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ANNOUNCEMENT
THE BEE COURSE 2013 Course URL: http://research.amnh.org/invertzoo/beecourse/
Where
and When:– Southwestern Research Station (SWRS), Portal, Arizona, August 25
– September 4, 2013. Organizers:
In 2013, 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. 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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Dr. John S. Ascher
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Dr. Stephen L. Buchmann
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Dr. Ronald J. McGinley 2517 County Road 600 East Dewey, IL 61840 |
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Dr. James H. Cane |
Dr. Terry L. Griswold
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Dr. Lawrence Packer Department of Biology York University Toronto, ON, Canada xeromelissa@mail.com |
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Dr. Jerome G. Rozen, Jr.
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Dr. Robbin
W. Thorp
Department of Entomology University of California Davis, California 95616 rwthorp@ucdavis.edu |
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FEES Tuition for the 9-day COURSE is $900 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. This fee
may be paid by check (but not by credit card) after you are
informed of acceptance. 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 $670 for this period, covering
dormitory room and board. This fee is payable to SWRS by credit card, certified check or money order (in USD), or cash (not
personal check). This fee must be paid 30 days in advance of the course to: Southwest Research Station, PO Box 16553, Portal, AZ USA 85632, or call 1-520-558-2396 with a
credit card.
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, 2013 |
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