2008 AFS Annual Meeting Ottawa

UPDATE (August 2008)

The winners of the 2008 American Fisheries Society Awards were announced during the Annual Meeting in Ottawa, on August 17-21. They were honoured for their contributions to the American Fisheries Society, to their profession, and to resource conservation. Several Awards were won by Ontario Chapter Members, including:

AWARD OF EXCELLENCE – Presented to an AFS member for original and outstanding contributions to fisheries science and aquatic biology.
Winner: John M. Casselman, Queen’s University and Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, retired

SKINNER AWARD – The John E. Skinner Memorial Fund was established to provide monetary travel awards for deserving graduate students or exceptional undergraduate students to attend the AFS Annual Meeting.
Winner: Cindy Chu, Trent University

J. FRANCES ALLEN SCHOLARSHIP – Awarded to a female AFS Member and doctoral candidate who is conducting aquatic research.
Runner-up: Karen Murchie, Carleton University

STUDENT WRITING CONTEST

Winner: Karen Murchie, Carleton University “Stalking the flats in the name of science”
Second Place: Connie O’Connor, Carleton University “What doesn’t kill fish doesn’t necessarily make them stronger: Understanding the long-term population consequences of stress”

UPDATE (June 2008)

Continue your Education in Ottawa: A great variety of workshops will be offered at the AFS Annual Meeting in Ottawa, August 16th and 17th. From technical skill building to leadership training and GIS principles and application: all adding up to expanding your career horizons and at a reasonable cost to you. See a list of the 2008 Continuing Education Courses and remember to sign up when you register for the meeting. Please note the following: Number of students per workshop is limited; AFS reserves the right to cancel any undersubscribed workshop; and Registration Deadline is July 25th. We hope to see you there! .

The AFS Annual Student Career Fair will take place Tuesday, August 19th, 2008, between 5:00 – 7:00pm at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier Drawing Room in Ottawa. Employers, make sure to book your exhibition table at the 2008 Career Fair, held during the AFS annual meeting in Ottawa. This event enables employers to meet with students and young professionals to discuss employment opportunities in fisheries-related fields. If you are interested in booking an exhibition table at the 2008 Career Fair, please contact Michael Donaldson.

UPDATE (May 2008)

Online registration for the 2008 American Fisheries Society meeting is now available. To register, visit the AFS Annual Meeting 2008 website. Early Rate Deadline: July 15, 2008. Online Registration Ends: August 5, 2008.

The Program Committee is seeking approximately 50 volunteers to serve as moderators of Contributed Paper sessions. The role of the moderator is to introduce speakers and ensure that speakers do not exceed their allotted time so that the program stays on schedule. The maximum time commitment is a one-half day (i.e. a morning or afternoon set of talks). If you are interested in serving as a moderator, please notify Program co-chair Nigel Lester by June 6, 2008. If you have a preference for moderating a specific session, please pick from the list of sessions. The schedules of Symposia and Contributed Paper sessions are now available on the annual meeting website. To view, see the Program on the AFS Annual Meeting 2008 website.

UPDATE (March 2008)

“The AFS Annual Meeting has always been a great opportunity for students to learn, share ideas, develop connections, and most of all, to have fun. Education, networking, and fun are the three predominant themes that we wish to highlight for the exciting student activities that are planned for the AFS Annual Meeting in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, 17–21 August 2008. The meeting will provide students with the opportunity to deliver and observe conference presentations, participate in student activities, and best of all, socialize and enjoy the great entertainment that Ottawa has to offer. This column aims to highlight these opportunities and to provide a “sneak peek” into the fun and exciting student activities that are planned for AFS Ottawa 2008 and to provide information to ensure a smooth travel experience”. To read the entire article, see the Student’s Angle Column in the February 2008  issue (Vol. 33 No. 2) of Fisheries.

