This letter is an invitation to present a 20 minute talk as part of an Earth Month "Science Saturday" Conservation Day Symposium on Saturday, April 11th, 2015 at Detroit’s Belle Isle Aquarium, as part of our celebration of April as Earth Month.
To participate, please submit a 5-sentence abstract of a 20-minute presentation by return email on the form below. Relevant topics include water conservation, watersheds, aquatic wildlife, Great Lakes ecology, fish conservation, and other conservation topics.Your talk could add to the range of submissions which include presentations on non-native species and on biodiversity of the Detroit River. Submission deadline for abstracts: Friday, March 27, 2015 (a two-day extension of a previously announced deadline). Talks will be scheduled between 11 am and 3:30 pm.
Venue: This Conservation Day Symposium will be held in the Belle Isle Aquarium (900 Inselruhe Ave, Detroit 48207) in Belle Isle State Park. The aquarium and the adjacent botanical conservatory were designed in the early 1900’s to bring the majesty of the natural world into the experience of the public and have become a magnificent space for inspiring reverence for biodiversity. The Aquarium is open every Saturday and Sunday from 10 am to 4 pm with outstanding, unique collections that include air-breathing fish, educational displays about invasive species, conservation activities and research, and diverse exhibits of Great Lakes, South American, African, and marine species.
Please feel free to extend this invitation to interested colleagues, team members or students who might be interested in speaking or leading a discussion.
Sincerely,
Jeffrey Ram, Ph.D., Belle Isle Aquarium Director of Science Education
Professor, Wayne State University
Proposed presentation (for 20 minute talk):
|
Send in this form by return email by March 27, 2015 to jeffram@gmail.com with the subject line “Conservation Day”
[ ] I am interested in presenting in the Conservation Day Symposium
[ ] I am interested in presenting at the Aquarium but cannot attend this particular event.
Presentation Title: ______________________________
______________________________
Presenter Name: ______________________________
Coauthor names, if any: ______________________________
Organization: ______________________________
Email address: ______________________________
Abstract (5 sentences, maximum; see example below):
Short Biography (5 sentences, maximum; see example below):
Event Details
|
No registration fee will be charged. Entrance to the Aquarium is free.
We expect to accept most submissions; however, we reserve the right to reject a submission or suggest a poster presentation depending on the number and theme of abstracts submitted.
All are invited to visit the Aquarium whether or not presenting in this symposium.
Example Abstract
|
Lake sturgeon have been decimated in the Great Lakes since the days when their prolific fishery was exploited in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Studies of sturgeon spawning environments indicated that artificial reefs might yield an increase in spawning in the St. Clair River and the Detroit River. Artificial reefs have been built in both rivers with varying results, with lake sturgeon having been observed spawning on some reefs but not on others. Ongoing improvements in the number, size, and genetic diversity of lake sturgeon in these locations will be described. The building of lake sturgeon spawning reefs represent a success in using the analysis of sturgeon ecological needs and creating conditions for recovery.
Example Biography (names have been fictionalized in this example)
|
Robert Smith is a Senior Environmental Scientist with the Great Lakes State Water Commission’s Aquatic Species Conservation Program. He has extensive experience in a wide range of issues relating to freshwater endangered species and currently leads GLSWC’s efforts to develop restoration protocols. Before joining GLSWC, Bob was part of the National Biodiversity Research Center’s Restoration Program, where he did genetic studies of rare and endangered species. Bob earned his Master of Science in Ecology and Systematics from Bay State University and a BS in Biology from Peninsula State College.
