2024 AFS International Fisheries Section Fellow Award

Applications due by March 22, 2024

Attention Students and Early Career Professionals:

The International Fisheries Section (IFS) of the American Fisheries Society is excited to announce the 2024 International Fisheries Section Fellow Award. The Fellow will represent IFS/AFS with an oral presentation at the 2024 Fisheries Society of the British Isles (FSBI) Annual Symposium, convened by AZTI and held at the Bizkaia Aretoa in Bilbao, Spain, from July 15-19, 2024. The theme of the 2024 FSBI Annual Symposium is “Advancing fish ecology, management, and forecasting through omics”.

Application

Applications for the 2024 IFS Fellow Program are due 11:59pm (PST) March 22, 2024.

To apply, please submit the following information as a single PDF document to the IFS Fellow Program Committee Chair Spencer Weinstein (syweinstein@alaska.edu) and Deputy Committee Chair, Andrew McMains (mcmainsa20@students.ecu.edu), by 11:59pm (PST) on March 22, 2024:

• Letter of interest; please include a description of how you will benefit from attending the FSBI Annual Symposium, and information about your involvement in the American Fisheries Society.
• Proposed FSBI presentation title and abstract; Separate abstract submission for the FSBI Annual Symposium through the FSBI website is preferred, but not necessary. If you did not submit your abstract by the FSBI deadline, you may still apply for this award.
• Concise resume (2-page maximum)
• Proposed travel budget (i.e. airfare, ground transportation); please specify availability of supporting funds from other sources if budget exceeds the travel allowance. Please note that conference registration, per diem, and housing will be covered and need not be included in your budget.

The award recipient will be notified by April 17, 2024.

Award

The IFS and Education Section of the American Fisheries Society provide up to $2100 in travel funding (airfare and ground travel) for the chosen IFS Fellow to attend the FSBI Annual Symposium in Spain.  The FSBI provides funding for the costs of registration, hotel, and per diem during the FSBI Annual Symposium. 

Similarly, the FSBI selects a student or young professional member to attend and present at the American Fisheries Society Annual Meeting in the United States. Local hosting of each exchange scholar is carried out by the hosting society, ensuring that attendees have the greatest exposure to the membership and meeting possible.

Responsibilities

The awarded Fellow is expected to fulfill the following obligations:

• Attend the 2024 FSBI Annual Symposium and present an oral presentation.
• Submit to the Committee Chair a travel report and photographs of participation in the conference for print publication by August 31, 2024 (read previous IFS Fellow report here).
• Submit any receipts to the Committee Chair and IFS Treasurer for participation in the conference by August 31, 2024, for expense reimbursement.
• Serve as the Deputy Committee Chair of the IFS Fellow Program in 2025, the Committee Chair in 2026, and the Past Committee Chair in 2027. The recipient is to maintain International Fisheries Section and American Fisheries Society membership during this time period.

Eligibility

This award is open to all American Fisheries Society Student members or American Fisheries Society members who are within 3 years of post-graduation. Current membership with the American Fisheries Society is mandatory to apply for and receive this award. More information on the types of membership is available on the AFS website.

Award Criteria

Fellows will be selected by a committee led by the IFS Fellow Program Committee Chair and Deputy Committee Chair, according to the following guidelines:

• The application should communicate how the Award will benefit the applicant, demonstrate the applicant’s experience in leadership/mentorship roles and presenting research to academic or other audiences, and detail the applicant’s involvement in the American Fisheries Society and/or other contributions to the scientific and fisheries communities.
• Priority will be given to applicants who are working on topics of international interest or those associated with the FSBI Symposium theme. However, all interested and eligible members are encouraged to apply.
• If the selected Fellow can attend the 2024 AFS Annual Meeting, they are expected to participate in the IFS committee meeting, encouraged to present their research, and act as a site host for the FSBI Fellow.

 

PREVIOUS IFS AWARD FELLOWS INCLUDE:

2022:
Spencer Weinstein
University of Waterloo, Canada
200 University Ave W, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1

Click here to read about Spencer’s experience with the FSBI

2021:
Sarah Borsetti
Virginia Institute of Marine Science, Marine Advisory Program
1370 Greate Rd,Gloucester Point, VA 23062

 

2020:
Chris Schwinghamer
West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, United States

 

 

2019:
Thiago Sanches, University of California Davis, USA
William Perry, Bangor University, UK
Click here to read about Thiago’s experience with the FSBI

 

2018:
Mary Fisher, University of Washington, USA
George Balchin, University of Sussex
Click here to read about Mary’s experience with the FSBI

 

2017:
Jane Sullivan, NOAA Fisheries, Alaska
Lauren Laing, Exeter University, Exeter, UK
Click here to read about Jane’s experience with the FSBI

 

2016:
Charlie Waters, University of Washington’s School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences
Natasha Phillips, Queen’s University, Belfast
Click here to read about Charlie’s experience with the FSBI

 

2015:
Jeremy Higgs, Gulf Coast Research Laboratory, University of Southern Mississippi, Ocean Springs, Mississippi
Dominic Andradi-Brown. Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
Click here to read about Jeremy’s experience with the FSBI

 

2014:
Zachary Penny, Department of Fish & Wildlife Sciences, University of Idaho
Daniel Jeffries, School of Biological, Biomedical & Environmental Sciences, University of Hull, Hull, UK
Click here to read about Zach’s experience with the FSBI

 

2013:
Patrick Cooney, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
Rachel Emma Ball, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland, UK
Click here to read about Patrick’s experience with the FSBI

 

 

2011:
Steve Midway, University of North Carolina, Wilmington, USA
Serena Wright, Swansea University, School of the Environment & Society, Wales, UK
Click here to read about Steve’s experience with the FSBI

 

 

2010:
Marybeth Brey, North Carolina State University, Department of Zoology, North Carolina
Ana Lewis, University of Southampton National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, UK
Click here to read about Marybeth’s experience with the FSBI