The United Kingdom and Ireland Regional Student Chapter of the Society for Marine Mammalogy

13th Annual Conference Swansea University 24th-26th January 2019

Conference Information Booklet #UKIRSC19

Contents

Conference venue 3

Icebreaker 4

Conference Meal at Brewstone 5

Guest speakers 6-11

Presentations and Posters 12

Social Media Policy 13

Workshops 14-21

Student travel grants 22

Contacts 22

Join the committee! 22

Prize for Best Presentation 23

Sponsors 23

Conference Venue

Swansea University Wallace Building

The conference venue for the UKIRSC 2019 is the Wallace Building on Singleton Campus, Swansea University, SA2 8PP. The Wallace Building is home to the Bioscience and Geography departments and is named after the “father of biogeography”, Alfred Russel Wallace, Welsh evolutionary biologist best known for having independently conceived the theory of evolution through natural selection, alongside Charles Darwin. Swansea University is situated in Singleton Park, a mature parkland and botanical gardens overlooking Swansea Bay beach. The Wallace Building is in the South West corner of Singleton Campus. It is approximately 15 minutes’ walk from the Uplands or Brynmill areas, 40 minutes’ walk from Swansea City Centre and 3 minutes from the beach. Registration will be held in the entrance foyer of the Wallace building. From there you can head directly upstairs to the Science Central for refreshments. Scientific posters will be displayed here. All guest lectures and student talks will take place in the Wallace Lecture Theatre, directly ahead on entering the Wallace Building and located down a short flight of stairs. Tea and coffee will be provided on arrival and during breaks, but please bring your own re-usable cup. Lunch is not provided. There are plenty of options for lunch on campus and in the Uplands and Brynmill area just short walk away.

Icebreaker

Sponsored by the British Ecological Society

8pm – 10pm Thursday 24th January Swansea University, Taliesin Building

There will be complimentary refreshments including alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. The bar will also be open.

Conference Meal

Brewstone

7pm Friday 25th January Brewstone, Uplands, Swansea

The conference meal will be buffet style and will cater for all dietary requirements. The meal will be £12 and this must be paid in advance. Please bring cash for the meal with you either to the Icebreaker or to the conference registration on Friday morning. You can receive 40% off selected drinks by downloading the Brewstone app (ask committee member Claudia Allen for details).

Guest Speakers

Dr Stephanie Januchowski-Hartley Sêr Cymru Rising Star Fellow, Swansea University @ConnectedWaters

Steph is an environmental scientist, writer, and artist motivated to understand aquatic ecosystems. As a dedicated researcher and educator, over the last decade Steph has worked to better our understanding of the natural world and the diverse relationships that exist between humans and nature. She communicates and share stories about her as well as others’ experiences with the natural environment, and she does this through diverse mediums including poetry, sketching, photography, and blogging. Steph is currently a Sêr Cymru Rising Star Fellow, where she directs the Freshwater Interdisciplinary Research and Engagement Lab that specializes in interdisciplinary approaches to understanding freshwater ecosystems. She is an Associate Editor for British Ecological Society’s Journal of Applied Ecology and People and Nature.

Dr Hanna Nuuttila SEACAMS Research Officer, Swansea University @HNuuttila

Hanna is a marine scientist with a background in marine mammal acoustics, with wide- ranging skills in project management and practical field work, having run her own commercial marine science and wildlife tour operation. Hanna has worked as a marine consultant and is keen to continue her career in the field of applied marine research, consultancy or conservation with clear management implications, working towards a sustainable use of the marine realm.

Dr Hannah Williams Postdoctoral Researcher, Swansea University

@DrHannahJW

Hannah is a movement ecologist with a particular interest in how fine-scale movement patterns influence large-scale movement strategies. A major part of her research has focused on movement in the aerial landscape, investigating the flight behaviour of large soaring birds, including the Andean Condor and Cape griffon vulture species and the migration strategies of Northern Gannets. Along the way Hannah has become particularly interested in ‘social eavesdropping’ the concept of one individual observing others moving within its environment and using this information to better their own movement strategy. To investigate this Hannah works with bio-logging devices to collect fine-scale movement data and develop frameworks for multi-logger deployments.

Professor Rory Wilson Professor of Aquatic Biology, Swansea University @MovingAnimals

Rory is Head of the Swansea Lab for Animal Movement (SLAM) at Swansea University and a Deputy Pro-Vice Chancellor. He is a world-leading researcher in the field of animal ecology. His research reflects his interest in how free-living animals modulate the energetic costs they have for activities, particularly how they manage their time and energy to forage most effectively. Most of his research focuses on seabirds, especially penguins, but he also works on marine mammals, turtles and fish, and terrestrial and arboreal mammals and has over over 250 scientific papers to his name. Rory won the coveted Rolex Award for Research Enterprise in 2006 for his work developing novel electronic tags to record movement and behaviour in unprecedented detail. His Daily Diary tag has revolutionised animal tracking and is now sold commercially.

