Archives for February 2022

Are you a student or recent graduate from an underrepresented group who is interested in herpetology and ichthyology? Would you like to attend and/or present at the Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists in July 2022?

Check out this opportunity!

In conjunction with the symposium titled Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Ichthyology and Herpetology, the National Science Foundation (NSF) will be supporting ten students or recent graduates to attend the Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists (JMIH) in Spokane, Washington from July 27-31, 2022. Travel from within the U.S., lodging, registration, and food will be covered. Unfortunately, international travel to the U.S. cannot be covered due to NSF restrictions.

The specific goal is to make attendance possible for students and recent graduates from underrepresented groups who do not have resources to attend the meeting through other sources. We especially encourage undergraduates, master’s students, and recently graduated students to apply. Eligible students will be selected using a raffle system and will be contacted by March 11, 2022. 

Students do not need to present research at the meeting to be eligible for this funding. 

In addition to receiving funding, selected applicants will participate in the JMIH mentorship program: https://ssarherps.org/2022/02/jmih-mentorship-program-2022/

Please fill out applications at:  https://forms.gle/CKugu8mtam5h9XJMA

All applications must be received by 5 pm Pacific Time on March 7, 2022.

Note: Participating professional societies also offer funding to support student travel to the meeting. For more information, please check their websites:

https://www.asih.org/awards/cashner-award

https://asih.org/student-awards/clark-hubbs-student-travel-awards 

https://ssarherps.org/ssar-awards/student-travel-award/ 

https://ssarherps.org/ssar-awards/pre-college-award/ 

Attending your first Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists (JMIH) and want to meet fellow early career scientists and more experienced JMIH-goers? Or are you a JMIH veteran looking to encourage participation by new members? For several years, the SSAR mentorship program has helped new attendees get the most out of our annual conference and provided an impactful way for attendees of all career stages to support new members.

Signing up for the program

The JMIH registration form will have a checkbox for attendees to indicate their interest in the program. If a registrant checks the box, then their contact information will be automatically sent to the program organizers. The program organizers will send out a questionnaire to indicate their research and career interests, and they will use the responses to make mentor-mentee matches.

Folks who’d like to act as a mentor for the program can check a different box on the registration form to indicate their interest. We expect the diversity of mentors to reflect the diversity of our new meeting attendees. Therefore, individuals from all career types and stages are invited to participate, from students to postdocs to established professionals.

How the program works

Everyone in the program meets as a group near the beginning of JMIH. This meeting gives everyone the chance to get to know each other over a meal provided by the SSAR, and it provides an opportunity for program organizers to give suggestions for making the most out of the mentorship interactions.

After the initial meeting, mentor-mentee pairs can meet up when and how they choose. Interactions often include attending poster sessions together, checking in over coffee, and/or talking over a meal. Mentors can also help their mentees to meet other researchers and help grown their networks. For 2022, the Mentorship Program will run in parallel with the NSF-sponsored Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Symposium, providing several exciting opportunities for mentee-mentor pairs.