- BERG - University of Stirling Mailing Lists

Free online course on Animal Welfare
by Hannah Buchanan-Smith 13 Feb '15

13 Feb '15

Dear Bergers This MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) on Animal Welfare offered by our colleagues in Edinburgh has just come to my attention - a week late, but still time to sign up. https://www.coursera.org/course/animal Enjoy! I know it features Living Links somewhere in it.... Best, Hannah

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Wed 11th Feb
by Kristin Descovich 10 Feb '15

10 Feb '15

Dear BERGers, This Wednesday we have a special guest all the way from Argentina. Dr Viridiana Gonzalez from the Universidad Nacional del Nordeste will be speaking on the "Environmental education program at the Corrientes Biological Research Station". Please do come along and invite any friends that may be interested. We will meet in the Psychology common room 3A94 at 5:30pm and will have drinks, nibbles and an abundance of stimulating conversation as per usual. A current BERG schedule is also attached. Hope to see you all on Wednesday night. 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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Wed 4th Feb
by Kristin Descovich 02 Feb '15

02 Feb '15

Dear BERGers, We are back to our usual meetings on Wednesday night. Kicking us off for the semester is Dr Sonia Rey Planelles from the Institute of Aquaculture with a presentation entitled "Environmental temperature and fish: What does it have to do with personality, emotions and welfare?" Please do come along, and invite any friends that may be interested. We will meet in the Psychology common room 3A94 and will have drinks and nibbles as usual. A current BERG schedule is also attached. Hope to see you all on Wednesday night. Cheers, 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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Professor Ian Peers - Thursday seminar
by Hannah Buchanan-Smith 26 Jan '15

26 Jan '15

Dear all Our seminar speaker this week, Ian Peers has been made an Honorary Professor in Psychology. Please can I encourage you to come to his talk (details below) – Ian provides important links with industry (impact), and is of interest to health psychologists as well an animal researchers, and those interested in stats and experimental design. He is also offering stats advice. So come along and meet him! I shall be taking Ian out for dinner after his talk – please let me know by noon on Wednesday if you’d like to join us and I shall make a plan. Thanks, Hannah ________________________________ From: Roswitha Lucht Sent: 26 January 2015 12:09 To: Psychology Staff Subject: Psychology Research Seminar on 29th January , at 4pm in 3A94 - Professor Ian Peers Dear All Please may we invite you to come along to our next Research Seminar on Thursday, 29th January, at 4pm in the Psychology Common Room 3A94. Professor Ian Peers, from the University of Stirling and Global Head Statistics AstraZeneca, will be giving a talk with the title Animal Research in Biopharmaceutical R&D, the Good, the Bad and the Ugly - Impact of Good Statistical Practice. We would like to encourage academics, research staff and postgraduate students to please make every effort to attend these seminars. We look forward to seeing you and attach a poster with the event. Kind Regards Roswitha Roswitha Lucht Administrative Assistant Psychology School of Natural Sciences University of Stirling E: roswitha.lucht(a)stid.ac.uk<mailto:roswitha.lucht@stid.ac.uk> T: +44 (0) 1786 467640

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BERG + Susan Cheyne visit
by Kristin Descovich 20 Jan '15

20 Jan '15

Dear BERGers, Please see the attached current BERG schedule for the Spring. Note that on several weeks there is no BERG meeting because a BERG related speaker will be presenting the Psychology division seminar on the Thursday at 4pm. We still need a few more speakers! 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 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. 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 your presentation title as soon as possible to me at kristin.descovich(a)stir.ac.uk. This Thursday at 4pm we are very lucky to have Dr Susan Cheyne from the University of Oxford and Outrop giving the Psychology seminar on "Primates, peat-lands, cats and conservation: Saving the Bornean peat swamp forests". Susan does amazing work in Indonesia with primates and a myriad of other species, so please do come along and listen. We will head afterwards to The Meadowpark for dinner. If you would like to join us, please email me by Wed night. Our BERG meetings are only as good as we make them, so 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 on the 4th of February! Cheers and regards, Kris

