How do researchers share their most recent findings? By presenting at scientific conferences and meetings! Many professional organizations host annual or bi-annual conferences to share common-interest research. In February and March, I presented my research at two conferences, read on to find out more about each!
20th Western Groundfish Conference
February 13-16, 2018 in Seaside, California
Western Groundfish conference attendees study the biology, ecology and population dynamics of West Coast groundfish species. This conference meets every two years at a different location along the U.S. West Coast (including Alaska!). What is a groundfish you ask? It’s any fish species that is associated with the benthic (bottom) marine habitat. Think halibut, rockfish, skates and rays, lingcod, etc. I presented my research studying the effects of food and water temperature on Rosy Rockfish reproduction. Attending conferences is also a great way to connect and re-connect with researchers and colleagues in your field that do similar work all over the country!
52nd Annual Cal-Neva AFS Meeting
February 28 – March 2, 2018, San Luis Obispo, California
Cal-Neva is a sub-division of the American Fisheries Society (AFS). AFS is a scientific community that has broad interests in both freshwater and marine fish and fisheries throughout the United States. At this regional meeting, I saw many great talks on freshwater and anadromous fish research in California, and a few marine talks, including mine!
In 2018, I served as the secretary for the Santa Cruz-Monterey Bay Area Sub-unit (SCMBAS) of AFS, which is a group of fish-minded students and other participants at UCSC and nearby Universities. This year, our sub-unit was awarded a travel grant to attend the Cal-Neva meeting and also the Best Student Sub-unit! SCMBAS members continued to rock the awards throughout the meeting, including the Best Student Presentations: 1st place-Megan Sabal (UCSC-SCMBAS), 2nd place- Katherine Dale (UCSC-SCMBAS), 3rd place- me!! Congrats to everyone for bravely sharing their awesome research!
For a creative idea on how to take notes at a conference or meeting, our group’s President, Katherine Dale, has perfected the art (literally!) of “sketchnotes”. She shared her sketchnotes from my presentation, which look fantastic! Kat studies eel larvae, check out her website here. Thanks for sharing Kat!
Sabrina G. Beyer 