UPCOMING BIOCURSOS
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Annual Meeting Focuses on New Science Initiatives
The spring meeting of the OTS Board of Directors,
Assembly of Delegates, and Board of Visitors will be held on April 17-18, 2009 at the La
Selva Biological Station in Costa
Rica.
The meeting will have a special focus on science in OTS. We will take this opportunity to
highlight the science being conducted at all three stations, introduce our new
available infrastructure for biological research, and, most importantly,
develop and flesh out plans for new science initiatives identified by the
Science Committee.
OTS now has a newly appointed Science Director, Dr.
Carolina Murcia, who will lead our efforts in advancing OTS' science agenda. Over the last several months, the newly reinvigorated Science Committee has been working on identifying critical research frontiers in tropical studies. This meeting will provide an excellent opportunity to brainstorm with Carolina and the Vice Chairs of the Science
Committee, Dr. Greg Gilbert and Dr. Jim Beach.
As established under OTS' strategic plan, now is the time to take a more proactive role as an organization in tropical
science. OTS has already hosted successful workshops on two emerging
themes identified by the organization - Global
Change and Tropical Ecosystems and Tropical Forest Restoration and Ecology. The first of
these workshops already resulted in a $500,000 NSF grant to establish a
research coordination network of scientists working on long-term tropical
forest change.
Despite the difficult economic times, there are a number of
opportunities that are beginning to take shape in which OTS and researchers and
educators within the OTS consortium may be particularly well-suited. We envision that our April meeting will lead to
actions over the next year or two which will bring researchers and institutions
together in creative research and educational ventures in which OTS is likely
an active partner. Please look for new opportunities and updates to be announced in future issues of E-Canopy and the OTS website, www.ots.duke.edu.
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In Memory of Carl Rettenmeyer
It is with great sadness that we
share the news that longtime friend of OTS, Carl Rettenmeyer, passed away on
April 9, after a long illness.
Carl was born in Meriden, Connecticut
in 1931. He graduated from Swarthmore
College and received his Ph.D. from
the University of
Kansas in 1962. He
was on the faculty of Kansas State University
for about 11 years before joining the faculty of the University of Connecticut
in 1971 as a Professor. He served as Head of the Section of Systematic
and Evolutionary Biology from 1980 to 1983, and then as Executive Officer of
the Biological Sciences Group from 1983 to 1985. During his career at Kansas State
and later at UConn, he became a world-famous expert on the biology of army
ants, and was the leading expert on the huge array of insects and other
invertebrates that live in association with army ant colonies. He did
extensive field work in Ecuador,
Panama, Costa Rica, the Galapagos Islands, Kenya, and Tanzania. He also was known
as an expert photographer, and his photographs grace the pages of scores of
books on ants and tropical rain forests. He also worked tirelessly to
document the lives of army ants on film and video.
Carl was the Founding Director of
the Connecticut Museum of Natural History, which he transformed from a mostly
virtual museum headquartered in his lab in Torrey Life Sciences in 1982 to a
full-fledged museum that has continued to inspire generations of Connecticut
naturalists. It was through Carl's persistent efforts that the Museum
became a major focus of public outreach beyond the boundaries of the
University.
In lieu of flowers, the family has
requested that donations be made to the American Cancer Society or to a charity
of your choice. For the online memorial guestbook, please visit www.potterfuneralhome.com.
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La Selva Receives Bandera Azul
After a two-year effort
and two site reviews from the Rainforest Alliance, La Selva Biological Station received the
coveted Bandera Azul (with three stars-the highest level) for best
environmental practices. Bandera Azul is
a national designation and success is based on compliance in categories such as
regulation of water use, treatment of kitchen and sewage wastes, recycling,
community outreach, and production of species inventories. Congratulations La Selva!
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Support OTS Students and Researchers in honor of Earth Day!
Even
during a global recession, aspiring students and scientists still need OTS. Our educational model is recognized worldwide
and we continue to draw students from around the world. In fact, this year we
have received substantially
more applications to our courses than ever before. At the same time - due to the economic
climate - we have also received more requests for financial aid than ever
before. OTS takes pride in the fact that
we have been able to offer aid to students and researchers. Yet our ability to meet
this increased need is ever more limited. OTS has always been about opportunities,
but these opportunities are now in jeopardy.
We realize that in
these tough times, everyone needs to safeguard their resources. We are too in
our own lives. We are
very hopeful that with your continued support, we will be able to weather the
current economic storm and continue to provide students and young researchers with
the opportunity to participate in an OTS course and work at our field stations.
We ask, that in honor of Earth Day 2009, you show your support to OTS with a gift of $30, $50 or more to our Core Fund.
OTS has made it
through difficult times in the past and each time has come out stronger. Working together, we can do so again. We owe it to you, to future
generations of students and researchers, and, most importantly, to more than
70% of the world's biodiversity that can be found in the tropics.
For a gift of $30, we will send you an OTS neck tote.
The OTS waterproof neck tote is made of recycled plastic. It
is just the right size to hold extra cash and keys while you enjoy the forest.
Made of 100% recycled material with an enhanced biodegradability
additive.
For a
gift of $50, we will send you an OTS messenger bag.
The OTS Messenger bag is constructed of durable 100% non-woven light weight soft textured polypropylene (80 GSM) with 60% post consumer
recycled material. This bag features a 48" shoulder strap (2" w) and front flap
with Velcro closure. Non-woven poly is a heavy-duty material and is reusable and
recyclable. CLICK HERE to make your gift today. Type the code EARTH09 into the comments field to receive your OTS gift.
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Richard Thompson Charity Auction Supports OTSFans and friends of Richard Thompson have generously donated items in honor of Richard Thompson's birthday for a Fan Charity Auction supporting two of his favorite causes: OTS and the Teenage Cancer Trust. The online auction opened on Sunday, April 12. To view and bid on the many items donated by Richard Thompson's fans and
friends, please go here:
RT_FAN_CHARITY_AUCTION
The auction
will run through Sunday, April 19.
There are over 50 rare and unusual items to entice you, including:
--limited-run "staff" T-shirts from the you?me?us? tour
--publications, from Dirty Linen and Frets to nearly complete sets of
Hokey Pokey and The Ledge
--Cropredy memorabilia
--items autographed by Linda Thompson, Loudon Wainwright III, Shirley
Collins, John Kirkpatrick, and many others--as well as RT himself
--beautiful photos and posters
OTS would like to extend our thanks to the fans and friends of Richard Thompson for including OTS in this event and we are thrilled to join in the celebration of RT's
life and work by promoting this event to our community.
Please bid generously and often!
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