- BERG - University of Stirling Mailing Lists

BERG - Wednesday 14th October - Giant pandas!
by Hannah Buchanan-Smith 04 Nov '15

04 Nov '15

Dear BERGers I am excited to remind you that on Wednesday 14th October, we have the Dr Iain Valentine, from the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland Edinburgh Zoo, talking about giant pandas. As usual, we will meet in room 3A94 (Psychology common room) at 5:30pm, and will have drinks and nibbles available. You are welcome to join us for a bite to eat afterwards. I hope to see you all on Wednesday night! Hannah If you wish to subscribe (or unsubscribe) to the BERG mailing list please follow instructions here: http://lists.stir.ac.uk/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/berg Behaviour and Evolution Research Group (BERG) seminar programme: http://www.stir.ac.uk/natural-sciences/research/seminars/psychology/berg-se… Hannah M. Buchanan-Smith Professor, Behaviour and Evolution Research Group Director of Learning and Teaching in School of Natural Sciences Psychology, School of Natural Sciences University of Stirling Stirling, FK9 4LA Scotland Tel: 01786 467674 Fax: 01786 467641 E-mail: h.m.buchanan-smith(a)stir.ac.uk<mailto:h.m.buchanan-smith@stir.ac.uk> Home page: https://rms.stir.ac.uk/converis-stirling/person/11925 http://marmosetcare.com/ http://www.247animalwelfare.eu/index.html

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SPRG at the Burn - 4-6th March 2016
by Emily Messer 29 Oct '15

29 Oct '15

Dear BERGers, Apologies for cross posting but I've had a lot of mail returned to sender and I wanted to make sure the following information had reached you all. Please do get in touch if you would like to attend what is shaping up to be a great meeting. Best wishes, Emily *From:* Emily Messer *Sent:* 27 October 2015 09:23 *To:* 'sprg(a)st-andrews.ac.uk' *Subject:* FW: SPRG at the BURN – 4-6th March 2016 Dear all, Just a reminder for those of you who wish to attend the Burn next year to reply to this message as outlined below. Those of you who have already responded (and that I have confirmed your slot), you all have your places secured already. With very best wishes, Emily and Nicola *From:* Emily Messer *Sent:* 08 October 2015 12:43 *To:* 'sprg(a)st-andrews.ac.uk' *Cc:* McGuigan, Nicola *Subject:* SPRG at the BURN – 4-6th March 2016 Dear SPRGers - Core members, current research staff and PhD students, Associates (Apologies to Hannah for slight copyright of her email from last year’s meeting) The time has come again for SPRG (Scottish Primate Research Group) to plan their annual gathering at The Burn in Glenesk, Angus. For those of you who are new to SPRG, the meeting is a chance for all members to get together in the beautiful surroundings of The Burn, to discuss research that is going on within our group, and of course to walk, chat, play games, eat, drink, and be (very) merry. You can find more details about the venue on their website (http://www.goodenough.ac.uk/the-burn) This year’s meeting has moved from the usual post-Christmas gathering in January to March, so please do not the change of dates to *4th-6th of March 2016.* *We can arrive from 4pm on Friday 4th – and leave 2pm on Sunday 6**th** March 2015* Nicola McGuigan and I will be organising this year’s meeting which also happens to be the 20th anniversary of SPRG meeting at the Burn. As always, there will be a series of research talks given throughout the weekend, please do consider giving a talk. These do not need to be polished talks and the Burn is a great place to discuss recent studies. Timing will depend upon number of offers, and we can negotiate! The costs of staying at The Burn are heavily subsidised by the Charitable Trust, and so remain very reasonable. The prices for this year are £160 for staff (those in full time employment, and who wish to have a single occupancy room – limited availability) and £124 for students, unwaged members, and/or those who share rooms. This price includes accommodation and all meals. To confirm your place at the Burn, please could you send a deposit of £60 to Nicola McGuigan by the end of October (31/10/15), her bank details are as follows. On the bank reference could you include your name and Burn, this will help us to track those who have paid. Account number: 00645345 Sort code: 80-05-28 Bank reference: Burn*your name* By signing up you are confirming that you will pay £60 should you cancel after 1st February 2016 and we are unable to fill your place. To help keep things as organised as possible, please then send me an email at- E.Messer(a)hw.ac.uk and include the following details in your email: *Use the subject header*: The SPRG Burn meeting *Give your name*: *If you prefer a single room* (noting additional cost, and no promises): *Dietary requirements*: (if any) *This statement* “I confirm that I will pay £60 should I be unable to attend and my place is not filled”. *If you are interested in giving a talk: *(provide topic-specific titles can be firmed up later) Places are limited, so don't miss your chance. In the first instance, bookings are restricted to members and associates of SPRG. However, should places be left unclaimed from mid-January onwards, invitations will be opened up to colleagues from further afield. Reply early to avoid disappointment. If you have a non-SPRG colleague whom you know would like to come and give a talk please discuss with me – we usually have one or two external folk to spice things up! We will follow up with more details about the anniversary meeting nearer the time. Best wishes, Emily and Nicola -- *New paper out: http://www.nature.com/articles/srep15030 <http://www.nature.com/articles/srep15030> * *Emily. J. E. Messer PhD* *Postdoctoral Research Associate* Room 1.56D David Brewster Building School of Life Sciences Heriot Watt University Edinburgh EH14 4AS Tele: +44 (0) 131 451 8009 Email: emily.j.e.messer(a)gmail.com Twitter: @emilyjemesser Personal website: http://emilymesser.weebly.com/

