ANT COURSE 2008 ANT COURSE 2008, August 9- 19, Estacion Biologica Alberto Fernandez Yepez, Rancho Grande, Parque Nacional Henri Pittier, Aragua, Venezuela In 2008 the courses focuses on the Ants of South America. English and Spanish are the official languages.
DEADLINE FOR APPLICATION: April 1, 2008 http://www.antweb. org
COURSE OBJECTIVES. ANT COURSE is designed for systematists, ecologists, behaviorists, conservation biologists, and other biologists whose research responsibilities require a greater understanding of ant taxonomy. Emphasis is on the classification and identification of more than 115 ant genera of South America.
Lectures will include background information on the ecology, life histories and
evolution of ants. The course also addresses the conservation of ants and their role as bioindicators and their importance in agroecoystems such as coffee and cocoa. Field trips are structured to teach collecting and sampling techniques, and associated lab work provides instruction on specimen preparation, sorting and labeling. Information on equipment, literature, and myrmecological contacts are also presented.
COURSE SIGNIFICANCE. Ant Course is a unique opportunity to acquire training that is unavailable elsewhere. This course will provide students with
1) the confidence and skills to identify the major ant genera of South America;
2) an understanding of modern specimen processing and curation techniques;
3) an appreciation for the diversity of ants and their role in ecosystems, and
4) experience keying to the species level.
SPONSORS. California Academy of Sciences, Museum of Comparative Zoology, with funding in part from National Science Foundation.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION. ANT COURSE will be taught from August 9 – 19, 2008 at the Estacion Biologica Alberto Fernandez Yepez, Rancho Grande, Parque Nacional Henri Pittier, Aragua, Venezuela. The Station is centered amid one of the richest ant faunas in South America. This course is offered annually, and in 2008 the focus is
on South American ants.
PARTICIPANT ACCEPTANCE CRITERIA. ANT COURSE is open to all interested individuals. Priority will be given to those students for whom the course will have a significant impact on their research with ants. An entomological background is not required. We aim to include students with a diverse interest in biology, including ant systematics, ecology, behavioral biology and conservation. The high instructor to student ratio will allow students to receive individual attention.
ANT COURSE 2008 will be presented in English as well as Spanish and is limited to 30 participants. COSTS. Tuition for the 10-day COURSE is $325 for current students and $675 for non-students. In addition Rancho Grande Station fees for this period, covering dormitory room and board, are estimated at $240. Transportation costs between home and Maracay or the nearby airports of Valencia or Maiquetia are to be borne by all participants.
FELLOWSHIPS. Four fellowships are available for 2008. Two fellowships cover tuition fees and two fellowships cover station fees. Students may apply for additional fellowships to assist in travel. Those interested in attending the course should seek all possible avenues to secure funding for the course. You should only apply for the Ant Course fellowship if you can not find other support and it is essential for your participation in the course. Beware that if you apply for an ant course
fellowship it implies that fellowship funding is essential to your participation in the course. Thus, if you are not selected for a fellowship, you might not be accepted into the course. Please notify the course if your funding request status changes before the application due date.
COURSE APPLICATION. Find an application form in pdf or doc format posted on http://www.antweb. org. Send the COMPLETE application with subject line "Ant Course application" to bfisher@calacademy. org.
IMPORTANT DATES: Aug. 8 For those arriving to Maiquetia airport. Aug. 9 Travel to
Rancho Grande field station Aug. 19 Graduation and farewell party Aug. 20 Departure at 8 am to airports (Maiquetia and Valencia)
2008 INSTRUCTORS (tentative): Brian Fisher (Coordinator) , Dept. of Entomology, California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, CA, USA, bfisher@calacademy. org John
Lattke (Coordinator) , Museo Inst.Zoología Agrícola, Universidad Central de Venezuela, Apartado 4579, Maracay 2101-A, VENEZUELA, piquihuye@fastmail. fm Inge Ambrecht, Departamento de Biologia, Universidad del Valle, Apartado Aereo 25360, Cali, Colombia Leeanne Alonso, Rapid Assessment Program, Conservation International, Washington, DC, USA Beto Brandao, Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de Sao Paulo, Av. Nazare 481, Sao Paulo SP, BRASIL 04263-000 Fabiana Cuezzo, Instituto Superior de
Entomología (INSUE), Facultad de Cs. Naturales e IML, Miguel Lillo 205, T4000JFE - San Miguel de Tucuman, ARGENTINA Fernando Fernandez, Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Apartado 7495, Bogota D.C, COLOMBIA Bob Johnson, Dept. of Biology, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA Mike Kaspari, Dept. of Zoology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, USA Jack Longino, Lab I, The Evergreen State College, Olympia, WA, USA Corrie Moreau, University of
California, Berkeley, 3101 Valley Life Sciences Building, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA Andrew Suarez, Departments of Entomology and Animal Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA Walter Tschinkel, Department of Biological Science Florida State University Tallahassee, FL, USA Phil Ward, Department of Entomology, University of California, Davis, CA, USA TA: Edith Rodriguez, Museo Inst. Zoologia Agricola, Universidad Central de Venezuela, Apartado 4579, Maracay 2101-A, VENEZUELA
Application and course materials can be found on the following website: http://www.antweb. org
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