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Student award winners at the 2013 MAESA conference in Dover, DE are listed below.  Congratulations to all the winners!

Undergraduate Poster Presentations:

• 1st: Catherine D’Amelio (Drexel University)
• 2nd: Aleah Miller (Elizabethtown College)
• Honorable Mention: Brian Giacopelli (The College of New Jersey)

Graduate Poster Presentations:

• Two-way tie for 1st: Andrea Stoneman (Delaware State University)& Mallory Hagadorn (Salisbury University)
• Honorable Mention: Kimberly Plank (Rutgers University)

Undergraduate Oral Presentations:

• 1st: Hayley Tumas (University of Maryland, College Park)
• 2nd: Jamie Conley (Widener University)

Graduate Oral Presentations:

• 1st: Kimberly O’Keefe (Kansas State University)
• 2nd: Megan Wallrichs (Delaware State University)

The 2013 MAESA Conference is next weekend, April 13, at the Sheraton Hotel in Dover, DE.  If you plan on attending and haven’t yet registered, please do so ASAP so we can have an accurate head count for planning purposes.  You can find the registration website here.  If you registered multiple attendees under your name, please email Kimmi Swift with their names.  The conference program can be found here.

If you are planning on attending any of the field trips, please email the contacts listed below so we can get a count for the trips as well.

April 12
2:00-5:00  Tour of Tour of Del. State Univ. Woods and Claude E. Phillips Herbarium–>contact Kimmi Swift

April 13
8:00-9:30  Outing at Fordham Brewery–>contact Megan Wallrichs

April 14
8:30-1:30  Field Trip (visit St. Jones Reserve)–>contact Kimmi Swift

Online registration for the 2013 MAESA Conference in Dover, DE, is now open.

Register for 2013 MAESA Conference

*If you plan on attending, please email Kimmi Swift so we can get a head count*

The field trip to the St. Jones Reserve on Sunday, April 14th, will be free for all attendees.  The St. Jones Reserve is located approximately 15 minutes from the hotel, so we are asking for attendees to carpool to the location.  Snacks will be provided, and we will go to a local restaurant for lunch (not provided).  For our trip be sure to wear appropriate hiking gear, including hiking shoes/boots.  You may wish to bring insect repellent, sunscreen, and water.

The day’s schedule is as follows:
8:30-8:50      Meet at hotel and drive to St. Jones Reserve
9:00-11:00    Interpreter-guided tour of reserve
11:00-12:00  Tour the reserve on your own
12:15-1:30     Lunch at local restaurant

The St. Jones Reserve, located south of Dover, is part of the Delaware National
Estuarine Research Reserve (DNERR).  The approximately 3750 acre reserve stretches down a medium-salinity tidal river for about 5.5 miles, where the river empties into the Delaware Bay.

Aerial View of the St. Jones Reserve via DNREC

The reserve has a 2 mile hiking trail, with a ¼ mile boardwalk over salt marsh habitat.  The reserve’s buildings were sustainably designed with geothermal heating/cooling, a wetland-based tertiary wastewater system, and solar panels.  The reserve also houses the Delaware Native Plant Society nursery and the Alvin G. Wilson Conservation Demonstration Area.

Fordham Brewing Company has
opened their doors for a post-banquet brewery tour and beer tasting from 8-9:30p.  Fordham Brewing Company has a 300 year old history and has called Dover home since 2003, providing an excellent selection of locally brewed beers.

The event will be $10 and includes a tour of the brewery and tastings (NOTE: Closed-toe shoes are required for the tour!).

While this is planned as a student event, other interested meeting attendees are invited to attend!  Transportation will not be provided and carpooling is encouraged (Brewery is 5 miles from the Sheraton). If you are interested in attending, please email Megan Wallrichs so we can plan accordingly.

Keynote Speaker

John Agnew – “Ants in My Paints”
We are excited to announce John Agnew, an award-winning natural
history artist, as our keynote speaker for MAESA 2013.  John’s art can be viewed on his personal webpage.

John Agnew at work.

Plenary Speakers

Jeff Buler – “Radar Analysis of Fall Bird Migration Stopover Sites in the Mid-Atlantic U.S.”
Dr. Jeffrey Buler is an assistant professor at the University of Delaware, where he heads the university’s aeroecology program.  More information about Dr. Buler’s research can be found on his website.

Dr. Buler at the UD Lewes Wind Turbine

Mary Fabrizio – “Effects of Hypoxia on Chesapeake Bay Fishes”
Dr. Mary Fabrizio is an associate professor of Marine Science for the Virginia Institute of Marine Science at the College of William and Mary.  More information about Dr. Fabrizio’s research can be found on her website.

Dr. Mary Fabrizio