William Kay PhD Student, Swansea University

@willpkay

Will is a PhD student at Swansea University studying the movement ecology of grey seals Halichoerus grypus in Wales and their interactions with marine renewable energy developments using biologging devices. His research is linked with Natural Resources Wales and is very applied, with the aim of providing evidence to meet consenting issues for the renewables industry and to aid policy makers in their decision making. Will is one of the UKIRSC committee members and, after having worked in science policy at The Royal Society, has a keen interest in policymaking.

Ben Whittaker PhD Student, Swansea University

@ba_whittaker

Ben is a PhD student at Swansea University researching the sustainable use of lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus) as a method of controlling lice populations on salmon farms. By better understanding the unique behaviour and physiology of the lumpfish, Ben hopes to identify improved methods for efficiently utilising the species within aquaculture. Ben works in the Centre for Sustainable and Aquatic Research (CSAR) and his research is closely linked with Marine Harvest Scotland.

Presentations and Posters

Presentations All keynote lectures and student talks on 25th and 26th January will be held in the Wallace Lecture Theatre. This is the central lecture theatre, down the central staircase straight ahead on entering the Wallace building. Presenters, please make sure to upload your talk on to the computer prior to your session (e.g. during a coffee break). For speakers presenting in the first session, please upload your talk during registration or conference announcements. There will be a committee member at the laptop to help you put your talk on the computer and check that it is functionally correctly. Presentation Timings Full length presentations are allocated 15 minutes in total. The session chair will notify you when you reach 12 minutes by displaying a “3 minutes remaining” sign, followed by a “1 minute remaining” sign when you have reached 14 minutes. We suggest that you deliver a 12 minute talk, allowing 3 minutes for questions. If you reach the full 15 minutes, the session chair will stand, and you will have to finish. This is to ensure we keep time to the programme. Speed Talks (5 mins) will just be shown a “1 minute remaining” sign. After 5 minutes the session chair will stand and you will have to finish. At the end of the session there will be time for some questions for all Speed Talk presenters in that session.

Posters Posters will be displayed in the upstairs Science Central (1st Floor Foyer). Posters can be displayed from Friday morning and stay up for the duration of the conference to be taken down at the end of the day on Saturday. We will have extended length coffee breaks on Saturday to give time for dedicated poster sessions. Poster presenters will be expected to stand by their poster during these sessions to answer questions.

Social Media Policy Please do tweet about our conference via the hashtag #UKIRSC19. However, if presenters wish for some of their scientific content to not be broadcast to the public, we asked them to display the following “Do Not Share” symbol in their presentations:

Should you see this symbol, we ask that you respect this request and refrain from sharing the content from that particular talk or poster via social media. Speakers, please include this symbol in your presentation or on your poster if you do not want your content to be shared. Should you not include this symbol in your presentation we will assume you are happy for your research to be shared.

Workshops We have an exciting line up of workshops at this year’s conference. The workshops will take place in the Taliesin Building, Margam Building and in the Wallace Building. Please see the Timetable for full information, including room numbers. Please bring note taking materials for the workshops. The first workshop will take place on Thursday evening at 6pm in the Taliesin building, followed by the Icebreaker.

Workshops on Friday Afternoon On Friday afternoon at 12.30pm you have the option of attending two different workshops which are being run in parallel. These are limited in their capacity. Sign up to these workshops is on a first come first served basis:

Option 1 (Parallel Session A): Title: Past present and future of marine mammal monitoring – standardising existing data and discussing possibilities for novel techniques from drones or eDNA. Duration: 2 hours Workshop Host: Dr Hanna Nuuttila, Swansea University Capacity: 45 Sign up via: https://doodle.com/poll/mn9uuvr3vyzikxig

Option 2 (Parallel Session B): Title: An Introduction to Policymaking for Ecologists Duration: 1.5 hour Workshop Host: William Kay, Swansea University Capacity: 35 Sign up via: https://doodle.com/poll/yr3y5keyeq99fq9e AND Title: Imposter Syndrome Workshop Duration: 0.5 hour Workshop Host: Ben Whittaker, Swansea University Capacity: 35 Sign up via: https://doodle.com/poll/yr3y5keyeq99fq9e

On Friday afternoon at 2.50pm, we will be hosting a harbour porpoise necropsy sponsored by the UK Cetaceans Strandings Investigation Programme (CSIP). The necropsy is open to all delegates, subject to the following strict conditions:

• Personnel specifically prohibited from attending necropsy: pregnant women, people suffering from immunosuppression, and people receiving immunosuppressive drugs.

If you suspect you are any of these, please inform the person leading the necropsy. Please also inform the supervisor/host if you have a latex allergy before entering the laboratory.

