ALBERTA BIOLOGISTS' BIWEEKLY
JULY 1, 2023
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Generative AI:
What’s in it for Biologists?
Generative AI is taking the world by storm, but is there substance underneath the hype? The ASPB will be hosting a special interactive workshop to be conducted by Thoughtworks in September, featuring an accelerated introduction to AI and a guided exploration of what it could mean for professional biologists and other regulated sectors.
Mike Mason, Chief AI Officer with Thoughtworks, describes the publicly-traded global company as a "leading technology consultancy that integrates strategy, design and software engineering to enable enterprises and technology disruptors to thrive... harnessing the power of data and AI to unlock new sources of value.”
The September workshop (date still to be confirmed) will precede a follow-up session at the ASPB fall conference in November.
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THE SECOND CALL FOR ABSTRACTS
Closes July 15
The 2023 ASPB Conference will happen
November 22, 23, and 24 at Red Deer.
Your abstract should be between 250 and 500 words and emailed to the attention of Jessica Koehli at regulatory@aspb.ab.ca.
AND
abstract or not,
Remember your cameras!
The ASPB is hosting a photo contest in 2023, and will announce the winners at the annual conference .
Photo submission guidelines are HERE.
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ASPB Board Nominations Open
The Board of Directors of the ASPB has appointed Past President Victoria Lukasic as Chair of the 2023 Nominating Committee. The positions of President Elect, Board Secretary and three Directors are open for election at the Annual General Meeting on November 24, 2023 at Red Deer, AB.
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The ASPB Invites
Conference Sponsors
The ASPB Conference Committee is excited about the Annual Conference and AGM to be held at the Red Deer Resort and Casino, November 22-24, 2023. The initial conference program (and tickets!) will be available soon, and Sponsorship Packages are available HERE.
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ABMI releases Phase 8 of WildTrax
WildTrax, the Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute’s open data online platform for managing and sharing biological and environmental data collected via sensors, released its latest update in June. According to a media release, Phase 8 of WildTrax includes many new tools and enhancements to process remote camera image sets. One of the improvements allows users to automatically detect animals, people and vehicles, and classify species, in the images they are uploading. Several improvements have also been made to the tagging interface, allowing for a more customized experience for the user and increasing the choice of fields. ABMI held a presentation on June 28 on the Phase 8 release; you can read more on the ABMI blog HERE.
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BUILDING YOUR
CAREER?
See what's new on the
BIOLOGISTS'
JOB BOARD
Senior Fisheries Biologist
Intermediate or Senior Hydrologist
Intermediate to Senior Aquatic Biologist
Wildlife Recovery Biologist
Senior Environmental Impact Assessment Lead
Intermediate/Senior Environmental Specialist
Intermediate Environmental Specialist
Environmental Scientist
Senior Wetland Biologist
Intermediate Wetland Biologist
Instructor, Natural Resources Technology (Wildlife Specialty)
Researcher, Molecular Biologist / Environmental Genomics
Wetland Biologist
Environmental Planner - Team Lead
Intermediate Environmental Professional
Aquatic Ecologist (Intermediate to Senior)
Environmental Chemist/Toxicologist/Limnologist
Fish and Wildlife Biologist
Fisheries Section Head
Junior Biologist
Environmental Scientist (Biology/Biologist)
Environmental Manager
Seasonal or Full-time Wildlife Biologist
Regulatory Specialist - NWT and NU
Intermediate/Senior Wetland Biologist
Fish and Wildlife Biologist
Registration Officer
FIND FULL INFORMATION
ON THESE
AND MANY OTHER POSITIONS
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Environmental consultant seeks
to improve spill response training
Alberta-based environmental consultant Katrina Patel, P. Biol., is seeking opinions from professionals to improve her new company’s spill response training and products. In a release received by the ASPB BiWeekly, she is inviting input through a short (and anonymous) survey from professionals in western Canada “who have spills (or help companies respond to spills) to help improve spill-preparedness and response times.” The survey is available HERE.
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Has anyone seen this minnow?
Shona Derlukewich, P. Biol., Senior Biologist with the Ontario and Prairie Region of DFO, is putting a call out to Alberta biologists for reports of sightings of the Rosy Red Fathead Minnow in the Alberta wilderness. If you have seen these minnows, she requests that you contact her with any photos, location information and the year of capture. She can be reached HERE.
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SEMINARS, WEBINARS & CONFERENCES
AUGUST
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America's Grassland Conference
The Sixth America’s Grasslands Conference will be held in Cheyenne, Wyoming on August 8-10, 2023. Registration for the conference is now open. Early Bird rates end July 10th, 2023. For information and to register please go HERE
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SEMINARS, WEBINARS & CONFERENCES
SEPTEMBER
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Legislation and Conducting
Projects Near Water
Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) in Ontario, Prairie and Arctic regions are providing information sessions on DFO Legislation and Conducting Projects Near Water. To attend the September session, click here: September 19, 2023 @11:00 – 12:30 CST and allow the link to open in your web browser (please use Chrome or Edge). If you have the Teams application installed, click on “Open in Microsoft Teams” in the pop-up window or “Launch it Now”. If you do not have the Teams application installed, click “Join on the Web Instead”.
