[Coral-List] Seeking host for a free coral ID workshop in the USA in August

[Russell Kelley BYOGUIDES]

Dear Coral Listerers

This is a unique free opportunity to learn Indo Pacific coral genera in a molecularly compliant way, read on!

WHAT?  The Coral Identification Capacity Building Program (CICBP) is seeking an institution / organisation(s) in the United States to host a coral ID workshop based around Coral Finder 4 (a molecular compliant coral ID tool) in return for feedback and discussion. Duration of 1 or 2 days.

WHO IS THE TRAINER?  Russell Kelley is an award winning science communicator with a special interest in coral identification and author of the Indo Pacific Coral Finder (3 editions). Russell founded the CICBP and has trained over 1000 people in coral ID.

WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU?  
Learn (or improve your ability) to reliably identify coral genera as per the new molecular taxonomic framework.
Improve your capacity to collect accurate, genus level coral data using the current state of knowledge.
Free training from an award winning science communicator who specialises in making the dark art of coral ID easy to learn.
Pre-publication access to Coral Finder 4 - the first ever synthesis of the emerging molecular coral taxonomy presented in the easy-to-use, proven Coral Finder style.
Fast-track into the only practical learning pathway for people interested in species ID going forward.  

DO YOU GET FREE STUFF?  Yes - Russell will provide tuition for free. There would be a charge for the cost of locally printing a pre-publication Coral Finder 4 and workshop materials. The hosting institution might also levy charges. 

WHEN?  The window to take advantage of this opportunity is August 12-26, 2020 when Russell Kelley will be a visiting Churchill Fellow in the US.

WHAT NEXT?  Potential host organisations / institutions please address expressions of interest or enquires to Russell Kelley via email: russell at byoguides.com

BACKGROUND: The molecular sciences have revolutionised coral identification over the last 15 years with many familiar and long used coral names changing. Frustratingly, many of these changes are not visually intuitive, or easily understood. Moreover they are spread across an ever expanding, fragmented literature mired with complex taxonomic and molecular jargon. For the last 5 years Russell has been working to update the Indo Pacific Coral Finder to a 4th, molecular compliant edition bringing robust, visually intuitive, genus level coral ID back within reach of scientists, students, conservation professionals, coral restoration / industry professionals and natural resource managers.

As this project nears completion Russell is seeking real world feedback from people and organisations with a need to ID corals to genus reliably for survey / scientific / coral restoration purposes. He is offering to run a workshop with free tuition for upto 20 people (who will attend at their own expense).

Russell Kelley is known internationally for his engaging coral identification workshops and practical, visually driven solutions to tricky science communication problems. The Indo Pacific Coral Finder (Editions 1-3) is used around the world by coral specialists, students, divers and hobbyists because it is intuitive and easy to use. It also cross references back to Corals of the World providing a gateway into species ID and making this important three volume reference work easier to use. The forthcoming Indo Pacific Coral Finder 4th edition will be a molecular compliant update to genus level coral ID that retains the same visual ease-of-use for which the Coral Finder is famous. 

In 2017 Russell was awarded the Australian Coral Reef Society Medal for science communication. Russell is a 2019 recipient of a Churchill Fellowship project entitled, ‘Renewing a proven, easy-to-use, tool for self directed learning and training in coral identification’. 

russell at byoguides.com <mailto:russell at byoguides.com>

Most recent edition Coral Finder 3.0 - 2016:
www.byoguides.com/coralfinder <http://www.byoguides.com/coralfinder>
 
www.russellkelley.info <http://www.russellkelley.info/>


Russell Kelley

Churchill Fellow 2019

Recipient 2017 Australian Coral Reef Society Medal for Science Advocacy

Program Director
Coral Identification Capacity Building Program

Writer, project manager, television producer, science communication consultant.


Author: Reef Finder - the world’s first searchable underwater ID smart guide
Author: Indo Pacific Coral Finder - the world’s first searchable ID guide to corals  

www.byoguides.com <http://www.byoguides.com/>
www.russellkelley.info <http://www.russellkelley.info/>


Int. + 61 (0) 419 716730 mob.
 
ABN 66208215206
GMT + 10 hours
Email: russell at byoguides.com
Skype: wireruss



Adjunct Senior Lecturer
College of Science and Engineering
James Cook University