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PhD available in Animal Social Communication and Cognition
by Hannah Buchanan-Smith 17 Dec '14

17 Dec '14

Looks like a nice funded PhD opportunity - Hannah From: teaching and research, in animal behaviour [mailto:ANIMAL-BEHAVIOUR@JISCMAIL.AC.UK] On Behalf Of Leanne Proops Sent: Tuesday, December 16, 2014 12:37 AM To: ANIMAL-BEHAVIOUR(a)JISCMAIL.AC.UK<mailto:ANIMAL-BEHAVIOUR@JISCMAIL.AC.UK> Subject: [ASAB-MAIL] PhD available in Animal Social Communication and Cognition PhD studentship available for 2015 in animal social communication & cognition Emotional signalling in animals: identifying positive affect and its consequences School of Psychology, University of Sussex Supervisor: Prof Karen McComb (University of Sussex) and Dr Leanne Proops (University of Sussex) http://www.lifesci.sussex.ac.uk/cmvcr/Home.html Emotional signalling is a crucial but poorly understood aspect of animal social behaviour, mediating important social interactions and contributing to an individual's ability to form social relationships and reproduce successfully. One aspect of emotional signalling in animals that has received surprisingly little attention is the way in which positive emotions are expressed and the consequences of this signalling both for the individual itself and its conspecifics. Displaying positive emotions may contribute to building an individual's own resilience as well as enhancing its ability to form social bonds - a possibility that has not been investigated in animals. Moreover, it is now recognised that animal welfare should be assessed not simply by the absence of negative emotions, but also by the presence of positive ones, so a systematic study of how positive emotions are expressed in a range of species would have considerable applied value. The PhD student would use techniques developed in our lab for quantifying animal facial expressions (and vocalisations) in order to identify cues that are consistently associated with positive emotional experiences. They would also explore the relationship between signals with positive emotional valence and physiological and behavioural measures of coping behaviour. Work on domestic horses would provide a starting point for this study, but the project would look at parallels in cues used to signal positive emotion across a range of different mammal species and their relationship to individual coping mechanisms and social behaviour. Applications should be made by Friday 30th January 2015. The award of the studentship will be based on a competitive process. If awarded, it would be a full-time studentship (funded for a duration of three years) covering tuition fee, and a maintenance allowance. The maintenance allowance is currently £13,863 per annum. There is an expectation to contribute to teaching on a paid basis. Eligibility requirements for potential candidates: · This award will only pay fees at the Home/EU rate. The maintenance allowance is currently £13,863 per annum. · Candidates must have, or expect to obtain, a First or a high Upper Second Class Honours undergraduate degree, or equivalent qualification, and/or a Master's degree in Psychology or a related discipline. Guidance for applicants: Please send your initial enquires by email for the attention of 'Postgraduate Coordinator' to: psychology(a)sussex.ac.uk<mailto:psychology@sussex.ac.uk> If you wish to discuss the details of this PhD project further please contact Prof Karen McComb (karenm(a)sussex.ac.uk<mailto:karenm@sussex.ac.uk>) Applications should be submitted to the University of Sussex online postgraduate application system (http://www.sussex.ac.uk/study/pg/applying/2015entry) by Friday 30th January 2015. Please submit your online application together with: · A research statement that briefly outlines our current state of knowledge, hypotheses that could be addressed, and an outline of potential methods. Your answer should not exceed 2 pages including references, be set at minimum 10 font type with margins a minimum of 1cm. · A teaching-related statement that addresses the normal expectation that you contribute to teaching of statistics and research methods (up to 300 words). An up to date CV · A current degree transcript(s) with full details of performance on all completed courses Two academic references The proposed source of funding should be specified as 'GTA'.