UPDATE (February 2008)

The Ontario Chapter has established a travel award to help support student attendance at the 138th AFS Annual Meeting in Ottawa, Ontario (17-21 August 2008). To be eligible to receive this award, you must be a student member of the Ontario Chapter of the American Fisheries Society. Completed applications must be received no later than March 31, 2008. Limit answers to the space provided, additional material will not be considered.

UPDATE (December-January 2007)

The Program including Planned Symposia, Contributed Oral and Poster Papers, Significant Dates, New Information for Students, Submit an Abstract and Request for meeting room are now online. The deadline for submitting Symposium proposals is January 11, 2008. Check the AFS Annual Meeting 2008 website for details and contact information. When developing a proposal, please take time to think about how the new ‘speed presentation’ format could fit in your symposium. The President’s Hook in the December 2007 issue (Vol. 32, No. 12) of Fisheries also discusses this new format. The deadline for submitting a Contributed Paper (oral or poster) is February 8, 2008. The AFS Annual Meeting 2008 website is now receiving abstracts.

UPDATE (October 2007)

The official website of the AFS Annual Meeting 2008 in Ottawa is now online and the 1st Call for Papers is available.

UPDATE (July 2007)

The logo for the 2008 AFS Annual Meeting in Ottawa has been finalized.

UPDATE (June 2007)

Planning is well underway for the 2008 AFS Annual Meeting in Ottawa. The meeting dates are August 17-21, 2008 and will be held at the Ottawa Westin and the Ottawa Congress Centre, across the street from the Chateau Laurier. The theme of the 2008 meeting is “Fisheries in Flux”.

Dave Maraldo, Manager of Fisheries Section, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources is chairing the coordinating committee for the meeting and the Ontario Chapter of the American Fisheries Society, represented by Jack Imhof, President-elect, is the host chapter.

The Coordinating Committee has been meeting regularly since January of this year to set the foundations for the meeting, establish the committee structure and begin the task of finalizing a budget, the venue and all activities. We are now asking for help from members of the Ontario Chapter to assist us by volunteering to assist with the work of at least one of the meeting committees listed below (see April 2007 Update).

Not since 1988 has the AFS Annual Meeting been held in Ontario. This is a wonderful opportunity to get involved with a professional meeting that focuses on your interests. Whether you are a professional or student, it will be a busy but rewarding experience. The amount of work and time commitment will vary between committees, although most of the major activity will likely occur about one year from now. Of course, more hands make less work, so the more chapter members that become involved, the less work individuals will need to do.

We would welcome your involvement in this Meeting on one of our committees. If you are interested, please send your Name, E-mail Address, Phone Number, and Committee(s) you wish to volunteer to Dave Maraldo, General Meeting Chair or Jack Imhof, AFS-OC President and we will forward your name to the appropriate committee chair.

UPDATE (April 2007)

The first face-to-face meeting of the preliminary AFS 2008 Organizing Committee was held from April 2-4, 2007 in Ottawa. Included in the meeting were Dr. Mary Fabrizio, President-elect, AFS, Gus Rassam, Executive Director, AFS and preliminary committee members (see below). The meeting included an overview from all sub-committee chairs, a tour and discussion of the facilities at the Westin and the Ottawa Convention Center and a tour of tourist sites and possible social venues with a representative of Ottawa Tourism.

The theme of the meeting will be “Fisheries in Flux”. Many of the organizing committee chairs have now been determined:

• General Meeting Chair – Dave Maraldo
• Communications Committee – Burton McClelland
• Social Committee – Tracy Smith
• Fund Raising Committee – Deb Martin-Downs
• Finance Committee – Elaine Philp
• Local Arrangements Committee – Barbara Adams
• Program Committee – Mark Ridgeway & Nigel Lester
• Student Activities Committee – Michael Donaldson & Steve Cooke

The lead person for the Ontario Chapter, will be Jack Imhof and the Canadian Aquatic Resources (CARS) lead will be Martin Castonquay. Current efforts involve developing a logo, organizing social events and preparing a potential sponsor list. Volunteers to serve on these committees or to assist at the meeting are being sought. Get involved by contacting any of the Committee Chairs.