Grad students lunches with candidates for the Animal Behavior position

Hi everyone,
In the following weeks, the Biology Department will welcome and interview five candidates for the Animal Behaviour position.
We received more than 95 applications from very strong candidates and these five are "la crème de la crème"!

As the grad student representative of the Animal Behavior Search Committee, I am strongly soliciting your participation to evaluate and give your impressions about
our top candidates. I am particularly interested to get your feedback during lunches where we can discuss and interact with candidates in a more relaxed atmosphere.
What I am expecting from you: Joining us for lunch (not that difficult) and, afterward, give me your general impressions about the candidate (not that difficult either!).

**Because I am having my Ph D seminar on April 28th and leaving May 7th for a month, Xoxo and Aerin kindly accepted to help me organize and coordinate
lunches with the grad students.

The five candidates are:
Simon Reader, Utrecht University, Behavioural Biology, The Netherlands
Seminar: April 28, 2010 – W4/12 4pm – “Cognitive mechanisms for a changing environment: The evolution and ecology of social learning”
Roundtable discussion: April 29th 10:30-12:00, room W5/2. Coffee & goodies will be served.
Lunch with grad students: April 29th 12:00 to 1:30

Mark Laidre, Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, and Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University
Seminar: May 3rd W4/12 4pm “The evolution of animal communication: displaying crabs, singing birds, gesturing monkeys, and gossiping humans”
Roundtable discussion: May 4th 10:30-12, room W5/2. Coffee & goodies will be served.
Lunch with grad students: May 4th 12:00 to 1:30

Julie Desjardins, Department of Biological Sciences, Stanford University, California
Seminar: May 5th, 2010 - N2/2 4pm seminar - "The influence of social information on the brain "
Roundtable discussion: May 6th 10:30-12:00, room W5/2. Coffee & goodies will be served.
Lunch with grad students: May 6th 12:00 to 1:30

Frances Bonier, Queen’s University, Department of Biology
Seminar: May 7th 9:30am W4/12 - "Coping Mechanisms: Behavioural and physiological responses to environmental challenges"
Roundtable discussion: May 7th, room N5/1. 10:30-12:00. Coffee & goodies will be served.
Lunch with grad students: May 7th 12:30 to 1:30

David Lusseau, University of Aberdeen, Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences
Seminar: May 13th 9:30am W4/12 - "Complex communal decisions emerging from simple socio-ecological interactions"
Roundtable discussion: room N5/1, May 13th 10:30-12:00. Coffee & goodies will be served.
Lunch with grad students: May 14th 12:30 to 1:30

Cheers!
--
Katrine Turgeon, Ph.D candidate
McGill University
Biology Department
1205 Docteur Penfield Ave.
Montreal, Quebec, H3A 1B1
Tel.: 1 514. 398.6462

Symposium and BBQ

Hello students, post-docs, staff and faculty!

As you know, the end of the semester has been a flurry (thankfully not snow) of end of semester activities ranging from marking papers to staff appreciation day. As one last hurrah for an amazing 2009-2010 academic year, the annual biology graduate student symposium is this Monday, April 26th from 9am to 4.45pm in W4/12. Come see talks about everything from proteins on up to primates!

Following the symposium, the BGSA is holding a *BBQ & SOFTBALL GAME* that promises to be a fun filled way to welcome in the summer. The bbq will be from 5-7pm at the Reservoir field (McTavish & Dr Penfield), weather permitting. Otherwise, we'll set up fake sun and grass in the TH basement and try not to break anything with a round of indoor softball (kidding!). There will be free burgers (veggie too) and various other tasty goodies. Beer will be available for $1 so don't forget your loonies.

Everyone (that means YOU!) is invited to both the bbq and the symposium. For those who will be attending the very cool sounding Alma Howard lecture (4:15 pm in N2/2), you are also cordially invited to come to the reservoir post wine and cheese.

Bring your softball gloves and frisbees!

And... We need helpers! If you are able to help please send an email to kiyoko{.}gotanda{at}mail{.}mcgill{.}ca

Volunteers are needed mostly for set-up (around 4 pm) and clean up (around 7 pm), so please indicate which you can help with (or both!!). You will get a free burger (optional) and a big hug (not-optional).

Cheers

the BGSA

What do YOU want in your stats workshops?

Hey everyone,

The Biology Graduate Students Association (BGSA) is planning to organize a series of statistics workshops to be held in Fall 2010 and Winter 2011 for graduate students and post-docs.
We would like your input as to how to design this workshop series, and which topics should be included.

Please take a few moments to fill out the survey by clicking on the link below (it's only 10 questions!!!):

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Q5VCSTB