Lingle study, photo courtesy of Cam Goater
This month The Wildlife Society (TWS) brought its annual conference to Canada for the first time in a decade, with Winnipeg taking its inaugural turn as host city. This created an opportunity for a cross-section of UWinnipeg biology undergraduate and graduate students to participate in a number of ways; a substantial contingent of students from Dr. Susan Lingle’s labs gave presentations, and students from Dr. Craig Willis’s and Dr. Jonie Storie’s labs also took part.
Members of the UWinnipeg student chapter of the Wildlife Society volunteered at the meeting and participated in the Quiz Bowl and an undergraduate class studying mammalogy with Lingle attended the conference. This experience served as professional development for the students, who were also able to network with other researchers from numerous educational institutions from North America.
Lingle presented at the conference*, along with UWinnipeg’s Quinn Fletcher (post doctorate) who gave an oral presentation on Bats in Northern Forests: Implications of habitat protection on White-Nose Syndrome management, co-authored by MSc students Quinn Webber, Ana Breit and Willis. Breit also presented a poster and Susan Witherly, MSc student in Jonie Storie’s lab presented a poster.
Justine Hudson, a 4th year honours biology student, photo courtesy of Carlos Jovel
“The Wildlife Society conference is the first conference I’ve ever attended and I wasn’t sure what to expect,” said Justine Hudson, a 4th year honours biology student. “My days were packed with interesting presentations, networking and volunteering opportunities. The Wildlife Society has done an excellent job helping me learn about careers that I didn’t even know existed, and how many opportunities there are for wildlife biologists throughout North America. I have left the conference feeling confident and excited about my own career as a wildlife biologist. I can’t wait to attend again!”
For more than 75 years, the Wildlife Society has been protecting the future of wildlife and wild places through science-based education and sharing best practices in wildlife management. Founded in 1937, the organization’s mission is “To inspire, empower, and enable wildlife professionals to sustain wildlife populations and habitats through science-based management and conservation.” The Wildlife Society enhances our members’ networking and learning opportunities, professional and career development, and provides numerous ways for them to get more involved in creating a better future for wildlife and their habitats. For more information on please visit The Wildlife Society.
Lingle Study, photo courtesy of Peter Neuhaus
* Lingle Lab presentations at TWS
Susan Lingle, Keir Naylor (former UWinnipeg undergraduate): White-tailed mothers use mule deer females as baby-sitters for their fawns. Oral presentation.
Maegwin Bonar (former UWinnipeg undergraduate, beginning a MSc at Memorial University), Susan Lingle: Steep terrain and higher mule deer density improves survival for white-tailed and mule deer fawns. Oral presentation.
Travis Bannatyne (recent UWinnipeg undergraduate), Susan Lingle: Population density, prey vulnerability and climate influence use of safe terrain by mule deer during winter. Oral presentation.
Agnes Pelletier (Postdoc), Kelsey Saboraki (MSc student), Susan Lingle: A behavioural framework to understand transmission of Chronic Wasting Disease. Poster presentation.
Jason Airst (MSc student), Susan Lingle: Variation in male mating tactics in white-tailed and mule deer. Poster presentation.
Cora Romanow (UWinnipeg undergraduate), Susan Lingle: Designed to attract: Infant cries and male courtship calls in elk.