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Last BERG Seminar 1and Christmas bash.....10th December
by Hannah Buchanan-Smith 09 Dec '14

09 Dec '14

Dear all, I do hope to see you on tomorrow - Wednesday evening for Dr Liz Williamson's presentation on "State of the Apes". Think about leaving the car, as I'll bring in some extra drinks (including a few cans of beer by popular demand ) and festive nibbles so we can have a bit of a BERG bash afterwards to celebrate another successful year. Psychology common room 3A94 as usual, 5.30pm start. Please do come! Hannah

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BERG Seminar 3rd December, 10th December and SPRG meeting 16-18 January 2015
by Hannah Buchanan-Smith 02 Dec '14

02 Dec '14

Dear all, Dr Kris Descovich will present at tomorrow’s BERG on Macaque behaviour and welfare. She’s a great speaker – so hope you will come along. Meeting in the Psychology common room, 3A94, 5.30pm, drinks and nibbles as usual. Our final BERG of the year is by Dr Liz Williamson: “State of the Apes”. I’ll bring in some extra drinks and nibbles so we can have a bit of a BERG party afterwards to celebrate another successful year. Please do come! Hannah Still spaces for the SPRG meeting – instructions below..... 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. SPRG meeting Dear SPRGers and BERGers The time has come again for SPRG to plan their annual post-Christmas 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) We can arrive from 4pm on Friday 16th – and leave 2pm on Sunday 18th January 2015 Lizzie Webber and I shall be organising the programme and day-to-day running of the meeting. I am delighted to say we already have an excellent programme of speakers. We already have 9 confirmed speakers, on a range of species and topics, including Prof Phyllis Lee (Stirling), and Dr Lydia Hopper from the Lester E. Fisher Center for the Study & Conservation of Apes in Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago, and will present on her research with chimpanzees and gorillas. There are still some spaces for speakers, and attendees, so please sign up following the instructions below. Michelle Young, Andy Whiten’s wonderful PA in St. Andrews, will be keeping the spreadsheet. To make our lives easier, please make sure you reply to the right person! 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 £150 for staff (those in full time employment, and who wish to have a single occupancy room – limited availability) and £120 for students, unwaged members, and/or those who share rooms. This price includes accommodation and all meals. I have had to pay a considerable deposit (>£1000) in order to secure our booking. To avoid unnecessary bureaucracy this year, by signing up you are confirming that you will pay £60 should you cancel after 1st December 2014, and we are unable to fill your place. To book your place at The Burn, please let Michelle Young - my22(a)st-andrews.ac.uk<mailto:my22@st-andrews.ac.uk> - know by email that you wish to join us. 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: This statement “I confirm that I will pay £60 should I be unable to attend and my place is not filled”. 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 November onwards, invitations will be opened up to colleagues from further afield. Reply early to avoid disappointment. As always, there will be a series of research talks given throughout the weekend. If you are interested in giving a talk, please let HANNAH (h.m.buchanan-smith(a)stir.ac.uk<mailto:h.m.buchanan-smith@stir.ac.uk>) know. The success of the weekend depends upon you! 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! I have an extremely busy diary, and would really appreciate your cooperation in making the organisation of the SPRG Burn weekend simple. In summary * If you wish to come, please send Michelle your name, whether single room, dietary requirements, and the loss of deposit statement. * If you wish to present, please send Hannah your title. Timing will depend upon number of offers, and we can negotiate. I shall follow up with more details nearer the time. Best wishes, Hannah, Lizzie and Michelle

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FW: 2015 Chester Zoo Studentship Grants
by Hannah Buchanan-Smith 29 Nov '14

29 Nov '14

If you are an undergraduate or Masters student interested in doing a project on conservation at Chester Zoo – or a supervisor who might forward to students interested in conservation please read on....otherwise delete, and accept my apologies for filling your inbox! Hannah From: Catherine Barton [mailto:c.barton@chesterzoo.org] Sent: 28 November 2014 08:20 To: Catherine Barton Subject: 2015 Chester Zoo Studentship Grants Dear all Attached are details on the Chester Zoo Studentship Grants for 2015, for which we are now inviting applications. Please circulate this information as you see fit to your students and others who may be interested. Please forward this to the relevant person at your institution if this information is not relevant to you. So that I can update the circulation list I would be most grateful if you could let me know the correct email address to use for future studentship information. Please also let me know if you want to be removed from the list. Thank you. All the best, Cat Barton Catherine Barton Conservation Officer 01244 389449 www.chesterzoo.org<http://www.chesterzoo.org> [cid:image013.jpg@01D00BE1.BA49A4C0]<http://www.chesterzoo.org/attractions-and-exhibits/christmas-lantern-magic> 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. [cid:image014.jpg@01D00BE1.BA49A4C0]<https://www.facebook.com/chesterzoo1> [cid:image015.jpg@01D00BE1.BA49A4C0]<https://twitter.com/chesterzoo> [cid:image016.jpg@01D00BE1.BA49A4C0]<https://plus.google.com/100441230203957063235/posts> [cid:image017.jpg@01D00BE1.BA49A4C0]<https://www.youtube.com/user/OfficialChesterZoo> [cid:image018.jpg@01D00BE1.BA49A4C0]<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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BERG Seminar 26th November
by Hannah Buchanan-Smith 25 Nov '14

