News from IAB

The mission of the International Association of Bryologists (IAB), as a society, is to strengthen bryology by encouraging interactions among all persons interested in byophytes.

Wednesday, January 18, 2017

A short course on taxonomy and biology of tropical bryophytes, at Bocas del Toro, Panama. Aug 2017

The application deadline for the course extended until January 27th.
Maycol Madrid,
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute.
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Short course on Taxonomy and Biology of Tropical Bryophytes

Date:
August 14 − 26, 2017

Location:
Bocas Research Station, Bocas del Toro, Panama.
http://www.stri.si.edu/english/research/facilities/marine/bocas_del_toro/

Instructors:
Dr. Noris Salazar Allen
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama
Dr. Juan Carlos Villarreal
Université Laval, Canada
Dr. Gregorio Dauphin
Herbario Nacional, Museo Nacional de Costa Rica

Organizer:
Dr. Rachel Collin

Registration fee:
$850 (includes room and board, STRI registration fee, etc.). Some need-based fellowships are available.

Course Description:
The course is aimed for graduate students, post-docs, senior undergraduates and professionals interested in learning and applying knowledge about the diversity, evolution, and research potential of bryophytes, one of the most important plant groups in the adaptation of plants to land environments. The students participating in the course will:
·      Learn to identify, describe and compare the most common bryophytes that grow on mangroves and forested islands, as well as those of continental forests.
·      Learn about the evolutionary mechanisms developed by the gametophyte and sporophyte generations in the various bryophyte groups and their adaptations to terrestrial environments.
·      Learn the bryophyte components of the various ecosystems in the Tropics, and potential taxonomic problems that arise when studying them.
·      Learn basic ecological survey techniques.

The course aims at providing the students with the necessary tools to continue studies on the taxonomy, morphology, and ecology of bryophytes. The course will last 10 days with 3 days dedicated to taxonomic training including the characteristics and identification of the various orders, families and genera of bryophytes. Two days will be dedicated to biogeography, chemical diversity, and reproductive mechanism; one day to basic ecological techniques. We will conduct field trips to survey the various sites in the islands and mangroves around the Bocas station, and a one-day field trip to Fortuna to compare the bryophyte flora of a cloud forest with that of the coastal areas. The remaining days will be dedicated to working on independent or group projects and their presentation. Daily activities will include: morning and afternoon lectures, field trips, lab work, and discussion sections or talks.

Application: 
Please e-mail your CV, 1 letter of recommendation, and a 1-2 page statement explaining your background and reasons for taking the course, to bocasresearchstation@gmail.com before January 27th, 2017. Limit 12 students. To be considered for a need-based fellowship, applicants should send a description of their need, their efforts to obtain funding from other available sources, and a travel budget. 

For more information, please contact us at bocasresearchstation@gmail.com or see: http://www.stri.si.edu/sites/taxonomy_training/



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