The 2017 ForBio Annual Meeting will take place 24-26 April in beautiful Bergen! It's time to start thinking about what you are going to present: As usual, ForBio will cover travel and accommodation for members contributing a talk or a poster. The meeting webpage is up and running, and information on program, keynotes, social events and the practicalities of attending will be updated there as planning progresses. We will also give you another reminder through the newsletter as registration opens.
ForBio, NTNU and NABIS course: Diversification in Time and Space January 23 - March 3, 2017, Online course
ForBio, NTNU and NABIS are co-organising the course Diversification in time and Space.
Biodiversity changes through time and varies in space. The aim of this course is to understand major processes causing changes in biological diversity. Focus will be on understanding micro- and macro-evolutionary processes, how these change diversity and species distributions, and how to obtain knowledge of species histories. Emphasis will be placed on understanding methods used in analyses of evolution in time and space, in particular using coalescent theory as a tool for understanding population genetic processes and inferring phylogenetic patterns, and how to do proper biogeographic analyses. The course is composed of four main parts: 1) coalescent theory in population genetics and phylogeography, 2) the multispecies coalescent, 3) molecular dating, and 4) biogeography. The course consists of video lectures, online questions to each topic and discussion groups. Application deadline is January 18, 2017.
June 5-18, 2017, Espegrend Marine Biological Station, Bergen, Norway
The University Museum of Bergen (University of Bergen, Norway), Lomonosov Moscow State University (Russia), SPIRE (Strategic Programme for International Research and Education) and ForBio (Research School in Biosystematics) jointly offer a course aiming to provide participants with state of the art knowledge in various aspects of annelid biology as well as hands-on experience in the field and laboratory study of annelid worms. The course will cover a wide range of annelid taxa including major macrobenthic forms, interstitial and pelagic annelids. Lectures will address various theoretical questions in annelid biology, morphology, development, systematics, phylogeny and evolution. Several methods used in annelid studies including morphological methods (histology, cLSM, SEM, TEM) and molecular techniques (barcoding, species delimitation, phylogenetic approaches, genomic studies) will also be covered. Lab work will include external and internal morphology of selected annelid taxa, dissections and preparations of slides, as well as attempted artificial fertilization in selected species to trace early development in annelids. Species used in the course will be collected by the students during the field trips in the vicinity of the Station. Application will be open in January 2017. Application deadline 31 March 2017.
Transmitting Science and ForBio course: Phylogenetic Analysis Using R March 6-10, 2017, Barcelona, Spain
This course is for biologists dealing with the analysis of multiple molecular sequences at several levels: Populations, species, clades, communities. These biologists address questions relative to the evolutionary relationships among these sequences, as well as the evolutionary forces structuring biodiversity at different scales. The objectives of the course are: (i) to know how to choose a strategy of molecular data analysis at the inter‐ or intraspecific levels, (ii) to be able to initiate a phylogenetic analysis starting from the files of molecular sequences until the interpretation of the results and the graphics. Places are limited to 25 participantsand will be occupied by strict registration order.
Transmitting Science and ForBio course: Geometric morphometrics with plants May 8 - 13, 2017, Barcelona, Spain
This course offers a self-contained introduction to geometric morphometrics with a special focus on applications in plant evolution and development. Plant-specific aspects of data acquisition and evaluation are discussed, and the particular possibilities of geometric morphometrics in plants will be highlighted. Lectures about general morphological and developmental characteristics of plants are combined with an introduction to the concepts and techniques of shape analysis. Finally, advanced methods such as regression analyses, modularity tests and comparative phylogenetic analyses are presented. This theoretical basis is complemented by hands-on demonstrations of data collection and analyses. The main focus of the course will be on landmark morphometrics, but a brief introduction and discussion of outline methods and semilandmarks is also provided. If there are participants who already have collected their own data, they are encouraged to bring these data for conducting analyses and discussing results. Places are limited to 20 participants and will be occupied by strict registration order. ForBio will cover the registration fee for a selected number of highly motivated ForBio members.
Transmitting Science and ForBio course: Introduction to 3D Imaging Technologies: Photogrammetry, Laser, CT-Scan and Micro CT-Scan for Life Sciences June 26 - July 2, 2017, Sabadell, Barcelona, Spain
This course is addressed to life sciences researchers and technicians who routinely work with complex biological structures (specimens) and need to digitise their samples for different reasons, such as digital preservation, quantitative or biomechanics analyses, etc. The goal of the course is to explain how you can work with a range of technologies with the aim of obtaining a 3D virtual models from different sources, such as laser imaging, photogrammetry and (micro) computed tomography (CT). By the end of the course participants should be able to obtain high quality digitalizations of samples with the most commonly used techniques and also be able to edit and manipulate the digital models that are produced. Attendees will also learn to stain with Lugol’s iodine, a specific technique for specimen preparation for micro CT scanning which maximizes soft-tissue differentiation in CT imaging datasets. Places are limited to18 participantsand will be occupied by strict registration order.
Transmitting Science and ForBio course: Introduction to Electron Microscopy for Life Sciences July 4-7, 2017, Barcelona, Spain
This course gives an introduction to both Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and Scanning Electron Microscopy(SEM). It covers electron microscopy principles and theory, as well as different fields of application, operation modes and image interpretation. The course is aimed at beginners and intermediate users of electron microscopes in life sciences. The course has a limited number of participants to allow small groups during practical sessions. After this course, the participants should be able to align the microscopes, identify the most common aberrations and understand the principles of image generation in electron microscopy. Participants can also bring some samples already prepared on TEM grid. Places are limited to 12 participants and will be occupied by strict registration order.
