From the society: Update on the 6th Biennial Conference of the International Biogeography Society

Abstract

membership corner from the society Update on the 6 th Biennial Conference of the International Biogeography Society Planning is well underway for the Sixth Biennial Conference of the International Biogeography Society, which will be held at the Kovens Convention Center located on Biscayne Bay campus of Florida International University in Miami Florida on January 9 th to 13 th , 2012. January climate in South Florida is mild, with temperatures ranging from 17 to 26 °C and only a small chance of rain. The main conference hotel is located directly on the beach. The preliminary program includes four plenary symposia: (1) Predicting species and biodi- versity in a warmer world: are we doing a good job? (2) Beyond Bergmann: new perspectives on the biogeography of traits, (3) Island biogeography: new syntheses, and Convergence of conservation paleontology and biogeography. Plenary speakers will include, among others, James Brown (University of New Mexico), Jonathan Losos (Harvard University), Elizabeth Hadley (Stanford University), Antoine Guisan (University of Lausanne), and Lauren Buckley (University of North Carolina). Over 70 contributed talks will address a variety of biogeographic themes, from marine biogeography to phylogeography. The spacious conference center will accommodate 300 posters. Graduate students will be able to engage senior scientists during specially organized lunch-time sessions. Pre-conference workshops (Jan 9 th ) in development include half-day sessions on the topics of (1) merging ecophysiological data into species distribution models, (2) popular science writing, (3) advice for early-career and non-native English speakers on preparing work for publication, (4) Bayesian modeling, and a full-day session on (5) biodiversity informatics. Field trips are being planned for the beginning (Jan 9 th ) and end (Jan 13 th ) of the conference. These tours, mostly for small groups of less than 20 people, may range from airboat rides, hikes in Everglades National Park, canoeing the historic Oleta River, birding tour of south Florida, sea kayaking, snorkeling, and tours of the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden. Abstract submission and registration will open mid-2012 1 . Daniel Gavin Vice President for Conferences, International Biogeog- raphy Society. dgavin@uoregon.edu Edited by Matthew Heard 1. Further details are posted at http://www.biogeography.org/html/Meetings/2013/index.html. frontiers of biogeography 4.1, 2012 — © 2012 the authors; journal compilation © 2012 The International Biogeography Society