Fisheries & Wildlife Graduate Student Association

Welcome !

The Fisheries and Wildlife Graduate Student Association is a resource for graduate students, undergraduate students and fisheries and wildlife professionals.

Purpose

To improve communication among graduate students, undergraduate students, and faculty of the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife at Oregon State University.
To enhance exchange of ideas and collaboration among graduate students and to promote and endorse their work.
To expand and diversify the range of educational experiences available to graduate students.
To increase opportunities for professional development of graduate students.
To articulate the needs of graduate students and advocate their views in the department, college and university.

2007-8 FWGSA Officers

Co-President: Heidi Vogel
Co-President: Emily Waschak
Treasurer: Ben Clemens

2007-8 FWGSA Student Representatives and Coordinators

Faculty Representative: Joe Fontaine
Reading Group Coordinator: Allison Evans (Allison.Evans@oregonstate.edu) and Brooke Penaluna (Brooke.Penaluna@oregonstate.edu)
Webmaster: Betsy Glenn, Becky Flitcroft

Reading Group and Oral Exam Preparation

Preparing for qualifying exams, thesis and dissertation defenses requires tremendous preparation. In addition, we all need effective oral communication skills and benefit from the exchange of information and ideas. To further these goals, FWGSA has organized a reading group that focuses on major themes in evolution, ecology, and the philosophy of science. Weekly readings will be discussed and views dissented. With luck, there will also be much name-calling, slandering, and consumption of fermented beverages. See the READING GROUP page for schedule.

The Research Advances in Fisheries, Wildlife, and Ecology Symposium

The Research Advances in Fisheries, Wildlife, and Ecology (RAFWE) symposium showcases research, extension, and outreach activities conducted by the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, related departments at OSU and other colleges and universities, and state and federal agencies. The Fifth Annual RAFWE Symposium will be held on Wednesday, 1 November 2007, from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM at the LaSells Stewart Center on the main campus of OSU. Please see the symposium home page: RAFWE Symposium. Contact Heidi Vogel for more information, or if you would like to help out with the 2007 symposium.

Institutional Animal Care and Use

All research projects involving vertebrates and undertaken by graduate students in the Fisheries and Wildlife department must be approved by the Oregon State University Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC). The permit is a University requirement, and is needed even if you have already obtained federal and/or state permits. Additionally, many grantors require copies of active IACUC permits before they will review proposals for funding. The process for obtaining a permit is relatively painless, and the online forms can be filled out in a matter of hours. Nonetheless, a few students have run into hang-ups with their applications in the past. The IACUC seemed to reject applications when they had difficulties understanding researcher intentions, when projects were poorly described, and when applications did a poor job of placing proposed activities into context. To help new graduate students with their initial permit applications, and to assist those renewing their permits (annual requirement), various examples have been compiled:
IACUC Examples. Also see the information posted by IACUC on the OSU server (http://oregonstate.edu/research/animal/use.html), and on their national site (http://www.iacuc.org/).

Check out the following links for more information about the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife

Oregon State University Fish and Wildlife Club Our undergraduate peers have developed an outstanding organization that offers multiple opportunities for personal development and activities.

2000-01 Biennial Report
Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Biennial Report
Find out what we are up to as a department and individuals.

_____________________________________________________