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Spring BERG seminars
by Kristin Descovich 07 Oct '15

07 Oct '15

Dear BERGers, Happy new year and welcome back! It's time to start planning our BERG seminars for the Spring semester. Please add the following seminar dates to your diary at the usual time of 5:30pm in the Psychology common room. February: 4th and 11th March: 11th, 18th and 25th April: 1st, 8th and 15th We already have some great speakers lined up, but have plenty of space for more, so please consider giving a seminar this semester. Presenting at BERG is an excellent way to practice talks, hone presentation skills, get feedback on grant application ideas, or lead discussion of a research paper. You can sign up by following this link to the doodle poll. https://doodle.com/5kc3zpst4bs2aty2 Please add your name and select a date that is vacant, then email me your presentation title (kristin.descovich(a)stir.ac.uk<mailto:kristin.descovich@stir.ac.uk>). You might also like to host a post-graduate student or colleague from a nearby University. We have some funds to support local travel and dinner for external speakers. Also note the upcoming divisional seminars which are likely to be of interest to BERG members. These are held on Thursdays at 4pm in the Psychology common room. January 22nd - Dr Susan Cheyne January 29th - Dr Ian Peers March 5th - Dr Jo Williams Our BERG meetings are only as good as we make them, so please encourage any students or colleagues interested in behaviour and evolution to come along to a meeting, or sign up to the BERG mailing list at http://lists.stir.ac.uk/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/berg. You can also use this link to unsubscribe. I look forward to seeing you all at BERG this semester! Cheers and regards, Kris Dr Kris Descovich Research Fellow in Animal Welfare Psychology, School of Natural Sciences University of Stirling Stirling, FK9 4LA Scotland Tel: 01786 467643 E-mail: kristin.descovich(a)stir.ac.uk

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FW: 1st call for papers: UFAW Conference 2016, 23rd June, York UK - £35 registration
by Hannah Buchanan-Smith 11 Sep '15

