2012 Adirondacks Winter Trip is Booked!!!

Hello BGSA!

Did that dusting of snow last month make you pine for snowshoes, skies, snowpeople and snowball fights?! You're in luck! The 2012 BGSA Annual Adirondacks trip has been officially booked!!!

Who: YOU!!!!

What: 2012 Adirondacks Trip!

When: Fri Feb 3-Sun Feb 5, 2012

Where: The gorgeous Adirondacks

Hopefully there will be lots of snow and we can avoid Harvard.

If you haven't been on this trip before, it's a lot of fun. The log cabin is great, the Adirondacks are beautiful, and friends are welcome. See 2010 and 2011 photos on: https://picasaweb.google.com/111919271963074240179?fgl=true&pli=1
Stay tuned for more information in January regarding sign-ups, deposits, cars, food and activities.

Cheers

BGSA

Ecology Discussion Group

Ecology Discussion Group is a new group for 2011 that meets every two weeks to discuss papers from the ecological literature relevant to the participants interest, or serve as a forum for discussion on methodology or theory being applied in their own work. The topics of focus are Landscape ecology, Functional ecology, Ecophylogenetics, Ecosystem services, Plant-Animal interactions, Community ecology, Invasion ecology, Deep Ecology, Systems Ecology and other things of fancy. Meetings are on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of every month at 14h00, with locations both at the MacDonald campus and Stewart Biology building. All are welcome to join and/or contribute. The group is coordinated by Tammy Elliott and Aaron Ball.

Next meetings are:
November 8, November 22, and December 13

Check out our poster here:
Discussion Group Poster 2opt

BGSA Annual Pumpkin Carving Contest: IRON PUMPKIN

Hello fellow biology enthusiasts,

Do you like pumpkins?

Do you enjoy craving pumpkins or other...things?

If you answered "yes" to either of these questions, then boy does the BGSA have the event for you!

Now that Thanksgiving has come and gone, it's time to get jazzed about the second greatest event in October: the Annual Biology Department Pumpkin Carving Contest, or ABDPCC (just rolls off the tongue).

For those of you new to the Department or unfamiliar with the event, teams participating in the contest sign up in advance, and arrive the day of the event with tools in hand, and carve the greatest pumpkin of all time. Teams must pay 6$/team, which covers the cost of the pumpkin (which we will provide) and prizes. Please sign-up by emailing, Rowshyra (rowshyra{dot}castaneda{at}mail{dot}mcgill{dot}ca) and getting your team's 6$ to Rowshyra (Redpath 104A), or Katherine Velghe (Stewart Bio W6/5) or Ria Ghai (Peterson Hall 26) by Monday October 24th so we can purchase supplies.
Teams will have 1 hour to carve the pumpkin related to a surprise THEME that will be announced by the surprise judges on the day of the event. Judging criteria include: adherence to theme, creativity/originality, use of lab tools, and participation of the lab supervisor (extra points... so convince your prof to come!)

Summary:

WHAT: I think that should be obvious by now.
WHEN: Tuesday, October 25 at 11:30 am (event is 1hr: teams should arrive 15 mins early to prepare: onlookers welcome!)
WHERE: 4th floor lobby, Stewart Biology Building
WHO: Graduate students, postdocs, professors, anyone in the Department with an interest in pumpkins and/or squash carving
WHY: Because October wouldn't be complete without a pumpkin carving contest AND there will be prizes, and wait for it... a TROPHY (yes, a TROPHY) for the winning team.
DEADLINE to sign up: Monday, October 24th

So start harassing your supervisors, assemble a team and contact Rowshyra to sign-up, we're looking forward to seeing you next Tuesday, October 25th at 11:30 am for pumpkin fun! Teams, don't forget to bring your own carving supplies.

For pictures of previous pumpkin carving contests check them out!

Eco-Theoretic Cafe Workshops

Hello all!

The Eco-Theoretic Cafe is starting back up this year.

First meeting on Thursday October 13th, 11am, in W3/18.

We are calling an emergency meeting. The state of theoretical ecology and evolution dangles dangerously above a cold unapologetic ocean overfull with ferocious data-driven sharks. When they will evolve legs and eat every last one of us, no one can say. But without your help, it will surely come to be. Please meet with us over coffee and apple pie, when we will pleasantly discuss the merits (and downfalls) of logic and theory in describing life on this planet. The idea is to basically organize a time we all can meet and to hash out a schedule for the rest of the semester.