Transmitting Science and ForBio course: Quantitative cladistics and use of TNT October 2-6, 2017, Barcelona, Spain
This course will cover the basics of parsimony analysis and character optimisation, tree-searches, diagnosing and summarising results efficiently, and measuring group supports. It will be informal, with extensive hands-on exercises which will help students get familiar with the main aspects of phylogenetic analysis using TNT. For each of the units in the course, there will be a lecture (one to two hours, depending on the topics), then switching to exercises illustrating the points just seen in the lecture. Switches between “lecture” and “hands-on” mode will be dynamic, depending on how students progress with the exercises. The course will make extensive use of TNT. There will also be a demonstration and some practice with GB->TNT, a program to create TNT matrices from GenBank data (in turn, GB->TNT requires installation of an alignment program, ideally Mafft or Muscle and possibly BioEdit to inspect alignments). Places are limited to18 participants and will be occupied by strict registration order.
Non-ForBio courses and meetings
ETH ‘Triple A’ Winter School on whole genome sequence data. January 15-20, 2017, Monte Verita Conference Centre, Switzerland
The biological sciences are experiencing a genomic revolution following major advances in DNA sequencing technology. This revolution has great potential to advance many fields of biology, but the lack of suitably trained biologists with the necessary skills to tackle mountains of DNA sequence data prevents unlocking this potential. The ‘Triple A’ Winter School will guide students through Assembly, Annotation and Analysis of Whole Genome Sequence data.
Workshop on DNA barcoding February 6-8, 2017, Natural History Museum, Oslo
The aim is to provide participants with a practical and theoretical introduction to DNA barcoding through NorBOL and Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD). During the workshop, participants will be able to follow the complete protocol from photographing, filling in data sheets, and preparation of plates with tissue for DNA sequencing. The last day we go through analysis functions in BOLD v4, and you can get help to analyse own data, or try with a sample data set. ForBio members are welcomed to the workshop, but the maximum number of participants is 10 and priority will be given to National Taxonomy Initiative (Artsdatabanken) projects. Registration by 20 January, 2017
The International School on Foraminifera June 11-30, 2017, Urbino, Italy
The 10th Course on Foraminifera is designed to provide an overview of the Taxonomy, Ecology, Biodiversity, and Geological History of Benthic and Planktonic Foraminifera. This intensive course is intended for students interested in Micropalaeontology, Palaeoceanography, Palaeoecology, Climate History, Biology, and Environmental applications. The aim is to provide a primer on the study of foraminifera and examples of how foraminifera can be used as (paleo)environmental and (paleo)oceanographical proxies. We review the current classification schemes of the foraminifera, discuss their ecology and life history, review their usefulness for biostratigraphical applications, and use case studies to investigate the geological history of the group with lab and practical sessions. The modular course consists of approximately 60 hours of lectures and 60 hours of practical work. Early registration before February 3, 2017
International Congress on Invertebrate Morphology August 18-23, 2017, Moscow, Russia
Registration for the International Congress on Invertebrate Morphology is now open. The ICIM 4 is devoted to actual questions and the most important achievements in the field of invertebrate morphology; to a wide range of scientific problems including the synthesis of classical morphology with advances in molecular taxonomy and phylogeny, to evolutionary developmental biology; to investigations on the structure of different groups of invertebrates; to the problem of miniaturization and the evolution of larval forms; and to modern achievements in the field of functional morphology and paleontology. Special attention will be paid to modern approaches and methods of morphological and evolutionary studies. Early registration deadline February 1, 2017
Funding and opportunities
The Helen Fellowship
The Helen Fellowship is a unique opportunity for women to spend a year immersed in teaching and research at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. The fellowship is open for talented and motivated women with a bachelors or graduate degree in computer science, natural sciences, applied mathematics, computational science, and other relevant majors. Application Deadline: January 20, 2017
ForBio travel grants
ForBio offers both incoming and outgoing travel grants to fund collaborations between ForBio members and taxonomic experts. This is an open call without deadlines.
Vacancies
Assistant/Associate Professor
Invertebrate Biologists for a full-time, nine-month, tenure-track position at Department of Biological Sciences, School of Natural Sciences, St. Edward's University, Texas, US. Only U.S. citizens and individuals authorized to work in the United States. Fullest consideration given to applications received by December 8, 2016
4-year Postdoctoral fellow position in bioinformatics
at the Department of Biology, University of Bergen, within the EU-funded project SponGES on “Deep-sea sponge grounds ecosystems of the North Atlantic: an integrated approach towards their preservation and sustainable exploitation". Closing date for applications December 14, 2016
PhD position in phylogenomics/populationgenomics of deep sea sponges
at the Department of Biology, University of Bergen, within the EU-funded project SponGES on “Deep-sea sponge grounds ecosystems of the North Atlantic: an integrated approach towards their preservation and sustainable exploitation". Closing date for applications December 14, 2016
Abrego, N., Oivanen, P., Viner, I., Nordén, J., Penttilä, R., Dahlberg, A., Heilmann-Clausen, J., Somervuo, P., Ovaskainen, O., Schigel, D. Reintroduction of threatened fungal species via inoculation
(2016) Biological Conservation, 203, pp. 120-124.