11 Sep '15

FYI - A call for papers for the annual conference from UFAW, the BERG seminar sponsors. From: Stephen Wickens [mailto:wickens@ufaw.org.uk] Sent: 08 September 2015 13:38 To: Hannah Buchanan-Smith Subject: 1st call for papers: UFAW Conference 2016, 23rd June, York UK - £35 registration Recent advances in animal welfare science V UFAW Animal Welfare Conference York Merchant Adventurers' Hall, York, UK - 23rd June 2016 The field of animal welfare is a cross-disciplinary area of study that seeks to offer guidance and find solutions to the challenges raised by our caring for and interactions with both kept and wild animals. As part of its on-going commitment to improving animal welfare through increased scientific understanding of animals' needs and how these can be met, UFAW is pleased to announce the fifth of a series of unthemed one day conferences on 'Recent advances in animal welfare science', which is to be held on 23rd June 2016 in York, UK. This regular meeting, which will be held at the city's medieval Merchant Adventurers' Hall, aims to provide a forum at which the broad and growing international community of scientists, veterinary surgeons and others concerned with animal welfare can come together to share knowledge and practice, discuss advances and exchange views. In keeping with this aim, registration for this meeting has been kept low - £35.00 (tea and coffee will be provided but lunch is not included). Call for papers: We would like to hear from anyone interested in making a contribution to the conference on the subject of recent advances in applied ethology, veterinary and physiological science and the other disciplines that inform our understanding of animals and their welfare. We are keen that this meeting will feature contributions both from established animal welfare scientists and others and from those at the beginning of their research careers. Submissions should feature the title of the proposed contribution, the nature of the contribution - talk or poster, the name and full contact details of all contributors and an abstract, which must be in English and should be no longer than 400 words. The deadline for submission of abstracts is 27th November 2015. Further details on the conference, including a registration form, submitting a paper and booking accommodation in York can be found on the UFAW website: www.ufaw.org.uk/York2016.php<http://www.ufaw.org.uk/York2016.php> Any questions about the conference should be directed to: Dr Stephen Wickens, York 2016, UFAW, The Old School, Brewhouse Hill, Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire, AL4 8AN, UK. Tel: +44 (0) 1582 831818; Email: wickens(a)ufaw.org.uk<mailto:wickens@ufaw.org.uk> Background to UFAW: UFAW, the International Animal Welfare Science Society, is an independent, scientific and educational animal welfare charity. The organization promotes high standards of welfare for farm, companion, laboratory and captive wild animals and those with which we interact in the wild. Facebook: Universities Federation for Animal Welfare - UFAW Twitter: @UFAW_1926 To stop receiving these emails, click here<mailto:?subject=Unsubscribe>

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FW: BOOK NOW: Chester Zoo's 'Labelling Sustainability' Symposium - Early bird discount ending soon!
by Hannah Buchanan-Smith 10 Sep '15

10 Sep '15

FYI The attached symposium looks interesting.... Subject: BOOK NOW: Chester Zoo's 'Labelling Sustainability' Symposium - Early bird discount ending soon! Good morning, Please find attached a flyer for Chester Zoo’s ‘Labelling Sustainability’ Symposium being held on Saturday 24th October. Book by the 14th September to save 10% on ticket prices. Please forward on to anybody who may be interested in attending. Best wishes, Naomi Naomi Matthews Conservation Assistant 01244 389426 www.chesterzoo.org<http://www.chesterzoo.org> [Lantern Magic at Chester Zoo]<http://www.chesterzoo.org/attractions-and-exhibits/christmas?utm_source=sig…> Cedar House, Caughall Road, Upton by Chester, Chester CH2 1LH 01244 380280. Chester Zoo is a registered conservation and education charity. Our charity number is 306077. [http://www.chesterzoo.org/img/fb.jpg]<https://www.facebook.com/chesterzoo1> [http://www.chesterzoo.org/img/tw.jpg]<https://twitter.com/chesterzoo> [http://www.chesterzoo.org/img/gp.jpg]<https://plus.google.com/100441230203957063235/posts> [http://www.chesterzoo.org/img/yt.jpg]<https://www.youtube.com/user/OfficialChesterZoo> [http://www.chesterzoo.org/img/fl.jpg]<http://www.flickr.com/photos/chesterzoo> ________________________________ This electronic message contains information which may be privileged or confidential. The information is intended to be for the use of the individual(s) or entity named above. If you are not the intended recipient be aware that any disclosure, copying, distribution or use of the contents of this information is prohibited. If you have received this electronic message in error, please notify us by telephone or e-mail immediately and delete it from your system. Activity and use of our e-mail system is monitored to secure its effective operation and for other lawful business purposes. Communications using this system will also be monitored and may be recorded to secure effective operation and for other lawful business purposes. Internet e-mails are not necessarily secure. We do not accept responsibility for changes made to this message after it was sent. You are advised to scan this message for viruses and we cannot accept liability for any loss or damage which may be caused as a result of any computer virus. For information about how we process data and monitor communications please see our privacy policy and for terms of use please see our terms of use policy. The North of England Zoological Society, a private company limited by guarantee in England and Wales, with company number: 00287902, registered office: Cedar House, Zoological Gardens, Caughall Road, Upton-by-Chester, Chester, CH2 1LH, registered charity number: 306077. ________________________________

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Please sign up to give a BERG talk
by Hannah Buchanan-Smith 28 Aug '15

