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Full Program and Abstracts Program and Abstracts, June 10, 2018 Keynote Speaker Dr. Susan Kidwell, William Rainey Harper Professor of Geophysical Sciences at the University of Chicago will be kicking off this years meeting. Learn more about Dr. Kidwell's work here. Symposia and Workshops The currently planned symposia and workshops are listed below. However, if you are interested in organizing a symposium or workshop, please contact us at ams.wsm2018@gmail.com. Presidents Symposium Celebrating women in malacology In keeping with the primary theme of this years meeting, increasing diversity and building capacity for the future of malacology, AMS and WSM presidents have selected to highlight the role of women in malacology. The presence of female role models increases female participation in STEM fields. To inspire the next generation of female researchers in systematics, evolution, ecology and conservation biology, Yeung, Johnson, and Strong are organizing a symposium that showcases the contributions of past, present and early career female researchers in malacology. Organizers: Norine Yeung (Bishop Museum) Email: nyeung@hawaii.edu Rebecca Johnson (California Academy of Sciences) Email: rjohnson@calacademy.org Ellen Strong (National Museum of Natural History) Email: stronge@si.edu Other Symposia The Revitalization of Natural History Museums Natural history museums are continually striving to integrate science with outreach and effectively engage with the public. Topics such as the power of crowd sourcing (citizen science), digitization efforts, museum-based clubs and other activities among other topics will be discussed. Organizers: Rebecca Johnson (California Academy of Sciences) Email: rjohnson@calacademy.org Paul Callomon (Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University) Email: prc44@drexel.edu Stemming the Tide of Extinction Molluscs are among the most threatened groups of animals, particularly Pacific island land snails (PILS). Habitat destruction, invasive species, and climate change are among the greatest threats, exacerbated by a poor systematic and biogeographic knowledge. A special session will be organized within this symposium for researchers and conservation managers focused on PILS to develop a consortium for determining short- and long-term research goals and conservation management priorities. Invited participants include researchers and conservationists from Guam, American Samoa, Palau, Tahiti, Hawaii, continental US, London, and Japan. Organizers: Diarmaid Ó Foighil (University of Michigan) Email: diarmaid@umich.edu Kenneth Hayes (Howard University) Email: hayes.ken@gmail.com Impacts of invasive species Non-native molluscs are major agricultural pests, threaten the integrity of natural ecosystems, and serve as vectors of zoonotic diseases. This symposium will include the latest research in invasive molluscs, with presentations from national and international researchers. In conjunction with this symposium a taxonomic workshop will be held to provide training in surveys, identification, and distribution of current and potential invasive land snail species with specific emphasis on Hawaii and the Pacific Islands. Organizers: Norine Yeung (Bishop Museum) Email: nyeung@hawaii.edu Kenneth Hayes (Howard University) Email: hayes.ken@gmail.com John Slapcinsky (Florida Museum of Natural History) Email: slapcin@flmnh.ufl.edu Register for the 1-day Taxonomic Workshop Amateur Malacologists and Citizen Scientists Amateurs are those working in malacology that are usually not paid for their work. These individuals are usually self-educated naturalists, professionals working in other fields or even retired specialists (many at the pinnacle of their careers). This symposium aims to recognize the significant role of amateurs in modern malacology and to present their citizen science activities. It is open to a variety of topics such as the importance of private collections; local examples of diversity loss including studies on underrepresented groups; citizen´s species inventories; dealer´s contributions to science; private digitization efforts and digital imaging in diversity exploration; and evidences of taxonomic impediment. Organizer: Manuel Caballer Gutierrez (Muséum National d´Histoire naturelle, Paris) |