CAnMove Newsletter Autumn 2013

CAnMove Newsletter Autumn 2013

I wish to welcome all CAnMove members back from holidays and field work and to join upcoming activities within the CAnMove program this semester. The are many exciting seminars and meetings to attend, but also the international PhD student course on Ecology of Animal Movement to which many international experts are invited and will give talks. I strongly recommend you to attend to a number of talks during the course as they are open for all interested. The program is available at the CAnMove web-site.

We will start with activities directed to PhD students and postdocs, and one event twice per year will be to join The Directors Tea, at which information on decision processes, program activities and research news will be communicated, but also the PhDs and Postdocs will be able to discuss issues of interest with the Director. The first Directors Tea will take place 16 October at 14.00h in the conference room opposite to the Library entrance at first floor.

We have recently submitted the half-time evaluation report for the CAnMove program to the Swedish Research Council, covering scientific progress, activities, budget, members, publications and equality work etc. It has been a major achievement to coordinate and condense all information, and I am very grateful to all who helped with this major effort. Thank you! It has also been exciting work as it became clear how much we have been able to achieve during the first five years of the program. For instance, eight workhops, several CAnMove conferences, and seminars, but also major steps forward in terms of technical development and applications of new technology, new research projects have been developed and young scientists have been recruited to the program. This all excellent news and progress! I hope this knowledge will stimulate to further initiatives and actions within the program and to development of new collaborative research projects. The number of members has grown to nearly 70 in total and 18 Principal investigators, which is showing increased interest for CAnMove. CAnMove members further show an impressively high impact on the society by almost 1000 (!) media hits in national and international Web, and national newspapers (not including international newspapers) since the program start! This fantastic progress merits further blogs to be written and communication of research news!

The evaluation panel consisting of a number of internationally acknowledged scientists will visit Lund University and CAnMove 27-28 January 2014. At this event you will be invited and several members will present achievements. In June 2014 we will receive the evaluation report of our program and decision on continued financial support for the last five years.

The work on the CAnMove book has proceeded with full action this summer and autumn, and will soon enter its final form. Many thanks to PI Lars-Anders Hansson for leading this work with his experienced hand!

We are currently in the process of changing the management of CAnMove from a Steering committee to a Board (Styrelse), with a larger number of members (from 5 to 7). More information on this process will follow later.

As the program and activities has grown, and the project administrators (Helena Osvath 20%, and Christina Rengefors 40%) are working in total 60% CAnMove is looking for a manager, with PhD and education within biology. The position as a program administrator/project assistant is intended to start during late 2013, and we welcome spread of news as well as applicants to ask for this position.  

 

Director CAnMove, Susanne Åkesson