

It's that time again: the annual Grad-Hosted Speaker event is upon us! Mark January 26 and 27 on your calendars, because these days are going to be action-packed.

Thursday, January 26: We welcome our 2012 speaker, Dr. Daniel Pauly! Dr. Pauly will, of course, be delivering the departmental seminar at 3:30, but there will also be opportunities to meet with him earlier in the day. If you are interested in meeting with Dr. Pauly, either individually or as a group, please email Nicole Gerbrandt (nicole_gerbrandt@sfu.ca) to book a time. There will be half-hour slots throughout the day, as well as an hour-long meeting session over lunch. Slots are limited, so get in touch soon! See below for Dr. Pauly's mini-bio.

Friday, January 27: The third annual Biology Graduate Research Olympiad! Each lab in the biology department is invited to present a three-minute talk that sums up who you are, what you do, and why you do it. The talk can include any and all members of the lab, and multimedia presentations are welcome (and encouraged!). There will be excellent prizes for the top three talks, and some sweet door prizes as well. Most importantly, though, you'll be judged by our esteemed visitor, Dr. Daniel Pauly! He'll be joined by some familiar faces from the department who are ALWAYS willing to consider a bribe...this event will be followed by a social [at the highland pub], where you can enjoy some caucus-funded drinks and snacks.

So, the take-home messages:

- E-mail Nicole (nicole_gerbrandt@sfu.ca) if you'd like to meet with Daniel Pauly on Jan. 26
- E-mail me if your lab would like to present a three-minute talk at the Olympiad on Jan. 27

See you all there!

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Dr. Daniel Pauly is a Professor at the UBC Fisheries Centre and Zoology Department and the Principal Investigator of the Sea Around Us Project. The project aims to study the impact of fisheries on marine ecosystems on a global scale, and to develop fisheries management solutions. Dr. Pauly has published over 500 scientific papers, numerous reports and books on fisheries management and ecosystem modelling. Many of the ideas, methods and software that he has (co- )developed are used worldwide. These include the online database, www.fishbase.org , containing information of 32000 fish species, and the Ecopath modelling approach and software at www.ecopath.org . He is often profiled in journals or media, and is described by those that work with him as "unendingly energetic, bursting with ideas, demanding and intensely interactive." His efforts have been recognized with countless awards, including four honorary doctorates and being elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (Academy of Science) in 2003.http://www.fisheries.ubc.ca/members/dpauly/

-- 
Jeanette Bruce, BISC graduate caucus chair
MSc. candidate