• NEERS Returned to Salem, MA for the Spring 2014 Meeting

• Save the Date for the Fall Meeting

NEERS Returned to Salem, MA for the Spring 2014 Meeting

The spring 2014 NEERS meeting was a resounding success, our busiest meeting yet. NEERS hosted 45 traditional oral presentations, 13 Ignite session oral presentations, and 33 posters. In addition to our typical fare of salt marshes, nitrogen, eelgrass, and eutrophication effects; we saw a number of talks on Atlantic sturgeon, invasive crabs, and bivalves. Physical oceanography and remote sensing techniques are comprising a larger portion of our program and we welcomed the contribution of more exotic topics (at least for NEERS) including nudibranchs and turtle eggs. The two Ignite sessions added an exciting dynamic as speakers raced to deliver a concise, compelling and complete message in five minutes. One Ignite session focused on the status and role of citizen-based science in the NEERS region while the other session focused on “hot topics.”

The student prize winners were:

Troy Hill - Ketchum Prize Best Graduate Student Presentation

Ashleigh Novak - Rankin Prize for Best Undergraduate Student Presentation

Laura Whitefleet-Smith - Dean Prize for Best Graduate Student Poster

Jordan LeBlanc - Warren Prize for Best Undergraduate Student Poster

We had 10 competitors for the Ketchum Prize for Best Graduate Student Presentation; 7 for the Rankin Prize for Best Undergraduate Student Presentation; 4 for the Dean Prize for Best Graduate Student Poster; and 13 for the Warren Prize for Best Undergraduate Student Poster. Congratulations to our prize winners and to all of our student presenters. The quality of the student presentations was exceptionally high and we look forward to fostering these scientists as they move forward with their careers.

NEERS initiated a new poster competition modeled on the SEERS 3x3 competition. Students judged all 33 posters (student and non-student entries) based on the ability to comprehend the poster within 3 minutes from a distance of 3 feet. Congratulations to Brenda Rudnicky, an undergraduate presenter, who took the prize. Peter Larsen, a long-time member of NEERS, was awarded an honorary membership for his continuing support and contributions to NEERS and the field of coastal and estuarine science.

NEERS student prize award winners with President, John Brawley. (Photo Credit: Veronica Berounsky)	NEERS Honorary Member recipient, Peter Larsen, with Sandy MacFarlane and Veronica Berounsky. (Photo Credit: Veronica Berounsky)

Save the Date for the Fall Meeting

The fall 2014 NEERS meeting will be held in Groton, CT at the University of Connecticut’s Avery Point campus, home to the Department of Marine Sciences. Check the NEERS website for updates on meeting details. This is an election year for NEERS and we’ll be looking for our next President and Treasurer. If you are interested in the position or would like to nominate a candidate, please contact our Past-President, Stephen Hale.