[Coral-List] Short course in Taxonomy and Ecology of Caribbean Gorgonians and Black Corals

Mary Alice Coffroth Coffroth at buffalo.edu
Mon Oct 23 21:37:30 EDT 2006


Short course in "Taxonomy and Ecology of Caribbean Gorgonians and Black Corals"

Dates:	July 23-August 2, 2007
Location:	Bocas Research Station, Bocas del Toro, Panama
Instructors:
Dr. Mary Alice Coffroth, State University of New York at Buffalo
Dr. Howard Lasker, State University of New York at Buffalo
Dr. Juan A. Sanchez, Universidad de los Andes
Dr. Dennis Opresko, Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Organizer: Dr. Rachel Collin, STRI

Course Description
The course is aimed at graduate students, post-docs, or professionals 
who are interested in learning and applying knowledge about the 
diversity and ecology of Caribbean Gorgonians and Black Corals. An 
additional aim is to standardize the taxonomic treatment of 
gorgonians throughout the region, and to foster a network of 
interested gorgonian workers with participants of the Cnidarian Tree 
of Life and the DNA barcoding initiatives. The students participating 
in this course will:

1.	Learn to describe and identify Caribbean Gorgonians and Black Corals.
2.	Learn general biological and ecological characteristics of the group.
3.	Assist in developing species lists, keys and ID guides for 
the Bocas fauna.
4.	Learn the most recent advances in gorgonian phylogenetics and 
systematics.
5.	Participate in the initiative to develop DNA barcodes for the 
reefs of Bocas del Toro.
6.	Conduct short independent projects.

Diving will be a required component of the course.

Course Registration Fee
$250 (STRI registration, room and board at the station is included)
Need-based travel fellowships will be available

Application Procedure
This course is directed towards graduate students and advance 
Licenciado candidates and will be conducted in English. 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 
Rachel Collin at CollinR at si.edu before March 1, 2007. Limit 12 
students. To be considered for a need-based fellowship, applicants 
should send a description of their need and their efforts to obtain 
funding for available sources. For more information see 
http://striweb.si.edu/taxonomy_training/


-- Dra. Rachel Collin Director, Bocas Research Station Smithsonian 
Tropical Research Institute Apartado Postal 0843-03092 Balboa, Ancon, 
Republic of Panama collinr at si.edu http://striweb.si.edu/collinlab/ 
Phone: +507-212-8766 Bocas del Toro Research Station 
http://www.stri.org/bocas Rachel Collin <collinr at si.edu>

-- 
Mary Alice Coffroth
Professor
 Department of Biological Sciences
 State University of New York at Buffalo
 Buffalo NY 14260

 Phone: 716-645-2363 ext. 187 (office)
       716-645- 2363 ext. 788 (lab)
 Fax:   716-645-2975
 Email: Coffroth at buffalo.edu





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