The first `real' meeting will be on Monday October 17th, 11am, in W3/18. This will likely be our regular meeting time. Mehdi Cherif (Fussmann post-doc; http://biology.mcgill.ca/faculty/fussmann/postDocs.html) will give an introduction to stoichiometric modeling in ecology, a topic he is currently writing a book chapter on.

For more information, click me!

BGSA General Meeting

Hello all!

On Tuesday, October 4th, the BGSA General Meeting will be taking place in W4/12 in Stewart Biology at 4pm. The meeting will last about an hour and there will be refreshments...

Come find out about all the fun and informative activities we will be facilitating this year and how you can contribute!

Check your email for the agenda!

Cheers
BGSA

NSERC Info Session, Biology Department

Here are the slides for from the information session on applying for an NSERC.

Good luck!

NSERCBiologyInfoSession2011

Contact Information for Grant Proposals

Dear BGSA Students,

We are working on getting you the most up to date information, so keep an eye out on the ListServ for more information, but for the moment, here is some contact information for NSERC and some general information for FQRNT and CIHR.

FOR NSERC

Deadline to submit application to department is Sept 21!!

The government website
http://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/Students-Etudiants/PG-CS/index_eng.asp

The GPS
http://www.mcgill.ca/gps/students/fellowships/nserc

The Mcgill Bio page
http://biology.mcgill.ca/grad/grad_gen_awards&scholarsh.html

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Person to submit COMPLETE application to
Maria Colonna

Person to list for transcript requests
awards.biology@mcgill.ca
If a name is required, put Dr. Laura Nilson

NSERC Online Application Help
wepapp@nserc-crsng.gc.ca
(613) 995-4273 (this info is from 2010)
Include your email and telephone number

FQRNT
If you plan on applying for an FQRNT, the application is through the agency itself, NOT through McGill. You will complete your application and submit supporting documents directly to FQRNT.

FQRNT application deadline is October 5th.
http://www.fqrnt.gouv.qc.ca/en/bourses/index.htm

CIHR
According to the GPS office, if you are applying for a CIHR masters, you apply through McGill. If you are applying for a CIHR Doctoral award, applications are done directly through the agency.

http://www.mcgill.ca/gps/students/fellowships/cihr

Master's deadline is OCTOBER 27, 2011. Doctoral deadline, please see the CIHR website:
http://www.cihr.ca/

Keep an eye out on the ListServ for more information.

Vanier
If you would like to apply for a Vanier, you will fill out the required application form and compile necessary supporting documents and that will be submitted to the Biology Department. The Biology Department then ranks the applicants and recommends the top ranked students to the university. We are working to find out when the deadline is. this post will be updated as soon as we know. You will have to fill out the entire application on Research Net. For more information:

Information from McGill: http://www.mcgill.ca/gps/students/fellowships/vanier

The Vanier website: http://www.vanier.gc.ca/

Departmental deadline for the Vanier application submission is September 26th!!!



Good luck!
The BGSA

NSERC Information Session

Hello fellow Bio students!

It's grant application season, and things are a bit more chaotic this time around due to the strike. In an effort to streamline everything and make sure all the applicants are processed properly, the department will be having a brief meeting to explain what YOU need to do to make sure your application goes through.

The meeting will be THIS THURSDAY at 11am in W4/12 and run for about one hour. If you are planning on applying to NSERC, it would be in your best interest to come to this information session.

Also, some things to get you started from Ria's email last week:

Hi all,

I have some really important information for all the students who will be applying for an NSERC this year. Here is what we know so far:

1. TRANSCRIPTS: ORDER YOUR TRANSCRIPTS NOW!!! It might take a while to process your McGill ones, so do it yesterday!

2. REFERENCES: Make sure your referees print a copy of the letter they will give you in a sealed envelope BEFORE they press submit - once the letter has been submitted it is lost to the internet gnomes forever and cannot be printed.

3. ORGANIZED SUBMISSION: Now more than ever, it is important that your application is submitted as an organized, complete unit. Do not submit bits and pieces of it at a time - they will require your full application, transcripts (sealed, stamped), and two letters of reference (sealed, signed) together and properly organized. Any haphazard method of submission will be detrimental to the probability of your application being processed while the department is understaffed.

4. SUBMISSION DATE: The department has requested we submit our applications WELL BEFORE the Sept 28 deadline, to allow time for them to scan and upload transcripts, and photocopy the documents in time. Please try your best to submit your full application package by Sep. 21 to ensure processing by the internal deadline.

