Ecological Society of America

Civic Auditorium (Directly across the street from the McEnery Convention Center )

Following the Opening Plenary please join us in the Civic Auditorium Lobby for an informal gathering. We will have cash bars setup for your convenience. Take advantage of this opportunity to meet old friends, make new friends, and head off to enjoy dinner with friends.

All undergraduate students (including those who have just graduated this year) are invited to attend this event which includes a welcome from the ESA President, Alan Covich, and the 2007 Program Chair, Kerry Woods, as well as some information about the ESA, student events and awards, and hints about how to best enjoy and use the meetings. This is also a great opportunity to meet some of your peers from across the country and make new friends who you may see at ESA meetings for years to come – all while enjoying some refreshments.

The Student Mixer will be held Monday, August 6, at the SJSU in the Student Union. Students can enjoy this ideal opportunity to get to know your fellow peers and make lasting friendships.

In this session participants will learn what editors look for when deciding which articles get considered for publication. Editors from ecological journals will discuss how to avoid common mistakes when writing and submitting papers for publication. This session is aimed at students, post-docs, and early-career ecologists, but attendance is open to all.

ESA will once again hold the “Music and Ecology” session, featuring performances by Annual Meeting attendees. Under the guidance of Nick Gotelli this session debuted with big success at last year’s Annual Meeting, and we anticipate it will be even better this year. So far the lineup includes David LeBauer, with the Laboratory Rat Ensemble, Carrie L. Woods will sing with guitar, Tania Vincent will play chamber music with friends, and Joseph Cornell will sing and play the guitar. We will also have performances by Tracy Feldman and Derek Johnson and Susan Elliott and Nick Gotelli. Take a look at Nick’s site www.uvm.edu/~ngotelli/musicpage/Memphis/Memphis.html and get a sense of what went on in Memphis. If you are interested in participating in this year’s session, come to the Convention Center, J-1 on Monday evening.

Graduate students and post-doctoral candidates are invited to join members of the NEON Leadership as well as ESA leadership for this traditional bagel breakfast.

Come enjoy an evening set aside to honor award winners from the Society of Ecological Restoration. You will be provided with a lovely host reception prior to the delicious dinner. The selections include either grilled Atlantic salmon, with sun dried tomato salsa, garlic potatoes, and seasonal vegetables, or roasted breast of chicken stuffed with spinach, cheese, pinenuts, and roasted red skinned potatoes, or eggplant parmesan coasted with seasoned breadcrumbs on a bed of linguini, marinara sauce. After the main course you will be served a wonderful dessert and coffee or tea. Truly a lovely evening!!

Get up before the birds, and meet in the lower level of the McEnery Convention Center for this year's fun run/walk. Experience the exhilaration of exercising in a scenic area of San Jose.

Celebrate with those in the SEEDS program at this popular mixer. This event offers an opportunity to learn more about the SEEDS program and its successes while enjoying good food before the Wednesday evening sessions.

Moderator: Meg Lowman
Guest Panelists: Sunny Power; Pam Matson; and Nancy Grimm

The 2007 Diversity Luncheon will provide career advancement advice for young ecologists, using real-life experiences by a panel of three distinguished women ecology leaders. Pam, Sunny, and Nancy -- who serve as role models for women and minorities in ecology -- will share their secrets about how they succeeded in a traditional male-dominated world of science. A recent ESA survey of women and minorities in ecology (WAMIE II) revealed disappointing results about the advancement of women and minorities in ecological career paths. The panelists will each present stories to empower the audience with helpful tips about the importance of networking among peers; how to creatively and assertively negotiate a job contract; and tips for enhancing the career pathways for women and minorities in ecology. The audience will have opportunities to ask questions and seek advice about important, yet less-spoken, aspects of ecological career pathways.

Join your colleagues in a festive evening of Mexican food and “Latin music from the heart” played by the fabulous band LaTiDo. http://myspace.com/latidoson The fiesta will be held under the clear skies of San Jose in a beautiful outdoor setting. This is an event that can not be missed.

Friday, August 10, 11 :30-1 pm, Marriott Hotel, Salon II, The Closing Plenary Lunch (California chopped salad luncheon with or without chicken) is an informally structured opportunity to hear the perspectives of a panel of distinguished ecologists on the meeting just past, and their more general reflections on the history and future of the Society's meetings. All who attend will be invited to share questions, comments, and table talk. Panelists, so far, include Norm Christensen, Gretchen Daily, and George Gann. The winner of the 2006 Buell Award also will be invited.