Thematic symposia at the SSAR Annual Meeting allow researchers to come together to present the latest research in an important or emerging line of research. Often, symposia result in proceedings and books. Symposia benefit SSAR by fostering interactions with the symposium participants, highlighting areas for further study, and informing us of the history and current state of the field.

With the special upcoming SSAR Annual Meeting in 2024 held at the University of Michigan with the participation of Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (PARC), we invite the submission of symposium proposals for this landmark meeting in Ann Arbor, Michigan. SSAR will be monetarily sponsoring up to two symposia with funding of $2000 per symposium. PARC will be soliciting for symposia separately through their organization and will coordinate with SSAR to ensure that symposium topics are complementary. There is already an additional planned symposium on the functional morphology of reptiles and amphibians, so other focal topics will receive priority. We encourage organizers to consider publication of their symposium as an edited volume. Proposers who anticipate publication of their symposium proceedings should highlight this in the proposal and encourage presenters to prepare draft manuscripts prior to the meetings. The following guidelines are to be followed for a full or half-day symposium proposal.

Proposal Guidelines:

1. Three page limit.
2. Symposium Title (or Topic).
3. Names and affiliations of the symposium organizers (phone number and e-mail address).
4. Description of the symposium, emphasizing scientific merit and novelty.
5. List of identified and potential speakers and titles.

1. • Proposals with documented commitments from named speakers are likely to be more favorably reviewed.
   • Organizers are encouraged by the SSAR Board and will preferentially support proposals that include students, post-docs, and international presenters as speakers.

6. Description of how the symposium will broaden participation of underrepresented groups at SSAR. This goal can be achieved in one or more of a variety of ways, including, but not limited to:

1. • Highlighting topics related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).
   • Striving to include speakers who represent various axes of diversity (including, but not limited to, race/ethnicity, gender, citizenship, disability, LGBTQ+, veteran status, career stage, career types).*
   • Offering supplemental activities related to DEI and/or local outreach events (must be coordinated with the local committee).

7. How will hosting this symposium benefit SSAR and its members?
8. Type and Length of symposium: SSAR (full day or half-day mini-symposium).
9. Anticipated outcomes: For example, news releases, outreach products, NSF proposals, publication in edited volumes. What arrangements have been made to realize these outcomes?
10. Budget: SSAR funding requested (max. $2,000); a detailed budget description with justification (preferentially to support students, post-docs, international researchers)**; other funding sources and in-kind support if available – organizers are encouraged to apply for additional external funding (e.g., NSF) to support DEI activities and travel support for students from underrepresented groups. Inclusive, work-related, social events that support the symposium can be proposed.

Proposals are due to the SSAR Coordinator AND the local committee representative by August 31, 2023. (PDF, Word, or RTF format)

Dr. Richard D. Durtsche (SSAR, durtsche@nku.edu )

Dr. Daniel L. Rabosky (Local Committee Rep, drabosky@umich.edu)

SSAR Symposium Proposal Review Process:

1. Proposals received will be sent for external review, and comments forwarded to the Local Committee and SSAR Board. Reviewers are asked to address the following criteria:
   • Relevance of the symposium to SSAR.
   • The breadth of the topics covered and potential speakers.
   • Should a topic or someone be included that is not already listed?
   • Have the organizers provided evidence of an effort to recruit a diverse set of speakers?
   • Do the topics represent active science of good quality?
   • Would this symposium be of general interest with the ability to attract a broad audience?
2. Proposals will be discussed by the SSAR Board and the Local Committee.
3. Decisions on SSAR symposium proposals will be made by vote of the SSAR Board, Symposium Coordinator, and the local committee based on all reviews received and comments made.

*Symposium organizers should not make assumptions about how speakers identify, and the proposal does not need to include numbers based on assumptions about speaker identities. However, organizers should have concrete evidence to reflect their effort recruiting a diverse set of speakers. It is not uncommon for individuals to make clear some of the ways they identify in their online presence, and it is usually not very difficult to determine someone’s career stage and type of institution. Input from colleagues, and lists such as the ones on https://diversifyeeb.com/,  https://500queerscientists.com/, and https://www.womeninherpetology.com/directory can also be helpful in identifying a diverse set of people with expertise on a particular topic.