• Food and drink must not be consumed in, taken into, or stored in any laboratory where the necropsy is taking place or where potentially infectious material is handled.

• All attendees must sign a Declaration form before attending the necropsy. Declaration forms will be handed out with your registration packs and must be brought with you to the necropsy.

On Saturday afternoon at 3pm, Dr Hannah Williams will host a biologging workshop. This workshop is open to all delegates.

Further information on the workshops can be found in the following pages.

Communicating your research using Social Media

Dr Stephanie Januchowski-Hartley Swansea University

In this workshop participants will gain an introduction to different social media platforms and get an opportunity to create and enhance their online profile to more effectively communicate their science. A strong focus will be on communication about science and scientific findings using Twitter, particularly building an audience and the use of hashtags and online games. In advance of the workshop, please have a think about the following: “What is your level of experience using social media to communicate and promote your research? Is there anything with respect to social media that you are specifically interested in? For example, setting up a social media account, appropriate content for use on social media, or developing games and the use of social media tools to help promote your work.” Please email any ideas to Will via: [email protected]

6pm-8pm, Thursday 24th Taliesin Building

Past present and future of marine mammal monitoring – standardising existing data and discussing possibilities for novel techniques from drones or eDNA. Dr Hanna Nuuttila Swansea University

This workshop will introduce some novel monitoring methods for marine mammal surveys in the UK, discussing challenges and opportunities on standardising data collection, and how we can best benefit from new types of data, whether it’s highly technical like UAV and eDNA data or data gathered by the public. If you’re a student working on UAV or eDNA data you are invited to contribute to the workshop - please contact the workshop organising team through [email protected] Sign up via: https://doodle.com/poll/mn9uuvr3vyzikxig

12.30pm – 2.30pm Friday 25th January Margam Building, Room 318

An Introduction to Policymaking for Ecologists William Kay Swansea University

This workshop is aimed at all individuals with an interest in policy, and will provide an introduction to the process of policymaking. We will cover a range of topics from the basics of understanding Parliament and Government, what policy is and why it matters, right through to the process of evidence-based policymaking with relevant examples. You will learn about where you can find more information and how you can get involved as biologists or ecologists in relevant policy activities. This workshop will have interactive elements including questions to the audience to stimulate discussion, and a chance to have a go yourself at providing policy advice. This workshop will be particularly useful for students considering a future career in policy from undergraduate through to PhD. All are welcome – please do join us and make sure to bring a pen and paper. Capacity: 35 Sign up via: https://doodle.com/poll/yr3y5keyeq99fq9e

12.30pm – 2.00pm Friday 25th January Wallace Building, Room 113

Imposter Syndrome Workshop Ben Whittaker Swansea University

This quick and interactive workshop offers delegates the opportunity to discuss imposter syndrome with their peers, within the broader context of mental health in academia - featuring a fun and motivating activity to inspire you all! Capacity: 35 Sign up via: https://doodle.com/poll/yr3y5keyeq99fq9e

2.00pm – 2.30pm Friday 25th January Wallace Building, Room 113

Harbour Porpoise Necropsy Rob Deaville, Matthew Perkins, Rod Penrose UK Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme (CSIP)

All welcome 2.50pm – 4.50pm Friday 25th January Wallace Building, Room 115

Biologging Workshop Dr Hannah Williams Swansea University

All welcome 3pm – 4.30pm Saturday 26th January SLAM Visualisation Suite

Student Travel Grants Current postgraduate students outside of Swansea are eligible to apply for our student travel grants. We collect travel receipts during the conference, and split the available funding between all eligible applicants after the conference. Generally, grants will only cover a portion of the incurred travel costs. We encourage those who already have their own funding (e.g.. PhD travel budget) to make use of that, so that we use our funds to support those who most need it.

Contacts Before the conference: For all questions, comments, concerns etc please contact us via email: [email protected]

During the Conference: For any issues during the conference itself, please contact the committee members directly: William Kay (Swansea University): 07702 040692 Claudia Allen (Swansea University): 07772 192181 Heather Vance (University of St Andrews): 07477 515128 Katherine Whyte (University of St Andrews): 07732 995170

Join the Committee! This year some of our committee members are in the final year of their PhDs and so are stepping down to give others the chance to join the committee. If you would be interested in joining the committee for next year, please speak to any of the committee members during the conference to let us know!

Prize for Best Presentation We are offering a free statistics course (excluding travel and accommodation costs), courtesy of PR Statistics, for the best 15 minute presentation at the conference! Presentations will be judged by peer marking and we will hand out marking sheets during the sessions.

Sponsors We kindly thank our generous sponsors for this year’s conference, without whom this fantastic event would not be possible:

Swansea University College of Science

The Sea Mammal Research Unit (SMRU)

SMRU Instrumentation

The British Ecological Society (BES)

PR Statistics

UK Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme (CSIP)

Thank you!