25 Nov '14

Dear all, Kris Descovich is hosting Susan Richmond (University of Edinburgh) for BERG tomorrow. Susan will be talking about: Assessing the Welfare of Extensively Managed Sheep. Susan was one of our MSc students, so it will be great to welcome her back. Prof Ian Peers, Head of statistics at AstraZeneca, who is now an Honorary fellow will also join us and give us a 5 minutes introduction to who he is, and what he might offer us in terms of advice. There may be opportunities to meet with him on Thursday if you wish. We shall be going out for dinner after Susan’s talk to the Birds and Bees (we hope if they have a table). http://www.thebirdsandthebees-stirling.com/#!food--drink/cfwi I have Susan, me, Ian, Laura, Hayley, Sarah, Kris on list – let me know by 5pm today if you wish to join us so I can book a table. Meeting in the Psychology common room, 3A94, 5.30pm, drinks and nibbles as usual. Please do come! Hannah Still spaces for SPRG if you want to sign up follow instructions – see below 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. SPRG meeting Dear SPRGers and BERGers The time has come again for SPRG to plan their annual post-Christmas 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) We can arrive from 4pm on Friday 16th – and leave 2pm on Sunday 18th January 2015 Lizzie Webber and I shall be organising the programme and day-to-day running of the meeting. I am delighted to say we already have an excellent programme of speakers. We already have 9 confirmed speakers, on a range of species and topics, including Prof Phyllis Lee (Stirling), and Dr Lydia Hopper from the Lester E. Fisher Center for the Study & Conservation of Apes in Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago, and will present on her research with chimpanzees and gorillas. There are still some spaces for speakers, and attendees, so please sign up following the instructions below. Michelle Young, Andy Whiten’s wonderful PA in St. Andrews, will be keeping the spreadsheet. To make our lives easier, please make sure you reply to the right person! 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 £150 for staff (those in full time employment, and who wish to have a single occupancy room – limited availability) and £120 for students, unwaged members, and/or those who share rooms. This price includes accommodation and all meals. I have had to pay a considerable deposit (>£1000) in order to secure our booking. To avoid unnecessary bureaucracy this year, by signing up you are confirming that you will pay £60 should you cancel after 1st December 2014, and we are unable to fill your place. To book your place at The Burn, please let Michelle Young - my22(a)st-andrews.ac.uk<mailto:my22@st-andrews.ac.uk> - know by email that you wish to join us. 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: This statement “I confirm that I will pay £60 should I be unable to attend and my place is not filled”. 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 November onwards, invitations will be opened up to colleagues from further afield. Reply early to avoid disappointment. As always, there will be a series of research talks given throughout the weekend. If you are interested in giving a talk, please let HANNAH (h.m.buchanan-smith(a)stir.ac.uk<mailto:h.m.buchanan-smith@stir.ac.uk>) know. The success of the weekend depends upon you! 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! I have an extremely busy diary, and would really appreciate your cooperation in making the organisation of the SPRG Burn weekend simple. In summary * If you wish to come, please send Michelle your name, whether single room, dietary requirements, and the loss of deposit statement. * If you wish to present, please send Hannah your title. Timing will depend upon number of offers, and we can negotiate. I shall follow up with more details nearer the time. Best wishes, Hannah, Lizzie and Michelle

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