47th Annual Meeting of the Animal Behavior Society, 25-29 July, 2010
The 2010 ABS annual meeting will be held on the historic campus of the College of William and Mary, hosted by John Swaddle and Dan Cristol, from July 25 to 29.
College of William and Mary, 2010
47th Annual Meeting of the Animal Behavior Society,
25-29 July, 2010
Founded in 1693, William and Mary is the second oldest university in the US and situated in scenic Williamsburg, Virginia (http://www.wm.edu). As a “public Ivy” William and Mary is consistently rated as one of the best public schools in the US. The City of Williamsburg was the colonial capital of the “New World” and sits nestled between two other historic sites: Jamestown (the first permanent British colony) and Yorktown (site of surrender of British in the US Revolutionary War). Colonial Williamsburg itself has been restored as a living history museum and lies adjacent to the William and Mary campus (http://www.history.org). For US history buffs, this is a veritable playground. There are also a lot of other tourist attractions, including a large water park (http://www.watercountryusa.com) and Busch Gardens Williamsburg (http://www.buschgardens.com), both of which offer wonderful entertainment for families. The area also has lots of natural attractions and parks that are great for nature hikes, canoeing, and birding.
Scientific Program Highlights
Featured Speakers:
Keynote speaker: Ellen Ketterson, Indiana University, Lecture title: The hormone in the middle: Integrative animal behavior as learned from an adaptable songbird..
Distinguished Animal Behaviorist Address: Lee Drickamer, Northern Arizona University, Lecture title: Animal behavior at a crossroads.
ABS Fellow Lecture: Andy Sih, University of California at Davis Lecture title: Behavioral syndromes: three major directions for future study.
Symposia, Workshops, and Special Sessions:
ABS Presidential symposium: Adaptive Variation in Female Mate Preferences
Organizer: Molly Morris, Ohio University
Symposium: Collective Animal Behavior: Decision-Making of Groups
Organizers: Noa Pinter-Wollman, Stanford University; Deborah M. Gordon, Stanford University
Symposium: Signaling in Multiple Modalities
Organizer: James Higham, University of Chicago
Career Workshop: Thriving as a Beginning Assistant Professor
Organizer: Jennifer Mather, University of Lethbridge
Special Poster Session: Applied Animal Behavior, Monday July 26
Organizer: John Wright, Mercer University
Film Festival:
The XXVI Annual Animal Behavior Society Film Festival
Evening 1: Amateur (Non-Commercial) Film Category -
Monday, 07/26/10, 7pm-10pm
Angels in the Forest - Jack Ward Competition Finalist
Film producers: Sharon Pieczenik, Erik Patel, Steve Pieczenik, & Roberta Pieczenik
Film topic: Angels in the Forest is a documentary on the behavior and conservation of Silkie Sifaka lemurs in Madagascar.
Signals for Survival - Jack Ward Competition Finalist
Film producers: Marc Dantzker & David O Brown
Film topic: Signals for Survival is a documentary on the communication systems used by Great Black–backed Gulls and Herring gulls.
Following the screening of the two Jack Ward Award Finalists, there will be an open group sharing session. Please bring your favorite non-copyrighted animal images and videos to share with fellow researchers, educators, and applied practitioners.
Evening 2: Professional (Commercial) Film Category - Tuesday, 07/27/10, 7pm-10pmCLASH: Encounters of Bears and Wolves – Commercial Film Competition Finalist
Film producers: Bob Landis and Janet Hess
Film topic: CLASH: Encounters of Bears and Wolves is a documentary on the encounters of bears in wolves in Yellowstone National Park and the ecological pressures they face.
The Urals (“Wild Russia” – series part II) - Commercial Film Competition Finalist
Film producers: Oliver Goetzl, and Ivo Nörenberg
Film Topic: Wild Russia is a documentary that shows the unique landscapes and species richness in the largest state in the world in breathtaking HD-quality.
The winner of each category will be announced at the closing banquet held on Thursday 07/29/10.
Special Events
• An Opening reception will be held on Sunday July 25th, 2010 from 6-8 pm, in Chesapeake ABC of the Sadler Center.
• Posters will be on display in three sessions throughout the conference. See poster presentation information for details
• Closing banquet will be held on Thursday July 29th, from 8-10 pm in Chesapeake ABC of the Sadler Center.