**Symposium organizers and participants for the SSAR monetarily sponsored symposia will be reimbursed for allowable expenses based on receipts submitted to the SSAR Treasurer that match the budget in the proposal. Requests for changes to the budget must be submitted 10 business days before the date of the symposium.

Sato’s Great work on the salamanders of Imperial Japan—comprising the main Japanese islands, the entire Korean peninsula, Taiwan, and half of Sakhalin Island (Russia)—is the most detailed summary of the natural history of East Asian salamanders ever published. This region is one of the world’s hotspots for salamander biodiversity.

This book was originally published in 1943, but in an old form of Japanese that was abandoned after World War II and is not easily read today. Thus, this English translation by Richard Goris, an American biologists long resident in Japan, represents the first time that Sato’s monograph will be made available for general use.

Details about the book’s contents:

• The book is based on Sato’s own field studies and laboratory research and covers 24 species in seven genera and three families (Hynobiidae, Cryptobranchidae, and Salamandridae). There is a long chapter on the Japanese giant salamander.
• The text, which is derived almost entirely from Sato’s original work, recounts his extensive field studies on remote islands, in streams and ponds, and on snow peaks, accompanied by numerous photographs from the field.
• The book covers systematics extensively (with complete synonymies). There are many line drawings and tables which provide basic morphological and life history data on each species, their distributions (spot maps for each species), reproduction, developmental stages, ecology, and karyotype details.
• All of the species are illustrated in 31 plates (with multiple figures) based on watercolor drawings from living specimens by the noted Japanese artist, Hajime Yoshioka.

Specifications: 410 pages, 149 figures and photographs, 87 tables. 31 full-page plates (29 in color). 7×10 inches (17.8×25.4 cm), clothbound. ISBN 978-1-946681-00-3. Publication date: early 2023.

Prices: $68.00 (SSAR members get 10% discount); institutions: $85. Shipping: USA addresses, add $10; non-USA, at cost (please inquire).

To order: This book at all other SSAR publications may be purchased online at https://ssar.wildapricot.org/Bookstore and charged to Discover, Mastercard, or Visa. Purchases may also be made payable to “SSAR” and mailed to: SSAR, P.O. Box 4022, Topeka, KS 66604, USA (email: cclassi@ssarherps.org). Overseas customers may also make payment in USA funds using a draft drawn on an American bank or by International Money Order.

The Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles and the Herpetologist League will hold Live and Silent Auctions at the annual Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists in Norfolk, Virginia July 12^th – 16^th, 2023. We are glad to accept any herp-related donations, including but not limited to, frameable art (photographs, paintings, and line illustrations), books, music, glassware, jewelry, clothing, and gift certificates for Norfolk-area services/events during the meeting week. No live animals or products made from herps (e.g., books bound in snake skin). The SSAR Student Travel Committee organizes the Annual Silent Auction to raise money to fund the student travel awards to the annual JMIH. Increasing travel costs each year make it more difficult for students to attend meetings and become involved in societies. However, your continued support through donations to the silent auction helps offset these costs enabling students to attend, network, and present their research. The SSAR/HL Live Auction Committee organizes the live auction which also helps support student travel and provides additional support to both organizations. If you have any question about donating items to either auction (tax deductible for U.S. residents), please contact Dr. Vincent Farallo (vincent.farallo@scranton.edu) for more information. Ideally donated items will be brought to the meeting directly. However, if transporting the item(s) is not possible, they may be shipped to a local host (Dr. Eric Hilton; ehilton@vims.edu).  Please e-mail Dr. Hilton and Dr. Farallo before sending any items to the address below.

Eric Hilton (SSAR)

Virginia Institute of Marine Science

Post Office Box 1346

1370 Greate Road

Gloucester Point, Virginia 23062-1346

The JMIH website is now live: http://burkclients.com/JMIH/meetings/2023/site/abstracts.html

Abstract submission will open in February and close March 19. Online registration should open soon and is due by May 22 for presenters.

Please contact Allyson Fenwick at afenwick@uco.edu with questions. She is SSAR’s representative to the Meeting Management and Planning Committee.

The Herpetology Education Committee (HEC) seeks nominations for the Meritorious Teaching Award in Herpetology (MTAH)! Complete nomination packets must include several documents, including letters from 3-5 people, so please begin working on your nomination early.

For more information on the MTAH and its nomination process, please see https://ssarherps.org/ssar-awards/meritorious-teaching-award/.