Congratulations to our 2016 Student Travel Award Recipients

Hello fellow Genetics Section members,

Please join me in congratulating our student travel award recipients for 2016. This is an amazing group and you can see from their presentation titles the depth and breadth of genetic applications in fisheries and aquatic resource management and conservation. As a side note, the researchers advising our two James E Wright award recipients were past Wright award winners (Amy Welsh – 2004; Jamie Roberts – 2009).

James E Wright annual travel award to the 2016 AFS national meeting, Kansas City MO
Nathan Lucas, University of Connecticut
“Using Riverscape Genetics to Inform Conservation of Eastern Brook Trout Populations”
Co-advisors: Jason Vokoun, Amy Welsh

Jackman Eschenroeder, Georgia Southern University
“Hybridization and Replacement of Roanoke Bass with Invasive Rock Bass in Virginia: A Genetic Analysis of the Problem”
Advisor: Jamie Roberts

2016 Coastwide Salmonid Genetics meeting, Astoria OR
Ryan Whitmore, Humboldt State University
“Escapement estimates for coho salmon using transgenerational mark-recapture” (poster)
Advisor: Andrew Kinziger

Carolyn Tarpey, University of Washington
“Contemporary population structure and phylogeography of pink salmon” (oral)
Advisor: Lisa Seeb

2016 Fisheries Society of the British Isles annual meeting, Bangor University, UK
Taylor Wilcox, University of Montana
“Understanding environmental DNA detection probabilities: A case study using a stream-dwelling char”
Advisor: Michael Schwartz

Note: The James E Wright award is the section’s only annual student travel award. The other student travel awards (to the 2016 Coastwide Salmonid Genetics and FSBI meetings) were requested by the respective program organizers. The Genetics Section welcomes and encourages requests for student travel stipends from organizers of meetings or symposia focusing on genetic applications to fisheries and aquatic resource management and conservation.

Jeff Olsen
President, Genetics Section, AFS