NSF Award
1623826
Fish are a primary food source for populations around the globe and are highly sensitive to environmental change. The Physiology Section of the American Fisheries Society (AFS) holds the International Congress on the Biology of Fish every two years. It attracts a high caliber international delegation of scientists dedicated to fish research from over 40 countries around the world. The Congress symposia cover a broad range of topics ranging from basic to applied fish biology and provide a unique environment for cross-fertilization of ideas aimed at the long term viability of global fish species. One of the strengths of the congress has always been student involvement; of the 544 delegates presenting at the last Congress, 217 were students. The quality of the students' science and presentations are exceptional and has always been real highlight of the meeting. The goal of this application is to provide support for students at the graduate and post-doctoral level to travel to and participate in the 2016 Congress to be held at Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas, June 12-16. Candidates applying for NSF travel support will be judged on a combination of the scientific quality of their abstract, the relevance of their subject matter to the symposia, and financial need. The travel award program more broadly promotes development of a strong scientific infrastructure, encompassing junior scientists of many ethnicities and genders. The organizers aim to continue to foster success of under represented students in the STEM fields within Fish Physiology. In addition to the science there are several supporting sessions held throughout the congress aimed specifically at students; these range from publication/grant writing workshops, to specific mentoring and career events along with social events aimed at assisting students to develop their professional networks. Proceedings of the Congress are supplied in PDF-format, free-of-charge to the public on the AFS Physiology division website.