ABS Five 5k Fun Run
The ABS Five 5K Fun Run will be held Thursday July 29 at 1pm (during the lunch break). The start and the finish will be at the Sadler conference center. The run will be relatively flat and scenic. We will run out and back from the Sadler center to the College wood trails so there will be quite a bit of off road running (possible route http://www.wm.edu/as/kecklab/lakematoaka/matoakatrails/index.php). Everyone who is not running or walking is invited to cheer on the runners or to volunteer. Registration ($15) is at packet pick up and other times when the registration desk is open. No registration will be available right before the race, as time will be tight. Questions? Please contact: Caitlin Gabor at gabor@txstate.edu•
Silent Auction
The Silent Auction will be held once again. Please bring items to donate to the auction: (1) Books on animal behavior, biology, ecology, conservation, applied animal behavior, etc.; (2) autographed books from ABS authors; (3) items with animal themes (t-shirts, jewelry, calendars, greeting cards, posters, etc.); (4) software useful for members (statistics, data collection, etc.); (5) videotapes for teaching or entertainment with behavior themes; (6) memorabilia from past ABS meetings and members (vintage artifacts); (7) animal photography; (8) animal artwork; (9) statistical consulting; (10) behind-the-scenes tour of a zoo, etc. Donated items will be placed on tables next to bidding forms, or described, if the item is not present.Registration
Registration fees for 2010, as approved by the Executive Committee, are listed below (all prices in U.S. Dollars):
Category |
Early (May 14 or before) |
Late (After May 14) |
|---|---|---|
| Full member | $180.00 | $250.00 |
| Student Member | $80.00 | $150.00 |
| Full Non-Member | $250.00 | $320.00 |
| Student Non-Member | $180.00 | $250.00 |
| Guest/Spouse | $80.00 | $150.00 |
| Developing Country | $70.00 | $70.00 |
| (Children under 12, free with parent registration) | ||
Lodging
There is a nice hotel (Williamsburg Hospitality House, http://www.williamsburghosphouse.com) within a couple of minute's walk of the conference venue, with discounted rooms (single or double occupancy) at $109 per night. Attendees will need to contact the hotel independently to book rooms and mention the ABS conference to get the room discount rate. There are also a couple of budget hotels (Super8, Days Inn) an easy 5-10 minute walking distance from the conference. Additionally, there will be on-campus dorm housing at approximately $35 per night for double occupancy and approximately $50 per night for single occupancy. On campus housing can be booked through the same website as for online registration.
Food Options
As usual, there will be snacks at breaks during the conference. There will also be options to purchase on campus meal plans, and the conference center has a full cafeteria. There are also dozens of restaurant choices within easy walking distance of campus, ranging from cheap sandwich joints and bars to high end dining in Colonial Williamsburg.
Transportation
Williamsburg is an easy drive from many of the big East coast cities, and from the Carolinas. We have three nearby airports: Newport News/Williamsburg (PHF, 20 minutes away); Richmond International (RIC, 45 minutes away); and Norfolk International (ORF, 60 minutes away). Each of which have ride share services and taxis to Williamsburg. For people who drive to Williamsburg, there will be options to purchase on-campus parking passes through the registration website. The Williamsburg Hospitality House offers free parking to hotel guests.
Go here for Updated Travel Information Details including shuttle services to and from airports.
Things to Do
Williamsburg enjoys the benefits of being a major tourist area and so there is no shortage of things to do in and around the City. From historic sites, to theme parks, natural areas, and extensive discount shopping, it's pretty easy to entertain yourself and your family for a week in Williamsburg. We'll be posting more specific information on the conference registration website, but for now you may want to look at the following site (www.visitwilliamsburg.com) to get an idea of how you may want to spend your downtime or extend your stay in the area. Here are some of the attractions that may be of interest:
-
Colonial Williamsburg (http://www.history.org)
- Jamestown and Yorktown (http://www.historyisfun.org)
- Busch Gardens (http://www.buschgardens.com)
- Water Country USA http://(www.watercountryusa.com)
- Great Wolf Lodge (http://www.greatwolf.com/williamsburg/waterpark)
- Virginia Living Museum (vwww.thevlm.org)
- Norfolk Zoo (http://www.virginiazoo.org)
- Nauticus (http://www.nauticus.org)
- Virginia Aquarium (http://www.virginiaaquarium.com/Pages/default.aspx)
- Children's Museum of Richmond (http://www.c-mor.org)
- Outlet Mall Shopping (http://www.primeoutlets.com/locations/williamsburg.aspx)
- York River State park (http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state_parks/yor.shtml)
Child Care
Childcare is not affiliated with the College, but conference organizers
researched possibilities and found:
Childcare Network #180,
4300 John Tyler Highway,
Williamsburg, VA
23185.
http://www.childcarenetwork.net/180;
Tel. 757-253-2562
Please plan in advance since the center requests one week's notice and there is some required paperwork including an enrollment form, immunization update, and proof of the child's identity (birth certificate).
We hope this helps more people participate in and enjoy the conference.
For Further Information
Contact the conference hosts John Swaddle (jpswad@wm.edu) and Dan Cristol (dacris@wm.edu).
