In early November 2010, the American Museum of Natural History's Center for Biodiversity and Conservation hosted the Student Conference on Conservation Science-New York (SCCS-NY)  Designed for graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, and early-career professionals, the conference specifically targeted those pursuing or considering a profession in conservation science.  We welcomed more than 400 participants from 34 countries and 27 states within the U.S.  Among these were 153 presenters (31 talks, 36 speed talks and 85 posters), some 74 mentors from 33 institutions, and an ambitious agenda that encompassed more than 18 hours of presentations, seven workshops, three hosted lunches, two receptions, and evening program, speed-mentoring event, and career fair.

SCCS-NY provided a unique opportunity for those beginning their careers to present their work before established leaders in science, policy, and management.  In addition for formal presentations, there were numerous opportunities to interact with senior-level conservation professionals at workshops, information gatherings, and networking events.

Many thanks to those organixations that provided prized to the 2010 SCCS-NY: Yale University Press, Oxford University Press, and Applied BioMathematics, Inc.

SCCS-NY is a sister conference to the highly successful SCCS-Cambridge, begun in 2000 by the University of Cambridge, and the newly developed SCCS-Bangalore.  

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AGENDA

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 3

9:00 WELCOME and INTRODUCTION
Kaufmann & Linder Theaters
Eleanor J. Sterling, Ph.D., Director, Center for Biodiversity and Conservation, American Museum of Natural History

Plenary
TOWARD CONSERVATION SOLUTIONS: ENHANCING INTERDISCIPLINARY PARTNERSHIPS
Martha Groom, Ph.D., Professor of Ecology and Environmental Studies, University of Washington Bothell and Seattle

9:50 am Talks Session
CONSERVATION AND COMMUNITIES (PART 1)
Moderator: Mike Rands, Ph.D., Executive Director, Cambridge Conservation Initiative, University of Cambridge

COMMUNITY-BASED RESEARCH ENHANCES MANAGEMENT OF POACHED BIRD
Aimee Kessler

NEGOTIATED WILDLIFE IN MALI, WEST AFRICA
Ian Edwards

POVERTY, SOCIAL CAPITAL AND PES (PAYMENTS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES) IN MEXICAN COMMUNITY FORESTS
Lindsey Roland Nieratka

LURING IN LOCALS: FISHPONDS AND CONSERVATION IN SOUTHERN JAPAN
Annie Claus

11:30 am Talks Session
CONSERVATION AND COMMUNITIES (PART 2)
Kaufmann & Linder Theaters
Moderator: John Flynn, Ph.D., Frick Curator, Professor, and Dean, Richard Gilder Graduate School, American Museum of Natural History

BIODIVERSITY AND LAND-USE IN ECUADORIAN INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES
Johan Oldekop

CONSERVATION AND LIVELIHOOD TRADEOFFS IN COMMUNITY FORESTS
Meha Jain

LIVESTOCK VS. WILDLIFE: A COMPARISON OF GRAZING SYSTEMS
Megan McSherry

STRUCTURE OF COMMUNITY CAPACITY FOR CONSERVATION ACTION
Nikolay Kazakov

2:00 pm Speed Talks Session
ADVANCING/REFINING RESEARCH MODELS AND TOOLS
Kaufmann & Linder Theaters
Moderator: David K. Skelly, Ph.D., Professor of Ecology and Associate Dean for Research, School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, and Curator, Peabody Museum of Natural History, Yale University

SPECIES TRAITS AND DUNG BEETLE RESPONSE TO TRANSITIONING TROPICAL FOREST DEGRADATION
Elizabeth Nichols

USING ACOUSTIC SENSORS TO MONITOR COLONIAL SEABIRDS
Abraham Borker

IMPORTANCE OF SPERM DNA INTEGRITY AMONG ENDANGERED SPECIES
Maria Jose Ruiz Lopez

THE AMPHIBIAN CHYTRID FUNGUS IN NEW ENGLAND
Katy Richards-Hrdlicka

ASSESSING RARITY IN MAMMALS OF A CENTRAL AMERICAN CORRIDOR
Michael Cove

DEFINING ATTRIBUTES OF LARGE MAMMAL CORRIDORS IN CHINA
Sheng Li

CLIMATE CHANGE, METABOLISM, AND THE FUTURE OF LIFE HISTORIES
Santiago Salinas

WHAT DOES THE PAST SHOW US ABOUT THE FUTURE?
Tim Schikora

CONSERVATION PLANNING USING SPATIALLY CLUSTERED DATA
Tsitsi Y. McPherson

SIMPLE MODELS TO VISUALIZE ECOSYSTEM SERVICE RELATIONSHIPS
Paige Olmsted

3:45 pm Talks Session
CONSERVATION APPROACHES AND TOOLS (PART 1)
Kaufmann & Linder Theaters
Moderator: Eban Goodstein, Ph.D., Director, Bard Center for Enviromental Policy, Bard College

