RODENT BIOLOGY CONFERENCE IN LATE JULY 2014
The 14th Rodens et Spatium (International Conference on Rodent Biology) will be held from July 28th to August 2nd 2014 at the University of Lisbon, Portugal. The meeting's website is active ( rslisbon2014.wix.com/conference) and gives the history of session topics of previous meetings. The two most recent meetings, held in Zonguldak, Turkey and Rovaniemi, Finland, have been attended by about 130-140 rodent biologists from more than 30 countries. The conference website also gives the names of plenary speakers and titles of their talks and information about pre-conference workshops. Post-conference tours and activities for accompanying persons are being planned. Lisbon is one of the world's great historical cities where the mixture of traditional architecture and contemporary culture makes the city a paradise for walkers and photographers. Put the map aside and let yourself get lost in the historical neighborhoods and enjoy the warm Mediterranean climate, amazing food, and friendly people. The meeting organizer is Dr. Maria da Luz Mathias from the Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon, Portugal. The conference email address is rslisbon2014@gmail.com. Further information can be obtained via telephone: +351 21 750 0000 extension 22303 or fax: +351 21 750 0028.
MARSUPIAL COLLECTION REOPENS
The Department of Mammalogy at the American Museum of Natural History announces the completion of a comprehensive infrastructure upgrade to its marsupial collection. With the support of a grant from the National Science Foundation, obsolete 19th-century cabinetry was demolished and new custom-built cabinetry was purchased and installed. The entire dry marsupial collection (17,000 skins and skulls) has been moved into the new cabinetry and installed on new archival-quality specimen trays and drawer liners. In the course of this project, electronic database output was compared, specimen-by-specimen with drawer contents and relevant entries (taxonomic identifications, locality data, etc.) were corrected, although this process remains incomplete for some groups currently undergoing taxonomic revision (e.g., Didelphidae). A brief history of the AMNH marsupial collection and a description of this project with before-and-after photographs are available on the Department of Mammalogy website under “Curation News” ( http://www.amnh.org/our-research/vertebrate-zoology/mammalogy/collection-information/curation-news).
ONLINE ACCESS FOR JOURNAL OF MAMMALOGY AND MAMMALIAN SPECIES
Journal of Mammalogy and Mammalian Species are available online to all ASM members with back issues available via JSTOR. Members will also receive print copies of the Journal for an annual membership fee of $75 for regular members ($55 for students), or they may elect to receive online only versions of both publications for an annual fee of $55 ($20 for members in developing countries). Institutions may subscribe at a rate of $270 for print and online access to the Journal, $95 for online-only access to Mammalian Species, or $325 for both publications.
PDF files for the first 823 Mammalian Species accounts (1969 to 2008) are also available online via the URL below: http://www.science.smith.edu/departments/Biology/VHAYSSEN/msi/default.html.
MAMMALIAN SPECIES ACCOUNTS
Mammalian Species accounts are produced by assignment only. Upon written request to the Editor for Mammalian Species, exclusive privileges to produce an account will be granted for 2 years; a 1-year extension may be requested if a manuscript is near completion at the end of the initial assignment. At the Editor's discretion, assignments not submitted at the end of this period may be cancelled. A maximum of 5 species may be reserved at one time. No free copies are given to authors; page charges may be paid on a voluntary basis.
Mammalian Species is available online only to all ASM members, as of 2006; print copies will no longer be published. Orders for yearly sets of accounts within the past 5 years should be sent to Rachel Schwien, ASM Association Manager, 810 East 10th Street, P.O. Box 1897, Lawrence, KS 66044; 785-843-1235; FAX -1274; asm@allenpress.com. Individual accounts are no longer available for purchase. Requests for assignment of species and other editorial queries should be addressed to Meredith Hamilton, Editor of Mammalian Species, Department of Zoology, 501 Life Sciences West, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078, 405-744-9685; FAX -7824; meredith.hamilton@okstate.edu.
MAMMAL IMAGES LIBRARY
The Mammal Images Library is a non-profit educational service of the American Society of Mammalogists. The goal of the library is providing images of mammals for educational purposes worldwide. The present collection consists of 1,900+ images depicting 28 orders, 129 families, 583 genera, and 1,084 species. More than 110,000 images are now in use at more than 3,000 institutions in about 50 countries. Images suitable for optical projection for nonprofit, educational purposes may be viewed and obtained on the Society's website at http://www.mammalogy.org/imagelibrary/index. Please remember to credit the photographer and the library if images are used for optical projection.
