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"University of Madison-Wisconsin SEEDS Ecology" » Madison, Wisconsin
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The UW-Madison SEEDS Ecology Group: (1) fosters interaction among ecologists at UW-Madison and beyond through communication and outreach; (2) promotes the unique diversity, breadth, and scope of UW-Madison ecological research and education; and (3) provides a gateway to information about UW-Madison ecology to people both within and outside the university. |
Plans for 2008-2009
For all of our events this coming year, we hope to improve attendance with
undergraduates. This past year’s job fair and the spring symposium helped to
engage students not previously involved in MEG events. With an increased mailing
list, we feel we will be able to better draw from the undergraduate population.
- MEG Field Trips- The Graduate Committee has a number of ideas for trips for the coming year, although none are as yet planned. We would like to continue the trips to nearby field sites as a means of sharing research. Another limnology trip on the lake is in the works as well. For a longer trip, students are starting to organize a trip and tour at the Chicago Field Museum for the summer or early fall.
- Undergraduate Summer Job Fair- We are planning to hold the job fair again and hope to improve attendance as well as the number of available positions. Based on surveys and comments from the fair we will adjust the time to later in the day and possibly delay the fair by a week or two to better accommodate research labs and student interest. The fair will be held in the winter, likely late February or early March.
- 14th Annual Fall Ecology Symposium- The 2008 Fall Ecology Symposium is scheduled for October 16-17th. UW-Madison faculty and Dr. David Tilman, the Distinguished Guest Lecturer, are scheduled to present their research. Dr. Tilman, an ecologist from the University of Minnesota. Numerous individual and small group meetings will be scheduled with Dr. Tilman and UW students and faculty.
- 12th Annual Spring Ecology Symposium- Next year’s Spring Symposium is scheduled for April 2009. The graduate committee is in the process of choosing a speaker for the event. Similar to past symposia numerous individual and small group meetings will be scheduled to provide opportunities for UW students and faculty to meet with the invited guest.
- MEG Student Research Potlucks- We will again coordinate and promote 2-5 Fall and Spring Potlucks for students to present their research in an informal setting and have an opportunity to mingle with students from other departments and across campus. These events also give undergraduates an opportunity to talk with graduate students and get an introduction into their research.
- Continued Website Redesign- We were pleased in the past year to be able to at least nominally redesign the MEG website for better clarity and ease of updating. Faculty and student continue to look for ways to completely overhaul the site and better connect students with faculty and resources available at UW. We are looking into funding sources and the procedure for a larger redesign.
Activities of 2007-2008
- Thirteenth Annual Fall Ecology Symposium- On October 4th and 5th 2007, MEG held its thirteenth annual campus-wide Fall Ecology Symposium featuring presentations by eight faculty members from different departments. The faculty each presented a quick 5-minute summary to their research as a means of introducing students and faculty to breadth of research at UW- Madison. The presentations were followed by a discussion of environmental literacy at UW, in which faculty and students spoke to the question of introducing environmental literacy into the undergraduate curriculum and what form that could take. The plenary lectures of the symposium were given by Dr. Steward Pickett of the Institute for Ecosystems Studies out of Millbrook, NY, who is well known for his research on urban ecosystems. Dr. Pickett leads the longterm ecological research team based in Baltimore, MD. During his visit, we scheduled more than 10 more personal meetings, luncheons and dinners with faculty and students in various departments. Four departments co-sponsored the event and more than 150 faculty, staff and students participated.
11th Annual Spring Ecology Symposium- On April 3-4th, 2008, MEG held its 11th annual Spring Ecology Symposium featuring research presentations by five graduate students from four different departments. Dr. Jim Clark of Duke University, was the distinguished speaker and gave the keynote address and plenary lecture. Dr. Clark is a Professor of Biology, Statistics and Decision Science and teaches at the Duke Nicholas School for the Environment. Several more intimate meetings with faculty, staff and students from various departments were scheduled during her visit. MEG sponsored a student luncheon with Dr. Clark for students more interested in her work. This annual event is organized and hosted entirely by a committee of volunteer graduate students. Presenting at this event has come to be regarded as a step for Masters and Ph.D. students who are near completion of their ecological research. Five departments co-sponsored the event and over 150 faculty, staff, students and members of the public attended.
New for this year, we included a poster session as part of the symposium and opened the session to both graduate and undergraduate research. The session was a great addition to the symposium, and drew a wider audience of undergraduates to the event as a whole than in the past. The poster session was held during breaks and reception and gave undergraduate students a chance to showcase their research and get feedback from faculty and other students.
- Undergraduate Summer Ecology Job Fair- A first for this year, the MEG Graduate Committee organized a summer job fair for undergraduates seeking research experience. The main focus of the fair was to match young ecologists with lab and field positions offered through UW-Madison research labs. We expanded the openings to local ecology-related intern and volunteer positions, such as Madison Audubon on similar organizations. The event was a success for our first time. Over 80 students attended the 4-hour session and more looked to the website after the event for an updated list of available jobs. We used funds from a ESA grant to help pay for printing posters and refreshments. Both the students and the job participants felt the event was useful. The opportunity to gain research and lab experience is important for students considering careers or research in ecology. This event was a nice chance for us to focus on the needs of the undergraduate population at UW. With some improvements we hope to hold the event again next year. Note: a small version of the posters for the job fair is attached as a jpg file.
- MEG Student Research Potlucks- This year, the MEG Graduate Committee facilitated and organized four potlucks, informal dinners for students interested in ecology. Two students presented at each potluck. Each event is a valuable opportunity for students to meet and learn about one another’s research and possible opportunities for collaboration. Approximately 8-15 students attended each of the fall potluck and each of the spring potlucks. These events were announced through our listserve and various departmental listserves and numerous flyers were also posted throughout ecology departments on campus.
- MEG Field Site Trips- Also new for this past year, MEG organized a number of informal visits to student research sites. The first was a trip to the Aldo Leopold Reserve in July. We received have a tour of the reserve from the Reserve Ecologist, as well as a stop at a nearby field site of a graduate student to hear about his work in prairie restoration. The evening ended with participants joining others for a previously scheduled lecture and potluck at the Aldo Leopold Shack.
To kick off the academic year, we also had a trip on the Department of
Limnology research boat on Lake Mendota, adjacent to campus. The trip was
overbooked with so many people looking to join. Graduate students in limnology
took participants out on the lake to learn the basics of lake nutrient cycling,
temperature gradients and more. A trip to a graduate research site in late fall
to local research forest took us on a tour of research on oak forest
regeneration.
Events such as this are a good opportunity to share research ideas and develop
an understanding of the diverse ecology in Wisconsin and the diverse research of
UW graduate students. It is also an opportunity for informal interaction and
learning. We are hoping to hold with similar events in the future.
- Eco-Lunch- Eco-Lunch was a new idea for this past year designed to connect researchers across campus and challenge students. Held as a once a week seminar, a student presented his/her research to an open cross-disciplinary audience for review and comment during a brown-bag lunch session. MEG faculty advisor Randy Jackson and Claudio Gratton, professor in entomology, lead the sessions. Building presentation skills and the experience of direct peer review are important skills for students, which this lunch aims to develop. The experience has been a success and we plan to continue the lunch.
Faculty Advisors
- Randy Jackson