FLAGSHIP SPECIES AND THE CONSERVATION VALUE OF THEIR CONGENERS
Leo Douglas

DESIGNING RESILIENT MPA NETWORKS IN THAILAND'S ANDAMAN SEA
Petch Manopawitr

HOWLER MONKEY IN FOREST FRAGMENTS IN COLOMBIAN COFFEE REGION
Carolina Gomez-Posada

THE UTILITY OF CONSERVATION CORRIDORS FOR SEED DISPERSAL
Daniel Evans

FIRE AS A MANAGEMENT TOOL: IMPACTS ON MAMMALIAN HERBIVORES
Stephanie Eby

5:10 pm POSTER SESSION AND PIZZA PARTY
Northwest Coast Indians Hall
Sponsored by the Wildlife Conservation Society

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7:00 The 2010 Mack Lipkin Man And Nature Series Panel Discussion
A LIFE IN CONSERVATION: DIVERSE PERSPECTIVES
Kaufmann & Linder Theaters

INTRODUCTION
Michael J. Novacek, Ph.D. - Senior Vice President and Provost of Science, American Museum of Natural History

Moderator: Eleanor J. Sterling, Ph.D. - Director, Center for Biodiversity and Conservation, American Museum of Natural History

Panelists:
Sir Peter Crane, Ph.D. - Carl W. Knobloch, Jr. Dean of the School of Forestry & Environmental Studies and Professor of Botany, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
Jon Waterhouse - Executive Director, Yukon River Inter-Tidal Watershed Council, Fairbanks, Alaska
Paige West, Ph.D. - Associate Professor, Anthropology, Barnard College and Columbia University

The Mack Lipkin Man and Nature Series was established in honor of Dr. Mack Lipkin, Sr., by his many friends and admirers. Dr. Lipkin was a physician who was a gentle and powerful force towards advancing the most humane and caring practices of medicine. The Museum is proud to welcome Peter Crane, Jon Waterhouse, and Paige West as the 2010 Mack Lipkin Man and Nature Series Fellows.

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 4

9:00 SESSION INTRODUCTION
Kaufmann & Linder Theaters
Felicity Arengo, Ph.D., Associate Director, Center for Biodiversity and Conservation, American Museum of Natural History

Plenary
HEALTH, ENVIRONMENT, AND BIODIVERSITY: CONSERVATION IMPLICATIONS OF A COMPLEX RELATIONSHIP
Andrés Gómez, D.V.M., Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow, Center for Biodiversity and Conservation, American Museum of Natural History

9:45 am Talks Session
ECOLOGICAL THEORY, SYSTEMATICS, AND CONSERVATION
Moderator: Will Banham, Ph.D., Associate Director, Capacity Building, Conservation Support, Global Conservation Program, Wildlife Conservation Society

HABITAT USE OF FOREST-FALCONS IN THE SE PERUVIAN AMAZON
Ursula Valdez

MASS EXTINCTION, HABITAT LOSS, AND LEMUR PERSISTENCE
Brooke Cowley

POLLINATION OF THE ENDANGERED Kadua coriacea (RUBIACEAE)
Christian Torres

ESTIMATING AREA OF OCCUPANCY ACROSS SPATIAL SCALES
Jessica Stanton

CONSERVATION STATUS OF CYPRINIDS FROM PALAWAN PHILIPPINES
Joie Dicar Matillano

11:35 Talks Session
SOCIOECONOMIC DIMENSIONS OF CONSERVATION
Kaufmann & Linder Theaters
Moderator: Nora Bynum, Ph.D., Director of Global Strategy, Office of International Programs and Strategy, Duke University

POLITICS TO PARASITES: HEALTH IN AFRICAN PARK LANDSCAPES
Sadie Jane Ryan

RURAL ENERGY DEVELOPMENT AS A TOOL FOR FOREST CONSERVATION
Christine Trac

SUSTAINING THE RELIGIOUS BROMELIAD HARVEST IN CENTRAL MEXICO
Ingrid Haeckel

A FRAMEWORK FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE AND SUSTAINABILITY
Kellen Marshall

