Dear BERGers,
First, some news! 'The Burn' Spring meeting of the Scottish Primate Research Group (SPRG) will be held on 24-26 April, 2020. Please see the e-mail from Hannah Buchanan-Smith that was just sent out to all BERGers this morning for more information!
From that e-mail: This year we will be joined by Dr Rachel Kendal who will be giving an extended talk. Rachel is an Associate Professor at the University of Durham, and she has undertaken extensive research looking at social learning in a large number of primate species. Rachel is the current president of the Cultural Evolution Society and SPRG Alumni."
Next, A warm, fuzzy, koala-shaped hug to all of those who attended the paper-discussion at last week's meeting! 🐨
Aside from the plight of these endearing creatures, there are a few other endearing creatures who need your help.
They are the BERG coordinators!
Their plight is that... they need you to sign-up for talks!
We cannot do this without voluntary participation. A few of you have gone the extra mile to make suggestions: Sophia Daoudi, Phyllis Lee, Liz Renner, David Pritchard, Craig Roberts, and any others who have suggested papers to discuss or speakers to present. Thank you!
Of course, sometimes hectic schedules prevent these efforts from coming to fruition. Our best chance at filling the schedule with speakers that are interesting and relevant to our group, is to take as many shots as possible. Please notify your friends/colleagues, students, supervisees, collaborators, and anyone else of the opportunity to present past, current, and proposed research for a group of engaging and inquisitive minds like the ones at BERG! Special Thanks to Craig Roberts who is posting a message for us on the MSc's Canvas Page in the name of BERG recruitment!
Current Schedule: https://stir.box.com/s/2nz26sgrlkwmjl72a5oz7j8uuo1qmdd7
Who to e-mail: BERG coordinators Sarah Kraemer, <s.b.kraemer@stir.ac.uk> and Gema Martin-Ordas, <gema.martin-ordas@stir.ac.uk>
For now, we will continue to provide BERGers with alternative meetings experiences. That is why, for this week, we are having a....
(drumroll, please...)
DOCUMENTARY DAY
"Cane Toads: An Unnatural History" is a short, ~45min documentary that can be viewed by attending BERG members this Wednesday, 22 Jan 2020.
The film is kooky. It is bizarre. It is polarizing. But the cane toads are as well!
Janet Maslin of The New York Times reviewed the documentary in 1988, and had this to say:
Pet or pest? This is the question posed by ''Cane Toads: An Unnatural History,'' a short Australian documentary that's an absolute delight. It supplies the answers to every conceivable question the viewer may have about the species in question, and a few extras: What can the toad do for tourism? What sort of person goes out of his way to squash cane toads while driving? Who feeds his favorite toads cat food, or thinks they look nice in baby clothes?"
Various academics have also given their opinions on the pesky toads:
“Despite all the fantastic activities that can be undertaken by the human race, the magnificent pieces
of equipment that are being developed, our capacity in space, we still haven’t come to find a way to control the cane toad.” -Professor
Mike Tyler
“Toads are public enemy number one... They’re like a commando, an invading army.” -Dr.
Chris Burns
We hope you will join us in discussing cane toads as best as we *cane* on Wednesday at 5:30pm in the Psychology Common Room.
We *Cane-nae* Do any of this without you, BERGers! We are *toad-ally* grateful for your help!
Kind regards,
-Sarah and Gema