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ANNOUNCEMENT THE BEE COURSE 2008 Course URL: http://research.amnh.org/invertzoo/beecourse/ Where and When: Southwestern Research Station (SWRS), Portal, Arizona, August 24 – September 3, 2008. Organizers:
In 2008, we are again offering THE BEE COURSE, a nine-day workshop to be presented at the Southwestern Research Station, near Portal, Arizona. The main purpose of the course is to provide participants with sufficient knowledge and experience to use effectively The Bee Genera of North and Central America by Michener, McGinley, and Danforth, 1994. This book provides well-illustrated keys to all genera of bees found in that geographic region and information about their morphology, distribution, and classification. Persons equipped with the information from this course will be capable of using Charles Michener's magnum opus, Bees of the World, re-published in 2007 by Johns Hopkins University Press. This book deals with the classification, evolution, and distribution of bees on a worldwide basis and presents keys to genera, subgenera, and higher taxa for the entire globe.
COURSE OBJECTIVES.--THE BEE COURSE is designed primarily for botanists, conservation biologists, pollination ecologists, and other biologists whose research, training, or teaching responsibilities require a greater understanding of bee taxonomy. It emphasizes the classification and identification of more than sixty bee genera of North and Central America (both temperate and tropical), and the general information provided is applicable to the global bee fauna. Lectures include background information on the biologies of bees, their floral relationships, their importance in maintaining and/or improving floral diversity, inventory strategies, and the significance of oligolecty (i.e., taxonomic floral specialization). Field trips acquaint participants with collecting and sampling techniques; associated lab work provides instruction on specimen identification, preparation and labeling. Information on equipment/supply vendors, literature, and people resources is also presented.
COURSE SIGNIFICANCE.--The field of pollination ecology explores the reproductive biology of plants in general, including the biotic and abiotic agents associated with pollination and seed-set. This is of interest for basic research and understanding of world communities and also has significant practical impact as it relates to pollination of economically important crop plants, to survival of endangered plants, and to plant reproduction in threatened habitats. Pollen is moved between receptive flowers by wind, water, birds, bats, beetles, flies, etc., but the 20,000 species of bees worldwide play a dominant role in the sexual reproduction of most plant communities. This course will empower students with 1) the confident use of The Bee Genera of North and Central America, 2) an appreciation for the biological diversity of bees, and 3) sufficient background to learn more about bees and investigate pollination and conservation problems with greater insight.
SPONSORS Robert G. Goelet Bee Workshop Fund, American Museum of
Natural History. Others to be announced. BACKGROUND INFORMATION.--THE BEE COURSE was presented for the first time in 1999 at the SWRS, and two similar workshops, held in Mexico in 1985 and 1986, involved many current instructors. The Southwestern Research Station is centered amid the richest bee fauna in North America, and its collections include exemplars of almost all of the local bee fauna. This is an ongoing course, offered annually.
PARTICIPANT ACCEPTANCE
CRITERIA.--THE BEE COURSE is open to all interested individuals.
Priority will be given to those biologists for whom the course will have
significant impact on their research and/or teaching. An entomological
background is not required. THE BEE COURSE, presented in English, is limited
to 22 participants. |
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INSTRUCTORS |
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Dr, John S. AscherDivision of Invertebrate Zoology Natural
History |
Dr. Stephen L. Buchmann |
Dr.
Bryan N. Danforth Department of Entomology Comstock Hall Cornell University Ithaca, New York 14853-0901 |
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Dr. Terry L. Griswold |
Dr. Gretchen LeBuhn
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Dr. Ronald J. McGinley |
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Dr. Jerome G. Rozen, Jr. Zoology Natural
History |
Dr. Robbin W. ThorpDepartment of Entomology University of California Davis, California 95616 |
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FEES Tuition for the 9-day COURSE is $550 to be paid by all participants on being informed of their acceptance unless they have been granted a waiver or partial waiver. Tuition covers overhead costs of the workshop. In addition, all students (whether or not they have received a waiver of tuition) or their home institutions must pay the Southwestern Research Station (SWRS) fees of $500 for this period, covering dormitory room and board. This fee is payable to SWRS personnel during the course, by credit card, certified check, or cash (not personal check). Transportation costs between home and Tucson (air) or SWRS (auto) are to be borne by all participants or their home institutions.
HOW TO APPLY
The application form is available on the course web
site: (http://research.amnh.org/invertzoo/beecourse/) For application forms and additional information, please send requests to: THE BEE COURSE
DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS: MARCH 1, 2008 |
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