2:20 Speed Talks
BIOLOGICAL AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
Kaufmann & Linder Theaters
Moderator: George Amato, Ph.D., Director, Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics, American Museum of Natural History

MANAGING THE SOCIAL SIDE OF COUPLED HUMAN-ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS
Jennifer S. Arnold

BUTTERFLIES AND CONSERVATION IN ASSAM, INDIA
Daniel J. Gurdak

THE GLOBAL POTENTIAL FOR WHALE WATCHING
Andres M. Cisneros-Montemayor

MAKING ENDS MEET: CONSERVATION AND FOREST DEPENDENCY IN PERU
Jessica Long

VILLAGE-BASED REDD+ PROJECTS IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA
Mellie Samson Junior

IMPACTS OF ARTISANAL FISHERIES ON IRRAWADDY DOLPHINS
Tara Whitty

SYNGNATHIDAE SPECIES TRADE IN U.S. TRADITIONAL MEDICINE
Joel T. Boehm

SCOPE AND SCALE OF THE ILLEGAL WILDLIFE TRADE
Gail Rosen

A STUDY ON CHINESE PERCEPTION OF HUMAN-WILDLIFE CONFLICT
Gao Yufang

PARTICIPATORY WETLAND CONSERVATION IN YOKDON NATIONAL PARK
Phan Thi Bao Chi

3:35 pm Talks Session
CONSERVATION APPROACHES AND TOOLS (PART 2)
Kaufmann & Linder Theaters
Moderator: Henry Horn, Director of Graduate Students and Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University

DE FACTO MARINE RESERVES AS A CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT TOOL
Ishbel Kerkez

PARTICIPATORY BIOLOGICAL STUDY OF SEASONAL OCTOPUS RESERVES
Ratsimbazafy Hajaniaina Andrianavalonarivo

CORAL REEFS CONSERVATION: WHERE SHOULD EFFORTS BE FOCUS?
Adriana Humanes Schumann

PREDICTING WHERE AND WHEN CORAL DISEASE OUTBREAKS WILL OCCUR
Jamie Sziklay

THE EFFECT OF STRESS ON THE ENDANGERED ELKHORN CORAL
Nicholas Polato

5:30 POSTER SESSION / RECEPTION / CAREER FAIR
AMNH Powerhouse, 2nd Floor
Sponsored by Yale University’s School of Forestry and Environmental Studies

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9:00 am SESSION INTRODUCTION
Kaufmann & Linder Theater
Ana Luz Porzecanski, Ph.D., Associate Director for Capacity Development & Project Director, Network of Conservation Educators and Practitioners, Center for Biodiversity and Conservation, American Museum of Natural History

Plenary
STAYING RELEVANT AS A CONSERVATION BIOLOGIST
James Gibbs, Ph.D., Professor and Associate Chair, Department of Environmental and Forest Biology, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry

9:45 am Talks Session
CONSERVATION IN HUMAN-DOMINATED LANDSCAPES
Moderator: Karen A. Poiani, Ph.D., Chief Conservation Strategy Officer, The Nature Conservancy

CONSEQUENCES OF ROADS AND RUNOFF ON WETLAND AMPHIBIANS
Steven Brady

CONSERVATION VALUE OF CONSTRUCTED VERNAL POOL WETLANDS
James Arrigoni

IMPACTS OF ENERGY DEVELOPMENT NOISE ON LEKKING SAGE-GROUSE
Jessica Blickley

ANCIENT-FOREST HERBS ARE MISSING FROM SECONDARY FORESTS
Kristof Kelemen

INVASIVE SNAILS BRING PARASITES TO THE PANAMA CANAL
Victor Manuel Frankel

11:40 am Speed Talks Session
ADVANCING HABITAT AND LANDSCAPE MANAGEMENT
Kaufmann & Linder Theaters
Moderator: Jon Waterhouse, Executive Director, Yukon River Inter-Tidal Watershed Council, Fairbanks, Alaska

DIVERSITY, ENDEMISM AND CONSERVATION OF INDIAN BUTTERFLIES
Krushnamegh Kunte

REMOTE SENSING OF POTENTIAL RESTORATION IN A DRY FOREST
Kealohanuiopuna Kinney

CONSERVING MADAGASCAR'S RAINFOREST CARNIVORES
Brian Gerber

PROTECTING LOGGERHEAD TURTLE HABITATS: AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH
Katrina Phillips

