ANT COURSE 2003
Southwestern Research Station (SWRS), Portal, AZ August 7-17,
2003
http://www.calacademy.org/research/entomology/ant_course/
COURSE OBJECTIVES.
ANT COURSE is designed for systematists, ecologists, behaviorists,
conservation biologists, and other biologists whose research responsibilities
require a greater understanding of ant taxonomy. Emphasis is on
the classification and identification of more than fifty ant genera
of North America. Lectures will include background information
on the ecology, life histories and evolution of ants. Field trips
are structured to teach collecting and sampling techniques, and
associated lab work provides instruction on specimen preparation,
sorting and labeling. Information on equipment/supply vendors,
literature, and myrmecological contacts are also presented.
COURSE SIGNIFICANCE.
Ant Course is a unique opportunity to acquire training that is
unavailable elsewhere. This course will provide students with
1) the confidence and skills to identify the major ant genera
of North America; 2) an understanding of modern specimen processing
and curation techniques; 3) an appreciation for the biological
diversity of ants, and 4) experience keying to the species level.
SPONSORS.
California Academy of Sciences and Museum of Comparative Zoology,
with funding from The E.O. Wilson Foundation & The Schlinger
Foundation.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION.
ANT COURSE will be taught from August 7 17, 2003 at the Southwestern
Research Station in Portal Arizona. The Station is centered amid
the richest ant fauna in North America. This is an ongoing course,
offered annually.
PARTICIPANT ACCEPTANCE CRITERIA.
ANT COURSE is open to all interested individuals. Priority will
be given to those biologists for whom the course will have a significant
impact on their research. An entomological background is not required.
We aim to include students with a diverse interest in biology,
including ant systematics, ecology, behavioral biology and conservation.
The high instructor to student ratio will allow students to receive
individual attention. ANT COURSE is presented in English and limited
to 25 participants
COSTS.
Tuition for the 10-day COURSE is $400 for current students and
$600 for non-students. In addition, Southwestern Research Station
(SWRS) fees for this period, covering dormitory room and board,
are $405. Transportation costs between home and Tucson (air) or
SWRS (auto) are to be borne by all participants.
FELLOWSHIPS.
Four fellowships are available for 2003. Two fellowships cover
tuition fees and two fellowships cover station fees.
POSSIBLE INSTRUCTORS:
2003 Instructors to be announced Spring 2003.
Brian Fisher (Coordinator), Dept. of Entomology, California Academy
of Sciences, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, CA 94118-4599, Tel:
415-750-7240, bfisher@calacademy.org
Stefan Cover (Coordinator), Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard
University, Cambridge, MA 02138, Tel: 617 496 5614, cover@oeb.harvard.edu
Gary Alpert, University Entomologist, Harvard University - EH&S
Department, 46 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, gary_alpert@harvard.edu
Mark Deyrup Archbold Biological Station, P.O. Box 2057, Lake Placid,
Florida 33862, mdeyrup@archbold-station.org
Bob Johnson, Dept. of Biology, Arizona State University, Tempe,
Arizona, 85287-1501, atraj@imap1.asu.edu
Jack Longino, Lab I, The Evergreen State College, Olympia WA 98505
USA, longinoj@evergreen.edu
Bill MacKay, Dept. of Biological Sciences, University of Texas,
El Paso, TX 79968, wmackay@utep.edu
Steve Shattuck, CSIRO Entomology, Australian National Insect Collection,
P.O. Box 1700, CANBERRA, ACT 2601, Steve.Shattuck@csiro.au
Ted Schultz, Smithsonian Institution, PO Box 37012, NHB, CE516,
MRC 188, Washington, DC 20013-7012, U.S.A., schultz@lms.si.edu
Roy Snelling, Section of Entomology, Natural History Museum of,
Los Angeles County, 900 Exposition Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90007,
rsnellin@nhm.org
Mike Kaspari, Dept. of Zoology, University of Oklahoma, Norman
OK 73019-0235, mkaspari@ou.edu
Phil Ward, Department of Entomology, University of California,
One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, psward@ucdavis.edu