28 Aug '15

Thank you to all those who have signed up. We still have some space free, so please consider signing up via Doodle... http://doodle.com/9z6r393yxa93v33r Please remember you can also suggest external speakers who we might invite (local speakers only please - we reimburse basic expenses incurred). Many thanks - Hannah From: BERG [mailto:berg-bounces@lists.stir.ac.uk] On Behalf Of Hannah Buchanan-Smith Sent: 27 July 2015 12:20 To: berg Mailing List Subject: [BERG] Please sign up to give a BERG talk Dear BERGers I am pleased to say that Hayley Ash will be assisting in the organisation of Behaviour and Evolution Research Group (BERG) seminar this coming semester. These seminars are held on Wednesdays at 5.30pm in 3A94, and are generously sponsored by the Universities Federation for Animal Welfare (UFAW). If you are not already a member please consider joining UFAW (http://www.ufaw.org.uk/ ). It is still only £10 for students (£30 others). By joining UFAW you can help make real, practical and lasting advances to animal welfare throughout the world - for companion animals, farm animals, animals used in research, captive wild animals and those living in the wild that are affected by human activities. Please do join to thank them for their continued support of us in BERG and to enhance animal welfare. We are looking for people to volunteer to present at our BERG meeting slots for this semester. The first meeting is on Wednesday 16th September at 5.30pm in 3A94 (Psychology common room). We shall use this meeting for introductions, including I hope for our new MSc on Human Animal Interactions, and updates from the summer...please come prepared to share news of any grants awarded, papers published, exciting conferences attended etc. I have set up a Doodle sign-up, so just fill it out one date to indicate the week that you would like to present. ONE person per week, please. Presenting at BERG is an excellent way to practice talks, hone your presentation skills, get feedback on grant application ideas, lead a discussion of a controversial/interesting research paper etc. You can also suggest external speakers who we might invite (local speakers only please - we reimburse basic expenses incurred). The sign up is here: http://doodle.com/9z6r393yxa93v33r When you sign up for a slot, please send Hayley a brief title BEFORE Friday 4th September so she can circulate the programme in advance. (hayley.ash(a)stir.ac.uk<mailto:hayley.ash@stir.ac.uk>) Supervisors - please encourage your students to present! If you have new students who might wish to be on the BERG mailing list, please send them this e-mail. To sign up to the BERG mailing list new folk must complete the form available here: http://lists.stir.ac.uk/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/berg You can also use this link to unsubscribe. We'll send round the schedule later, but please add the doddle poll dates to your dairy. Many thanks, Hannah and Hayley Check out: New methods for monitoring and improving welfare of laboratory dogs<http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/news/policy/2014/140918-n-animal-welfate-laboratory-…> Hannah M. Buchanan-Smith Professor, Behaviour and Evolution Research Group Director of Learning and Teaching in SNS Psychology, School of Natural Sciences University of Stirling Stirling, FK9 4LA Scotland Tel: 01786 467674 Fax: 01786 467641 E-mail: h.m.buchanan-smith(a)stir.ac.uk<mailto:h.m.buchanan-smith@stir.ac.uk> Home page: https://rms.stir.ac.uk/converis-stirling/person/11925 http://marmosetcare.com/ http://www.247animalwelfare.eu/index.html ________________________________ The University is ranked in the QS World Rankings of the top 5% of universities in the world (QS World University Rankings, 2014) The University of Stirling is a charity registered in Scotland, number SC 011159.

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Please sign up to give a BERG talk
by Hannah Buchanan-Smith 27 Jul '15

