AFS Fisheries Information and Technology Section

Executive Committee Meeting Minutes

January 19, 2022

Attendees: Kayla, Paul, Tiffany, Patrick

• Old Business
  • Mail poet
    • Update from Chelsea
      • Looking at options for code to automatically update list
      • “It’s been a while” e-mail has been drafted and will send out this week.
    • Revisited discussion of paying to upgrade in light of CFTC needs
      • ExCom agrees it would be good idea for FITS to pay for upgrade once we hit the 1000 subscriber limit
      • Table this and see results of email
    • Volunteer Opportunities
      • List of Opportunities:
        • CFTC
        • Citizen Science Task Force
        • Awards committee
          • Travel award and two lotteries (membership in December and registration)
        • Action Item: Kayla to draft and post reminder of these open positions

• • • Rebranding/Renaming FITS
      • Table for next month when more ExCom can contribute
      • Word Ideas: Data and Technology Section, Data Technology and Analytics Section
    • Membership lottery
      • For 20 Early Career and regular/retired current members to receive FITS membership
      • Action item: Tiffany to randomly generate winner list based on most recent member list.
      • Action item: Kayla to post announcement of winners to website.
    • Partnership travel award
      • No entries
      • Current application period open until February 28, 2022
      • For meetings between: May 1, 2022 through October 31, 2022
      • Action item: Kayla to write up for application deadline and post to website
    • AFS Spokane Symposium
      • Proposals Due Jan 28
      • FITS supported symposia
        • Working Title “MacGyvering”: Innovative Problem Solving in Fisheries Science
          • Working concept “Fish scientists are often successful in “MacGyvering” innovative solutions to a question or problem. They do this by inventing, building, or repurposing technology or analytical tools, especially when resources or existing tools are limited or nonexistent.  Over time, these innovative solutions created important breakthroughs and broadened research capabilities in our field.  This symposium is a platform for the tinkerers, the inventers, and the repurposers…the “MacGyvers” of fish science.  Presenters can share successes and failures of their applications and processes, ideas for further exploration, and results of research where their innovative solution was utilized.  We hope that by sharing, presenters spark further development, facilitate adoption of useful tools, and inspire others to explore innovative problem solving in fisheries science. “
          • Action Item: Patrick will be leading he coordination of this symposium with help from other ExCom and submitted the proposal.
        • Working Title “A Fisheries Biologist’s Guide to Using Human Dimensions Data (Including Data You Didn’t Know You Had)”
          • Innovative symposium – an interactive workshop-like series of instructional and exemplary talks to help fisheries biologists integrate human dimensions techniques and data leveraging into their everyday work
      • Workshops
        • Data management
        • Action Item: Tiffany to find out when proposals are due
    • Center for Fisheries Technology and Collaboration (CFTC) news
      • Jason Doll is re-upping his efforts to focus on the software side of CFTC with Jit Weir to assist; he is excited to get going again after a crazy fall semester. Alex, Josh, and Steve continue their efforts but are waiting to do too much outreach until after we can grow the mailing list.
    • Citizen Science Task Force (Paul)
      • No updates
      • Citizen Science Symposium being developed
    • History webpage collaboration with the History Section (Paul)
      • No updates

• New Business
  • “Emerging Technologies Information Session” conference
    • November in Hood River, Oregon (about 45 minutes East of Portland, Oregon in a beautiful spot in the Columbia River Gorge.
    • https://www.pnamp.org/project/emerging-technologies-information-sessions-2022
    • Standardized methods, central data
    • Would FITS like to sponsor? At no cost to FITS
    • Email would go out to our membership about the symposium
  • FishR – FITS housing and building team to keep running
    • Working group and website development
    • Making sure compatible with upgrades in R, Working on reported bugs etc.
    • Emerging Leaders Mentorship Awards- potential for president elect to apply to be part of this during year 2 of president-elect.