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SEMINARS, WEBINARS & CONFERENCES
OCTOBER
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Whitebark Pine Science and
Management Conference in October
The annual Whitebark Pine Science and Management Conference will take place October 12 and 13, 2023 in Revelstoke, BC. There will also be two optional field trips: a pre-conference trip on October 11 to tour the Kalamalka Research Center in Vernon, and a post-conference trip on October 14 to visit 5-needle pine stands near Golden. Early Bird Registration is open until June 30, and here you can find: Conference details and Registration.
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fRI Research to Host Forum
In Edmonton, October 24-26
After a prolonged hiatus due to health restrictions, fRI Research is excited to provide an opportunity for resource practitioners, policy makers, scientists, and community leaders to review and discuss new research findings related to mountain pine beetle. Major concerns targeted by this research include climate change, anthropogenic intervention, forest composition, socio-economic values, watersheds and their impact on water flow, biota, species at risk, and public safety as it pertains to wildfire. You can learn more about the forum and register HERE
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SEMINARS, WEBINARS & CONFERENCES
NOVEMBER
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NABC Banding Workshop
and Certification in Belize
Hosted by the Toucan Ridge Ecology and Education Society at the TREES Research Center in the Maya Mountains of Belize, these sessions will be held November 11-15, 2023 and November 17-18, 2023. For full information visit www.ecorana.ca
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Legislation and Conducting
Projects Near Water
Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) in Ontario, Prairie and Arctic regions are providing information sessions on DFO Legislation and Conducting Projects Near Water. To attend the November session, click here: November 21, 2023 @ 11:00-12:30 CST and allow the link to open in your web browser (please use Chrome or Edge). If you have the Teams application installed, click on “Open in Microsoft Teams” in the pop-up window or “Launch it Now”. If you do not have the Teams application installed, click “Join on the Web Instead”.
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ASPB 2023 AGM and Conference
The ASPB 2023 Annual Conference will be on November 22, 23, and 24 at the Red Deer Resort and Casino in Red Deer, Alberta.
For More Information Go
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UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY
CONTINUING EDUCATION
BMC265 - Environmental Impact Assessments
Start Date: June 30 2023
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COLUMBIA MOUNTAINS INSTITUTE
Thanks to the generous support of the Columbia Basin Trust and KCP, we are able to offer this series free of charge. For full details and registration please go
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NATURAL RESOURCES
TRAINING GROUP
Land Guardian Program – July 10 – August 11, 2023 – Fully Online
Electrofishing Certification – Online (self-paced) & Kamloops, 11th July 2023
Electrofishing Certification – Online (self-paced) & Whitehorse, 11th July 2023
Electrofishing Certification – Online (self-paced) & North Vancouver, 13th July 2023
Electrofishing Certification – Online (self-paced) & Cochrane, 14th July 2023
Electrofishing Certification – Online (self-paced) & Terrace, 14th July 2023
Electrofishing Certification – Online (self-paced) & Nanaimo, 18th July 2023
Amphibian and Reptile Salvage Methods (Online) July 26-27, 2023
For the full calendar of upcoming courses the link is here:
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SALMTEC
COURSES AND TRAINING PROGRAMS
Understanding ACIMS Tools Online Course
Alberta Soil Information Viewer Online Course
Alberta Wetland Policy Basics Online Course
Navigating the Alberta Soil Information Viewer Video Short (free)
Wetland Water Cycle Video Short (free)
VISIT THE SALMTEC CONNECTOR
THE CONNECTOR is a compilation of applied science and land management event listings, across a variety of sectors and disciplines, published monthly.
You can find the SALMTEC CONNECTOR HERE.
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Recent publications from ABMI
Factors impacting oribatid mites
in Canada’s oil sands region
Members of the ABMI’s Processing Centre released a paper on the effects of natural land cover, anthropogenic disturbances, and climate on oribatid mite communities in Canada's Oil Sands Region. Data from more than 29,000 mites, sampled from 420 sites in the Oil Sands Region, were analyzed for this study. Read more HERE.
Factors impacting microbial productivity
in diverse groundwater ecosystems
A paper, co-authored by ABMI's Geospatial Centre Director Cynthia McClain, was released in late June. It shares the discovery of microbes thriving in groundwater, and in particular in older groundwater. One of the main findings was that "dark oxygen" (oxygen produced in the absence of sunlight) can be used by organisms to grow and propagate. Read more HERE.
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We regularly receive notifications from Google Scholar Alerts and other sources which we select and share below in the BIWEEKLY. Here is the latest batch (the links are HOT):
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Banner Image:
Honeybee on Willow by Mike Tate
The ASPB regulates the professional practice of biology in the disciplines of Botany, Zoology, Environmental Biology and Microbiology, and all sub-disciplines below them. The ASPB is the only organization for biologists in Alberta that is registered under Provincial Legislation with a mandate to protect the interests of the public of Alberta. The society is governed by a Board of Directors elected by its registrants.
You are probably receiving this newsletter because you are an ASPB Registrant. This newsletter provides relevant information and professional development opportunities for our members, as well as essential member-related society business; if you are registered with the Alberta Society of Professional Biologists, please DO NOT unsubscribe. For more information about the Society or to contact the administration, please visit the website: https://www.aspb.ab.ca
Opinions and general news published in this e-newsletter
do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of the Society or its Board of Directors.
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