27 Jul '15

Dear BERGers I am pleased to say that Hayley Ash will be assisting in the organisation of Behaviour and Evolution Research Group (BERG) seminar this coming semester. These seminars are held on Wednesdays at 5.30pm in 3A94, and are generously sponsored by the Universities Federation for Animal Welfare (UFAW). If you are not already a member please consider joining UFAW (http://www.ufaw.org.uk/ ). It is still only £10 for students (£30 others). By joining UFAW you can help make real, practical and lasting advances to animal welfare throughout the world - for companion animals, farm animals, animals used in research, captive wild animals and those living in the wild that are affected by human activities. Please do join to thank them for their continued support of us in BERG and to enhance animal welfare. We are looking for people to volunteer to present at our BERG meeting slots for this semester. The first meeting is on Wednesday 16th September at 5.30pm in 3A94 (Psychology common room). We shall use this meeting for introductions, including I hope for our new MSc on Human Animal Interactions, and updates from the summer...please come prepared to share news of any grants awarded, papers published, exciting conferences attended etc. I have set up a Doodle sign-up, so just fill it out one date to indicate the week that you would like to present. ONE person per week, please. Presenting at BERG is an excellent way to practice talks, hone your presentation skills, get feedback on grant application ideas, lead a discussion of a controversial/interesting research paper etc. You can also suggest external speakers who we might invite (local speakers only please - we reimburse basic expenses incurred). The sign up is here: http://doodle.com/9z6r393yxa93v33r When you sign up for a slot, please send Hayley a brief title BEFORE Friday 4th September so she can circulate the programme in advance. (hayley.ash(a)stir.ac.uk<mailto:hayley.ash@stir.ac.uk>) Supervisors - please encourage your students to present! If you have new students who might wish to be on the BERG mailing list, please send them this e-mail. To sign up to the BERG mailing list new folk must complete the form available here: http://lists.stir.ac.uk/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/berg You can also use this link to unsubscribe. We'll send round the schedule later, but please add the doddle poll dates to your dairy. Many thanks, Hannah and Hayley Check out: New methods for monitoring and improving welfare of laboratory dogs<http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/news/policy/2014/140918-n-animal-welfate-laboratory-…> Hannah M. Buchanan-Smith Professor, Behaviour and Evolution Research Group Director of Learning and Teaching in SNS Psychology, School of Natural Sciences University of Stirling Stirling, FK9 4LA Scotland Tel: 01786 467674 Fax: 01786 467641 E-mail: h.m.buchanan-smith(a)stir.ac.uk<mailto:h.m.buchanan-smith@stir.ac.uk> Home page: https://rms.stir.ac.uk/converis-stirling/person/11925 http://marmosetcare.com/ http://www.247animalwelfare.eu/index.html ________________________________ The University is ranked in the QS World Rankings of the top 5% of universities in the world (QS World University Rankings, 2014) The University of Stirling is a charity registered in Scotland, number SC 011159.

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Amazing two day event on "The Value of Human-Animal Interactions” in Stirling, 18-19 September
by Hannah Buchanan-Smith 22 Jul '15

22 Jul '15

At Paws for Progress we are thrilled to be hosting a two day event focusing on “The Value of Human-Animal Interactions”. This event will be held on Friday the 18th and Saturday the 19th of September at the Stirling Court Hotel on the University of Stirling campus. We would be delighted if you could join us to explore and celebrate the incredible relationship between humans and animals. Across the two days there will be a range of excellent guest speakers who will discuss the value of HAI in a variety of settings including health care, education and rehabilitation. The event will feature talks from Rebecca Leonardi (Paws for Progress), Elizabeth Ormerod (SCAS), Belinda Johnston (Our Special Friends), Jo Williams (The University of Edinburgh) and Lesley Winton (Fostering Compassion), alongside many networking opportunities and interactive workshops. Workshops will be run by representatives from a range of organisations, including Dementia Dog, Dogs for the Disabled, Star Wards, SSPOT, People and Animals, Turn About Pegasus and more. Refreshments will be provided throughout the day alongside a 2 course lunch, and there will also be the opportunity to bring your own information stand or display for no extra charge. Please get in touch with us at info(a)pawsforprogress.co.uk<mailto:info@pawsforprogress.co.uk> to book a space for your stand. Early bird tickets: We are currently offering discounts for those of you who book early. Currently,1 day passes are available at a discounted rate of £120 whilst 2 day passes are available at a fantastic price of £200. This offer is only available until the 14th of August and thereafter 1 day passes will be available for £150, and 2 day passes at £250. Please do share the attached poster with details of the event with friends and colleagues. Further details about the event are also available at www.pawsforprogress.com<http://www.pawsforprogress.com/> and please get in touch with us at info(a)pawsforprogress.co.uk<mailto:info@pawsforprogress.co.uk> with any queries. Tickets are available at the following link: http://shop.stir.ac.uk/browse/extra_info.asp?compid=1&modid=1&catid=27&prod… We hope to see many of you at the event, and look forward to welcoming you to an amazing two days of sharing experience, knowledge and celebrating the fantastic work which is being carried out across the UK to embrace the incredible relationship between humans and animals. With kind regards, The team at Paws for Progress Hope to see some of you there! Check out: New methods for monitoring and improving welfare of laboratory dogs<http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/news/policy/2014/140918-n-animal-welfate-laboratory-…> Hannah M. Buchanan-Smith Professor, Behaviour and Evolution Research Group Director of Learning and Teaching in SNS Psychology, School of Natural Sciences University of Stirling Stirling, FK9 4LA Scotland Tel: 01786 467674 Fax: 01786 467641 E-mail: h.m.buchanan-smith(a)stir.ac.uk<mailto:h.m.buchanan-smith@stir.ac.uk> Home page: https://rms.stir.ac.uk/converis-stirling/person/11925 http://marmosetcare.com/ http://www.247animalwelfare.eu/index.html