In addition to optical projection for nonprofit instruction, many of the images can be employed (with permission) for other purposes, including commercial uses. For permission to use images for purposes other than nonprofit optical projection, contact the committee chair: David Huckaby, California State University, Long Beach, Department of Biological Sciences, 1250 Bellflower Blvd., Long Beach, California 90840-9502; david.huckaby@csulb.edu; 562-985-4869; FAX 562-985-8878.
The Library continually seeks new images for the collection and urges anyone having images to contribute them. For information about contributing images, contact the committee chair. The committee thanks the hundreds of people who have contributed images thus far.
SPONSOR FUND
The International Relations Committee has devised a method of providing membership in ASM to mammalogists from outside the United States and Canada who wish to become members, but simply cannot afford to. Some members already sponsor ASM membership for foreign mammalogists on a continual basis. However, others who are unable to provide a full membership on a continual basis, may wish to contribute a partial membership or a full membership during some years. Such is now possible through contributions to the Sponsor Fund. The Fund will be handled as follows:
a. Members who want to help sponsor membership of a mammalogist can do so by going to the ASM business office website: http://psfebus.allenpress.com/ebusasmm/ASMSponsorships.aspx
b. When money in the Fund reaches any multiple of the current amount for annual dues, dues for a mammalogist in need of sponsorship will be paid. Contributions will be used directly to sponsor foreign members: the Fund will not be of the type from which only the interest is used to pay memberships.
c. Money in the Fund will be managed through the Secretary-Treasurer's office.
d. The Secretary-Treasurer shall be designated as the sponsor of record.
e. At the end of 3 years members of the International Relations Committee will verify that sponsored individuals still need and want sponsorship. Sponsorship from the Fund could extend to a maximum of 5 years.
Members should submit names and mailing and e-mail addresses of foreign mammalogists in need of sponsorship to the chair of the International Relations Committee: Duane Schlitter; happygd@suddenlink.net.
MAILING AND ADDRESS CHANGES
Members and subscribers are advised that the Journal of Mammalogy is mailed in February, April, June, August, October, and December. Address changes MUST be in the hands of Nick Dormer, ASM Association Manager, 810 East 10th Street, P.O. Box 1897, Lawrence, KS 66044; 785-843-1235; FAX -1274; asm@allenpress.com by the 1st day of the month of mailing. United States addresses must have zip codes. Address changes are expedited if former address, with zip code, is included.
BUDDY SYSTEM FOR AUTHORS
ASM has a “buddy system” to assist authors who are not native English speakers. “Buddies” are mammalogists who have offered to preview manuscripts that need editorial revision for English. Authors interested in having a manuscript previewed should contact the Journal Editor or an Associate Editor for Journal of Mammalogy. Individuals interested in having their names added to the list of “buddies” should contact Alicia Linzey (avlinzey@frontier.com).
CALL FOR PROPOSALS - SABBATICAL SCHOLARS, WORKING GROUPS, AND CATALYSIS MEETINGS
Proposals for Sabbaticals, Working Groups, and Catalysis Meetings are now being accepted at The National Evolutionary Synthesis Center (NESCent). We are looking to support innovative approaches to outstanding problems in evolutionary biology. In particular, proposals that have a clear interdisciplinary focus, or involve evolutionary concepts in non-traditional disciplines, are strongly encouraged, as are proposals that demonstrate international participation and a mix of senior and emerging researchers, including graduate students. Proposals are accepted twice a year, with deadlines on July 10 and December 1. Proposals for Sabbaticals may be for up to a full year. We also accept proposals for short-term visits (2 weeks to 3 months; deadlines on January 1, April 1, July 1, and September 1). For more information, please see our website at https://www.nescent.org/science/proposals.php.
GRADUATE FELLOWSHIPS IN EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY AND RELATED FIELDS
NESCent is now including graduate training in its portfolio, by offering one-semester fellowships for graduate students to pursue research with a NESCent sabbatical scholar, a NESCent postdoctoral scholar, or a NESCent Working Group. Deadlines are January 1 (for a fall semester fellowship) and July 1 (for a spring semester fellowship). For more information, please see our website at https://www.nescent.org/science/proposals.php.
