Thesis Defense

Title:

Science, Perception, and Scale: an interdisciplinary analysis of environmental change and community adaptive capacity

IAB Ski Mass 2019

Details:

Click here to register your team, find a team to join, or volunteer to help!

Race description

• Teams of three ski twice around a short course on campus
• Teams and individuals will compete for fastest and slowest time, least and greatest time differential, and best costume in a two-loop ski course on campus.
• Each team will consist of three skiers: A, B, and C.
• The A skiers, then the B skiers, and then the C skiers will start in roughly 30-second intervals.
• Once all skiers complete loop one, the process will repeat for loop two in the opposite direction.
• Individual and team goals are to finish first and to complete BOTH laps at the same speed (i.e., the least time differential between laps/loops).

Rules, Conditions, Fine Print, Warnings, Cautions

• Faculty, students, staff, and friends of IAB are welcome.
• All participants must be part of a team
• It's best to have costumes that can withstand the rigors of skiing and not come apart or lose bits enroute
• The course is a secret until the day of the race.
• Race trophies and awards are presented at IAB’s Holiday Party the evening of the race.
• Race trophies are kept for one year and returned the following year to be passed to the next awardee. Trophy recipients are asked to personalize the trophy (it’ll make sense when you see one).
• All participants agree to UAF's model release (i.e., we take pictures and might use them on websites, posters, etc.).

Race day

• Arrive at the UAF ski hut by NOON on Friday, 6 December
• Pick up your bib number/letter from inside the ski hut
• Each team member will be given either an A or B or C tag to pin to your costume
• Pose for pictures, take your own, warm up, gawk at everyone else, be gawked at
• When the Race Marshall calls for your letter (A, B, or C) gather at the start line.
• The 'A' skiers from all teams will start at once, then 30 seconds or so later the 'Bs', then 30 seconds or so later the 'Cs'
• Once all skiers have completed the loop, we do it again in the opposite direction
• Your goal is to ski both laps at the same speed

Don’t want to ski? We need volunteers!

• Race Marshall: Big voice needed
• Judges for costumes! 4-5 judges to judge individual & team costumes
• Time Caller: 2-3 people to call out times to time recorders as skiers finish their circuit.
• Time Recorders: 4-5 people needed to time.

Awards

Awards are given out at the IAB Holiday Potluck Party that same evening (must be present to receive), which will be Friday, Dec. 6, 6-9 p.m., at the Dog Mushers Hall.

• Life Sciences Ski Champion (individual with smallest time differential)
• Director's Team Award (team with smallest time differential)
• First Lap Folly Award (largest team differential)
• Satin Tush Award (best-dressed individual)
• Satin Tushes Award (best-dressed team)
• Red Lantern Award (slowest individual)
• Machette Award (fastest woman)
• Macho Award (fastest man)

Life Science Hour Seminar

Title:

The value of science for conservation

Abstract:

The value of information depends not only on how those data were collected and to a lesser extent analyzed, but also who those data are communicated to and how they are communicated to those individuals. Most of the common methods for measuring the value of information (e.g., number of publications, h-indices) only measure the value of science to scientists, which likely has little or maybe even a negative relationship with the value of the science for conservation. A number of leading scientists have encouraged us to communicate science beyond just other scientists; however, and in partial defense of scientists, the incentives and pathways for doing so have been pretty limited. Structured decision making (SDM), which has really been developed in the last 3 decades, and the associated framework for making science-based decisions provides a pathway for communicating data to policy and decision makers and this is an important step forward in improving the value of science to conservation. This may not be enough in some cases and we need to explore pathways for communicating science to individuals or groups that may not share our views. I briefly review the recent history of communicating science and how SDM has improved this process for management. I also share my recent experiences with trying to communicate science to the hunting community, which has not fully embraced science and does not appreciate SDM, through social media and other pathways. This is an attempt to advance scientific views on topics such as the use of lead shot, which isn’t always supported by policy. I conclude with a suggestion for how we might incentivize communication of science beyond publications.

IAB Holiday Party 2019

Details:

Join us for our annual holiday gathering!

Please bring a dish to share!

Ski Mass prizes will be awarded!

Thesis Defense

Title:

Population ecology of willow ptarmigan (Lagopus lagopus) in the presence of spatially concentrated harvest

Thesis Defense

Title:

Movement and migration ecology of Alaskan Golden Eagles