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BERG social media links
by Hannah Buchanan-Smith 19 Jun '15

19 Jun '15

Dear BERGers Laura Hall is doing an excellent job in leading me (no longer kicking and screaming, but calmly!) into engaging with social media. Laura has set up BERG's own Facebook and twitter links: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Behaviour-and-Evolution-Research-Group-at-Un… https://twitter.com/BERG_Stirling Please do follow, and also send Laura details of your recent publications, research highlights, prizes, awards or other exciting news so that they can be shared. It would also be great to be able to have some photos and/or videos. E-mail: laura.hall(a)stir.ac.uk<mailto:laura.hall@stir.ac.uk> Let's promote the excellent work we do.... My best, Hannah Check out: New methods for monitoring and improving welfare of laboratory dogs<http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/news/policy/2014/140918-n-animal-welfate-laboratory-…> Hannah M. Buchanan-Smith Professor, Behaviour and Evolution Research Group Director of Learning and Teaching in SNS Psychology, School of Natural Sciences University of Stirling Stirling, FK9 4LA Scotland Tel: 01786 467674 Fax: 01786 467641 E-mail: h.m.buchanan-smith(a)stir.ac.uk<mailto:h.m.buchanan-smith@stir.ac.uk> Home page: https://rms.stir.ac.uk/converis-stirling/person/11925 http://marmosetcare.com/ http://www.247animalwelfare.eu/index.html

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FW: July 1st Living Links Research Forum at Edinburgh Zoo
by Hannah Buchanan-Smith 19 Jun '15