EVALUATING NEST PROTECTORS FOR TURTLE CONSERVATION
Shahriar Caesar Rahman

INVESTIGATING THE BIODIVERSITY OF NEW YORK CITY GREEN ROOFS
Melanie Smith

LAND USE CONTROL ON SOIL-CARBON LEACHING AND BIOAVAILABILITY
Na Xu

DOES MATRIX TYPE INFLUENCE TROPICAL FOREST REGENERATION?
Robin Martino

APPLIED RESEARCH FOR FLUVIAL ARCTIC GRAYLING CONSERVATION
Shane Vatland

DESIGN SOLUTIONS TO COASTAL HUMAN-WILDLIFE CONFLICTS
Meredith Root-Bernstein

2:30 CONCURRENT SESSIONS: SPEED TALKS AND WORKSHOP SESSION I

Speed Talks Session:
UNDERSTANDING CHANGING HABITATS AND LANDSCAPES KAUFMANN THEATER
Moderator: Alonso Aguirre, Ph.D, Senior Vice President, EcoHealth Alliance (formerly Wildlife Trust)

ANDEAN FLOODPLAIN RIVERS: ECOHYDROLOGY AND CONSERVATION
Jorge E. Celi

HISTORICAL CHANGE IN MARINE ECOSYSTEMS OF THE PERSIAN GULF
Dalal Al-Abdulrazzak

BIRD COMMUNITY RECONSTRUCTION IN BEIJING OLYMPIC FOREST
Park Xing Shuang

ANALYSIS OF FOREST CHANGE IN THE LAST 40 YEARS IN SICHUAN, CHINA
Liu Xi

LANDSCAPE GENETICS, BIOLOGICAL CORRIDORS IN Saimiri oerstedi
Mary E. Blair

HOT, DRY AND HUNGRY: IMPACT OF DROUGHT ON TIGER PREY SELECTION
Jennie Miller

IMPORTANCE OF PLANT GENETIC VARIATION IN MARSH RESTORATION
Ari Novy

WORKSHOP SESSION I (Concurrent 180-minute sessions, with break)

MODELING ECOLOGICAL NICHES AND GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTIONS: WHAT, WHY AND HOW?
Richard Gilder Lecture Hall, 5th Floor
Richard Pearson, American Museum of Natural History
Robert Anderson, City University of New York
Steven Phillips, AT&T Labs-Research

CONSERVATION ACTION PLANNING: DEVELOPING CONSERVATION STRATEGIES FOR APPLIED CONSERVATION PROJECTS
Rose Center Classroom, 2nd Floor
Karen Poiani and George Schuler, The Nature Conservancy

ADVANCES IN MONITORING AND QUANTITATIVE ECOLOGY IN CONSERVATION SCIENCE
Linder Theater
Benjamin Zuckerberg, Cornell Lab of Ornithology
James Gibbs, State University of New York, College of Environmental Science and Forestry
Wesley Hochachka, Cornell Lab of Ornithology

EXPANDING YOUR TEACHING TOOLBOX: AN INTRODUCTION TO ACTIVE AND SCIENTIFIC TEACHING APPROACHES
Sackler Lab, 1st floor
Ana Luz Porzecanski, Center for Biodiversity and Conservation, American Museum of Natural History

4:00 WORKSHOP SESSION II (Concurrent 90-minute session)

ECOLOGICAL RISK ANALYSIS FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY
Rose Center Conference Room, 4th Floor
Nicholas Friedenberg, Applied Biomathematics, Inc.

ECONOMICS AS A TOOL FOR CONSERVATION? REALLY?
Kaufmann Theater
Brendan Fisher, Program in Science, Technology and Environmental Policy, Woodrow Wilson School of International and Public Affairs, Princeton University

LEGAL AND ETHICAL ISSUES OF INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH AND SPECIMEN COLLECTION IN A POST-CONVENTION ON BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY WORLD
People Center, 2nd Floor
James S. Miller, Ph.D., Dean and Vice President for Science and Rupert Barneby Curator for Botanical Science, New York Botanical Garden

5:30 AWARDS and CLOSING REMARKS
Kaufmann Theater
Eleanor J. Sterling, Ph. D., Director, Center for Biodiversity and Conservation, American Museum of Natural History

6:00 ADJOURN