Bookings are now open for the next Scottish Ecology, Environment and Conservation Conference, to be held at the University of Aberdeen during 3-4 April 2017. We hope you will be able to come!
Aim
The conference aims to bring together researchers working on diverse topics in ecology, conservation and environmental science across Scotland (and more widely), with an emphasis on providing PhD and MSc students with opportunities to present their work, to interact with senior researchers and policy makers, and hence to discuss the ways that research can be used to inform conservation and environmental policy.
Programme
There is an excellent schedule of events lined up, including keynote talks from Professor Georgina Mace FRS (Professor of Biodiversity and Ecosystems, UCL), and from Professor Phil Boon (Head of Ecosystems and Biodiversity, SNH).
There will also be a panel discussion session on ‘Applying ecological science to conservation policy’, featuring Georgina, Professor Anne Glover FRS (former Chief Scientific Advisor to the Scottish Government and to the European Commission), Andrew Bachell (Director of Policy and Advice, SNH), Dr Ruth Mitchell (Chair of British Ecological Society Scottish Policy Group) and others.
Importantly, we will have several sessions of student talks, posters, and plenty of time for networking and socialising.
Registration
Attendance at the conference is free (including refreshments), but you will need to register by following the link below.
Registration will be open until the end of Monday 6 February in the first instance, but places are limited so it’s first come first served – and please only sign up if you intend to come.
The conference will be held mainly in the Zoology Building, University of Aberdeen.
Directions, and information for those who need accommodation in Aberdeen for the night of 3 April, will be circulated subsequently. We will endeavour to provide various ‘affordable’ accommodation options.
Talks and posters
We strongly encourage ALL student attendees to contribute to the conference by offering a talk, a full poster or an ‘essence’ poster.
Talks and full posters might suit students whose projects are developed to the degree that they have results to present.
‘Essence’ posters will be smaller (A4 or A3) and simpler than full posters, and might be more appropriate for students who are just starting their projects and so don’t yet have any results or even firm plans to present. For example, an essence poster could simply summarise the question to be addressed and indicate the study system or planned methods to be used in whatever form you want – words or pictures, serious or cartoon! The idea is to provide everyone with an opportunity to highlight what they are doing, and to facilitate links and conversations among people working on related (or different) topics.
Non-student attendees are also encouraged to present full or essence posters, which might illustrate their overall research interests.
Come on, everyone can do an essence poster!
Slots for talks will be limited by available time, and the programme will be decided by a student-led organising committee in Aberdeen. Talk lengths are likely to vary between 8 and 15 mins. Slots for full posters and essence posters will be unlimited. Multiple prizes will be up for grabs!
If you would like to be considered to give a talk, please send a title and abstract (max 200 words) to Paul Robertson (Paul.Robertson@snh.gov.uk) by the end of Monday 6 Feb, with the email subject ‘SEECC talk abstract’.
If you would like to give a full poster, please send a title to Paul Robertson (Paul.Robertson@snh.gov.uk) by the end of Monday 6 Feb, with the email subject ‘SEECC poster’.
If you would like to give an essence poster then there’s no need to do anything except register through the link above!
I hope you will come along to the conference, and encourage your students and office-mates to come. I look forward to welcoming you to Aberdeen in April!
Provisional programme (timings still possibly subject to some change):
Monday 3 April
12:00-12:45: Arrivals and lunch
12:45-13:00: Welcome & introductions
13:00-14:00: Georgina Mace plenary
14:00-15:00: Student talks session 1
15:00-15:30: Tea/coffee/networking
15:30-17:00: Student talks session 2
17:15-19:15: Posters and networking session
Dinner/pub
Tuesday 4 April
09:00-10:45: Student talks session 3
10:45-11:15: Tea/coffee/networking
11:15-11:45: Phil Boon plenary
11:45-13:00: Panel discussion – applying ecological science to conservation policy
13:00-14:00: Lunch and ongoing discussions
14:00-15:15: Student talks session 4, and finale talk
15:15-15:30: Wrap up
All images © Lorne Gill/SNH
Scotland's Nature 
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