19 Jun '15

Apologies for cross postings, but in case of interest to a wider audience.... From: Amanda Seed [mailto:ams18@st-andrews.ac.uk] Sent: 19 June 2015 10:33 To: Hannah Buchanan-Smith; Andrew Whiten; Lara Wood; Kristin Descovich; 'lhopper(a)lpzoo.org'; Phyllis Lee; Christine Caldwell; 'Research(a)blairdrummond.com'; 'SPearson(a)rzss.org.uk'; 'AMacri(a)rzss.org.uk'; Hayley Ash; 'antoine(a)thgroup.co'; 'L.Robinson(a)ed.ac.uk'; 'd.m.altschul(a)sms.ed.ac.uk'; 'Morton.blake(a)gmail.com'; Erica van de Waal; 'Lucille.bellegarde(a)sruc.ac.uk'; Rachel Harrison; Lizzie Webber; Stuart Watson; Camille Troisi; 'j.wathan(a)sussex.ac.uk'; 'sophia.m.daoudi(a)gmail.com'; 'mariawollnik(a)gmail.com'; 'Sonia.rey.planellas(a)gmail.com'; Jennifer Botting; Lewis Dean; 'S1443883(a)sms.ed.ac.uk'; Emily Cibulka; Sumir Keenan; 'Mairimac3(a)hotmail.com'; 'louisatasker(a)gmail.com'; 'abates(a)rzss.org.uk'; 'sullivan.e13(a)gmail.com'; 'Katie Slocombe'; 'adowling(a)rzss.org.uk'; Emily Messer Subject: July 1st Living Links Research Forum at Edinburgh Zoo Dear all, We are holding a little research forum about some of the recently completed and congoing research at Living Links in the Budongo Trail lecture theatre at Edinburgh zoo, on July 1st, 10.30. You can also hear more about plans for 'Wild Links' for capuchin and squirrel monkeys - which some of you might have heard a bit about at the Burn. Details about the programme can be found here, also pasted below. http://www.edinburghzoo.org.uk/events/2015/07/monkeys,-apes-me-%E2%80%93-re… It would be lovely to see some of you there. Best wishes, Amanda 10:30 - Welcome and overview to research conducted at Edinburgh Zoo - Prof Andy White and Dr Amanda Seed - University of St Andrews 10.45 - Dr. Lara Wood, University of St Andrews Living Links cubicle research and results from a recent study with capuchin monkeys This talk will give an overview of how Living Links researchers work with the monkeys in the research cubicles. Following this, data will be presented on a recent experiment investigating whether the location of the edible reward within an artificial-fruit puzzle can affect capuchins' success in extracting it and imitation of others' actions. In nature, foraging actions a monkey may copy are typically around the edible goal, like peeling a fruit or shelling a nut, and things we humans copy where there is more separation (e.g. a light switch) may be more difficult for a monkey to grasp. Nineteen monkeys participated in the full experiment. A human demonstrated how to obtain food from a puzzle using one of two actions. The food was either close to (5cm), or far from (20cm), the action. Capuchins were less likely to watch the human demonstrator's action and less successful at retrieving the reward, when the food was far from rather than close to those demonstrated actions. There was tentative evidence of learning from the demonstrator which was affected by food location. The implications of these results will be discussed. 11.15 Dr. Lewis Dean, University of St Andrews A 'micro-culture' study of young children visiting Budongo Trail We are studying what gives us humans the ability to build up complex cultures over time, compared to other primates. To do this we are creating 'micro-cultures' in little groups, including children. For this, Zoo visitors aged 4-6 years were invited to take part in a game to get a series of prizes out of a complex apparatus. Starting with a group of three children, we replaced a child every five minutes until there was a completely new group, echoing cultural generations. By examining how the groups interacted with the apparatus and with one another, we can shed light on the evolution of human culture. 11.45 Zita Polgár, University of Edinburgh Assessing individual differences in squirrel monkeys - Personality and interaction with zoo visitors The goal of this study is to determine whether there are individual differences between squirrel monkeys in how they respond to different groups of visitors at the viewing window. Do some monkeys prefer coming to the window when there are large groups there, while others when there is just a single person? Do some show preferences for interacting with children rather than adults? Answering these questions will help us better understand the relationship between the monkeys and the visitors as well as allowing us to improve individual welfare and design better enclosures. Another goal of this study is to assess how this window approaching behaviour is correlated with the individual personality scores that are given to the monkeys by the keepers. Overall, we expect that there will be a general trend for the monkeys to come to the window more frequently when there are larger visitor groups there - they are quite curious! In addition, we predict that those monkeys who score highest in bold and sociable personality traits will be the most frequent visitors while those monkeys who score lower on these traits will be less frequent visitors and may show a preference for smaller visitor groups. 12.15 Sophia Daoudi and Prof. Hannah M. Buchanan-Smith, University of Stirling The quest to establish a new long-term field station for conservation and primate research in Suriname. Primate researchers value the opportunity to conduct both captive and field studies, to test hypotheses derived from the field under controlled conditions in captivity and from that, generate further hypotheses to be examined in the wild. At Living Links in Edinburgh zoo, we study the behaviour of capuchin and squirrel monkeys living in captivity in mixed-species groups. In this talk we will describe our attempt to find an appropriate 'wild link' for our population of captive monkeys and establish a long-term field station. The Guiana Shield is a biodiversity hotspot containing one of the largest protected tropical areas within the Neotropics and is home to a wide variety of flora and fauna. The Raleighvallen Nature Reserve, Suriname forms part of this region and is relatively unaffected by anthropogenic disturbances such as hunting and deforestation, making it an ideal location to conduct baseline biological and ecological research. We shall describe preliminary plans to re-establish the Conservation International (CI) field station to allow us to conduct long-term projects investigating the 8 sympatric primate species in addition to other fauna and flora. The first project will investigate the understudied polyspecific associations between the tufted brown capuchin (Sapajus apella) and the common squirrel monkey (Saimiri sciureus). If we can re-establish this site, it might be possible to twin the CI field station with the Living Links to Human Evolution Research Centre, Royal Zoological Society Scotland (RZSS), Edinburgh Zoo. 12.45 - end.

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