5. BGSA MEETING: We will hold a meeting next week (stay tuned!) to address all the questions or concerns you may have about the NSERC application. We will make sure we have the most up-to-date information available to you there. If you are applying for NSERC this year, it will be imperative that you attend this meeting.



--------------------------
Cheers,
The BGSA

BGSA Student Orientation Fall 2011

Hello new and returning bio grad students!

We all hope you had a fantastical summer dodging hurricanes, taking in sunshine, enjoying jazzfest, battling the perils of field sites (and animals!) and are back and refreshed for another semester!

As always, we are hosting an orientation for all new bio grad students. We know what it's like to be starting grad studies. New place, new faces, new papers to fill out, new labs, new advisers - it can all be very intimidating. But fear not! The BGSA will be hosting a fun filled and adventure packed orientation afternoon!

Events start at 1pm in room W4/12 of the Stewart Biology building where speakers will give a brief overview of some of the things McGill has to offer you in including information on the Post-Graduate Student Society (PGSS), Career and Placement Services (CAPS), the biology department and us, the Bio Grad Student Association (BGSA).

Following, teams of you will head off on a photographic scavenger hunt to help you learn a little bit about McGill and where to find some essential things. You just have to take a picture of the items as described on the clue sheet each team will receive. Don't worry - a bio grad student veteran will accompany you to help you decipher clues and figure out where to find things. The winning team will receive a prize!

The scavenger hunt will end at Redpath Museum, where, at 3pm, Dr. Howard Rundle from the U. Ottawa will be giving the organismal seminar. It will be a great talk, and a great way to see how seminars work in the bio department.

After the seminar, everyone is invited to the reservoir for our welcome back bbq. Yunny food will be served, and beer will be available for purchase (at cost).

We hope to see you all there!!
Cheers
the BSGA

BGSAFall2011Orientation

Molecular Symposium!

Hello fellow bio nerds!

Who: you, of course (and your favourite model organism)

What: The Molecular Biology Symposium

When: Friday, August 19th

Where: thompson House Ballroom

Why: Because it will be totally awesome!

Dreading the end of the summer? The influx of new undergraduates? The premonition that winter will be cold and snowy?

Well, what better way to end the summer than to check out the molecular symposium happening this Friday at the Thompson House Ballroom. It is an exciting line up with talks from graduate and undergraduate students as well as a poster session so there will be something for everybody. Talks range from ants on dopamine to work on breast cancer cell signalling to mitotic scaffold proteins. The presentation and posters focus on a wide range of organisms like drosophila, C. elegans, arabidopsis and ants! It promises to be a fun and interesting event.

So drop those pipettes and head over to Thompson House on Friday!

MBSS 2011 Program With Abstracts

Thomson House Permaculture Garden Meet N' Greet

There is an exciting new project that will begin around Thomson House in the coming weeks. It will be a permaculture/container vegetable garden which just received money from the Sustainability Projects Fund. This Thursday, June 9^th there will be a meet and greet starting at 5:30 PM in the Thomson House restaurant. Find out more information about the project and about permaculture, and how you can get involved!

Crash-course in R

We're running a 4-hour crash-course workshop on R, for some students from the Canadian Healthy Oceans Network (CHONe), who are meeting here next week. However, there's a lot of extra room in the workshop, so if you missed our introductory workshops last time around, now's a good chance to come out and see what all the fuss is about! We'll be meeting in Stewart Biology's computer lab, N4/17. The workshop'll run from 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm (with a couple breaks) on Wednesday, April 27th. We'll be covering trimmed down versions of our first 3 stats workshops:

1. The basics: Opening and using R for the first time, and some basic commands
2. Creating an R project: creating a script file, management of project files, housekeeping, data import 
3. Plotting in R: an introduction

If you think this would be interesting or useful, contact Eric Pedersen, or show up on the day. We may end up running out of space though, so it'll be first come, first serve!

Department discretionary funds and grad student support

Hey BGSA members, have you heard?

There are some big changes being planned to graduate student support at the University level, which could lead to departments like ours having more discretionary funds to use to support graduate students. This will affect newly admitted graduate students starting next year, not current grad students. This would also affect the same pot that is currently used for top-ups, admission scholarships, and other various departmental awards. The BGSA wants to hear your opinions, suggestions, and ideas on how the department might allocate these funds in the future.

