Research
Established in 1958, the Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles (SSAR) "is the largest international herpetological society, and is recognized worldwide for having the most diverse program of publications, meetings, and other activities." The SSAR website contains resources for professional and amateur herpetologists alike. The site provides information about SSAR officers and editors, committees, membership, annual meetings, publications, grants, and awards. The site also contains guidelines for submitting to the Journal of Herpetology and the Herpetological Review. Notably, members of the SSAR community provide a free (pre-submission) Manuscript Review Service for herpetologists "whose first language is not English, but who are striving to publish their findings in peer reviewed English language journals." Site visitors interested in reptile and amphibian conservation should be sure to check out the SSAE Conservation Committee page. [NL]
http://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
From the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), "PubChem contains the chemical structures of small organic molecules and information on their biological activities. It is intended to support the Molecular Libraries and Imaging component of the NIH Roadmap Initiative." PubChem users can search the chemical structure database by chemical properties, structural similarity, and descriptive terms. PubChem utilizes three connected databases--PubChem Compound, PubChem Substance, and PubChem BioAssay--all of which operate inside the Entrez/PubMed information retrieval system. In addition, the site offers the PubChem Structure Search tool for quick similarity searches. The site also links to contact information for the Structure Group research staff, and selected online publications. [NL]
http://www.eti.uva.nl/database/WTD.html
The Expert Center for Taxonomic Identification (ETI) developed the World Taxonomist Database (WTD) to serve as an online directory for both taxonomists and users of taxonomic expertise. The goal of the WTD is to better facilitate communication among taxonomists, and make it easier to locate taxonomic specialists around the world. The WTD currently contains entries for 3,969 taxonomists/specialists; and allows visitors to search by Name, Institute, Country, and Specialization. The WTD also offers an advanced search option, and a Who's New list for visitors to consult. The WTD website allows taxonomists to submit and update contact information as well. [NL]
http://www.phys.ocean.dal.ca/ccffr/index.html
The Canadian Conference for Fisheries Research (CCFFR) has met annually for more than 50 years, and continues to convene every "January in concert with the Society of Canadian Limnologists (SCL). The conference is a forum where researchers and graduate students can present and discuss the latest advances in freshwater and marine fisheries research." The CCFFR website, hosted by the Oceanography Department at Dalhousie University, presents registration materials for the upcoming 2005 meeting in Windsor, as well as downloadable programme information and abstracts from a number of past conferences. Major themes for the upcoming conference include Fisheries Policy and Protection of Native Fishes; Climate Change, Fisheries, and Aquatic Resources; Aquatic Invasive Species; and Aquatic Species at Risk Research-to name a few. The site also links to a brief history of CCFFR, as well as to information about the Clemens-Rigler Graduate Student Travel Fund, and the SCL. [NL]
http://biology.usgs.gov/pierc/
The USGS Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center (PIERC) strives "to provide objective research, baseline information, and technical assistance relating to conservation and restoration of indigenous biological resources occurring within the cultural, sociological and political context of the States and Islands Territories of Hawaii, Guam, Truk, the Marianas Islands, American Samoa and others under the U.S. jurisdiction in the Pacific Basin." The PIERC website contains a very extensive annotated bibliography that serves as introduction to the Center's research. The site also links to information about Field Station Projects under various categories including Hawaiian Birds Projects, Wild Life Health, Ecosystem and Biological Diversity, and Molecular Genetics. In addition, links are provided to Project Leader pages with contact information, professional experiences, and publication lists. [NL]
The American Association of Physical Anthropologists (AAPA) "is the world's leading professional organization for physical anthropologists. Formed by 83 charter members in 1930, the AAPA now has an international membership of over 1,700." The AAPA website contains a capacious job board with listings from universities across the country; a News and Announcements board; and downloadable copies of the Association's Newsletter. The site also offers information about: the upcoming annual meeting, other meetings of interest, membership, contact information for officers, and links to associated organizations. For up-and-coming professionals, the site provides links to graduate programs at leading universities and colleges, as well as information about student prizes, and physical anthropology careers. [NL]
http://www.mitoresearch.org/century.pdf
Hosted by the Mitochondria Research Society, this archived Mitochondrian journal article offers a broad exploration of the field of mitochondrial research. The 29-page article was published in 2000 by Dr. Immo E. Scheffler, a professor of biology at the University of California-San Diego. In addition to providing a synopsis of mitochondrial research, Dr. Scheffler attempts "to define some of the outstanding challenges and questions still to be solved in the field." Major headings in the article include: Mitochondria and Evolution; Mitochondria and Energy Metabolism; Mitochondria and Disease; Mitochondria in Anthropology and Forensic Science-to name a few. Even though references were limited to recent reviews and papers, the article contains an extensive collection spanning a total of eight pages. [NL]
http://www.nrm.se/ve/pisces/acara/welcome.shtml
Sven Kullander of the Swedish Museum of Natural History developed the Guide to the South American Cichlidae as "a non-commercial, technical source of information about the systematics, taxonomy and geographical distribution of South American cichlids." The Guide features a Cichlid Names Database containing 469 nominal species and 60 Nominal Genera with search fields for keywords, Genus/Species, Record/Table, Status, and more. The site also offers a phylogenetic tree representing major cichlid groups, a Classification of South American Cichlids, and an Alphabetical List of Nominal Genera and Informal Groups of South American Cichlids. In addition, the Guide contains a sizeable list of publications from 1997 onwards (some of which are hyperlinked or downloadable), and a solid collection of cichlid-related links. [NL]