Did you know?

• McGill University is restructuring their graduate student funding model, by transferring more control directly to Faculties and departments. (Note: these changes will apply to future new admits, and will not reduce funding to current graduate students).
  • more info here: http://www.mcgill.ca/files/gps/CGPS.10.02.pdf
  • http://www.mcgill.ca/gps/staff/fellowships/grandfatheredmidas/
• McGill University initially started the MIDAs program to encourage international doctoral students to enroll, by offsetting the additional tuition fees mandated by the province. The MIDAs program was therefore intended to act as a recruitment program, a priority the university has strongly suggested should also apply to the new funding model.
• The biology department often receives "unallocated" funds for graduate students from the Faculty of Science, which must be allocated within a very short period of time.During the past 4 years I've been here, I know of at least 3 occasions, including two for which the BGSA was consulted regarding allocation.
• The biology department will be discussing these and possibly other changes to graduate student funding at the upcoming department Assembly on March 10, 2011.

---

The BGSA wants to know what you think about:

• How discretionary funds have been allocated by the department in the past?
  • Do you feel it has been effective?
  • Do you feel it has been fair?
• How can the department improve recruitment and retention of top graduate students?
  • What role can discretionary funds play to best achieve this goal?
• How would you like to see discretionary funds allocated by the department?
  • Should funds be allocated based on financial need, merit, other criteria, or a combination?
• Would you like to see written guidelines that the department could use to decide how to allocate discretionary funds in the future?
  • What priorities, values, or procedures would you like to see in such guidelines?

Feel free to respond to individual questions above by email, or an anonymous note in my mailbox,or come to an informal discussion this Thursday at 5PM in Stewart Biology N5/1
Thanks for your time and input,
Jonathan Whiteley,
PhD candidate
Department of Biology
McGill University
http://jonathanwhiteley.com

BGSA Winter Travel Grant

The BGSA Winter Travel Grant competition period is now open. You can find
eligibility information, instructions and the application online at
http://biology.mcgill.ca/grad/BGSA/index.html in the grants menu. Deadline
to apply is February 21, 2011.

Questions? Email the me the V.P. monica{dot}granados{at}mail{dot}mcgill{dot}ca

BGSA Winter Trip!!

Remember Lincoln Logs? You would spend hours meticulously building a two-storey log

cabin with a chimney only to realize that you couldn’t fit into the cabin, no matter how

hard you tried! Well, look no further! The BGSA is offering you the opportunity to stay

in a log cabin you can actually fit in. Come to the beautiful Adirondacks for a weekend of

stargazing, snowshoeing, skiing, and relaxing by the fire with 31 of your BGSA friends.

So, you wanna go?

Friends and partners are welcome! Email Aerin.Jacob@mail.mcgill.ca with the following info:

1. Do you want to stay only Friday night, only Saturday night, or both? In the past most

people stay both nights.

2. Do you have a car? If not, are you 25+ and willing to rent and drive one?

3. Do you have a sleeping bag? Can you bring an extra for someone else?

4. Any dietary restrictions? Vegetarian, vegan, allergies?

5. Are you bringing your own ski/snowshoe gear?

There are only 32 places, so reserve yours ASAP. Be advised that a $20 non-refundable

deposit is due by Wed Jan 12 -- stay tuned.

Check out below for full details

2011BGSAWinterTrip

Stats Workshops - Winter 2011 series

The BGSA R-Stats workshops are back again for another semester!

NEW DAY: MONDAYS 2-4 pm in the Stewart Biology computer lab (N4/17)

Check the website for complete schedule.

New & Improved!

We've changed the format a little, based on all the great feedback we received in the fall.

The most important change is that we have expanded the introduction to R material into 3 FULL WORKSHOPS, in consecutive weeks at the start of the semester. These workshops are designed to get you up & running with R, at a comfortable pace without overloading you with extra material. Even if you took the intro R workshops in the fall, you are welcome to attend these re-designed workshops if you want a refresher or a boost up the learning curve.

We expect the intro workshops to be popular, so registration will be required (register on the web site).

Beginning in February, the rest of the semester will feature various Special Topics, each a self-contained introduction or overview of a specific statistical method and how to implement it in R. There will be NO registration for special topics workshops: space will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis, so don't be late!

Check out the stats workshops web site for full details:

http://sites.google.com/site/mcgillbgsa/

Cheers,

Jonathan Whiteley

Neeltje Boogert

Corey Chivers