3rd World Seabird Conference

3rd World Seabird Conference

3rd World Seabird Conference
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3rd World Seabird Conference

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Welcome Seabirders!

Welcome to Virtual World Seabird Conference 3 - vWSC3! Whether you are in your office or lab, at home, in a coffee shop or bar poaching some wifi, or at a remote field site or research vessel – we are very excited to welcome you to the third ever World Seabird Conference.

We would like to thank ALL of you for being so patient as WSC3 was scheduled, postponed, rescheduled, revised to virtual, and scheduled again. Throughout all those iterations there was one message that remained perfectly clear – seabirders were eager to meet and share their science. If we could not meet in person then virtual it would have to be, but a 3rd WSC was something everyone wanted. That support and commitment helped the WSU Board of Directors and Member Societies sort through all of the challenges they faced to plan and hold this conference.

The list of those that need to be thanked is long and, while we plan on recognizing many during the live closing plenary, it is important to do so here in writing as well.

The Australasian Seabird Group was our Local Host for our plan to meet in Hobart, Tasmania. They invested substantial time and effort to find venues and plan events that we unfortunately were not able to visit. Nonetheless we appreciate their work on behalf of WSC3 and encourage all of you to thank them when you see their members in Gathertown or elsewhere during our virtual meeting. Their willingness to host created the initial excitement for WSC3 and without that our vWSC would not have been possible.

We also wish to thank the Science Program Committee, the Virtual Committee, and the Early Career Scientist Committee for their hard work planning the logistics, events, and schedule for vWSC3. These committees also had to deal with changing parameters and short timelines that made what is always a challenging task even more challenging. The Travel Awards Committee also invested time and effort in developing procedures for awarding travel funds that ultimately would not be implemented.

Our ability to shift from an in-person to a virtual meeting, and to do so in a way that would be financially feasible, was due to the effective efforts of The International Fundraising Committee and to our financial sponsors. The IFC raised funds to support WSC3 and then, through the good relationships they built with sponsors, ensured we could re-envision how those funds could be used to support a virtual conference that would be affordable and high-quality.

We all owe the WSU Board of Directors and the Representatives of the Member Societies a great deal of thanks. They are the ones who manage the WSU and, for the past 18 months, have had to have a series of challenging meetings and conversations, have had to make a series of difficult choices, have had to do all of that while considering the short- and long-term health of WSU and the World Seabird Conferences, and did this while also managing their own challenges at their day jobs. We are grateful for their diligence, patience, foresight, and throughout all of the meetings, their collegiality. Also – a 6-year term is quite a commitment!

There would not be a WSC3 without a successful WSC1 and WSC2. Thanks go to the Pacific Seabird Group for their support of WSC1 in Victoria, Canada, and to the African Seabird Group for their support of WSC2 in Cape Town, South Africa. In each of these endeavors and for our current conference we were fortunate to work with a dependable and trustworthy partner in Podium Conferences. Michelle Smith and Marischal de Armond have become valued members of our team and have not only helped us plan conferences but have assisted and advised the WSU Chairs and Board on issues above and beyond conference planning.

As we embark on our vWSC3 week we extend to all of you our thanks for showing up, for being patient, and most importantly for the work you do with seabirds. We are all part of a unique, global community that shares an interest, a fascination, and a passion for birds that make a living in our world’s oceans. We have advanced the science, conservation, and management of seabirds as well the ecosystems they inhabit. We are consistently impressed and motivated by the work you do.

The WSU formed in 2010 because we saw the need for a global organization to address challenges at a global level. Over the past 11 years WSU has grown, adapted, and evolved to become the community that this week is making vWSC3 a reality. Enjoy the week, appreciate and support the friends and colleagues you have made in the community, and if you see us in a virtual hallway please stop and say hello!

Thank you for the opportunity to serve all of you and the WSU over the past few years,

Nicholas Carlile, Interim Chair, WSU
Patrick Jodice, 2nd Chair of the WSU

Announcements

4 years ago

Thank you

Thank you for joining us at #WSC3! The videos and posters are available for viewing for up to a year with live session recordings available by next week if not already viewable.

Please watch your email for a post-conference survey as we look forward to hearing from the community about this meeting and future meetings.

4 years ago

On-demand Access

Miss a session? Pre-recorded videos and poster pdfs are available to view immediately. The recorded live sessions will be posted for viewing once ready but please note this generally takes 24 hours. Please check the original session description to find the links. The videos will be available for up to a year following the conference unless requested to be removed.

4 years ago

#60SecondSeabirds

We're pleased to launch TWO new #60SecondSeabirds videos on our YouTube channel. First, Jacqueline Glencross tells us about how shearwaters respond to marine heatwaves

4 years ago

Ecogrief Session Recording

Our thanks to Associate Professor Sandra Radovini for her moving session on ecogrief earlier this week. We appreciate her time and expertise on a subject that impacts so many of us.

Associate Professor Radovini provided us the ability to record her session and have it available for viewing by the conference delegates. Unfortunately the recording link provided within the system included a download option. If you downloaded the video, kindly do not share the video as we do not have permission to distribute the information.

Thank you for your understanding as we acknowledge our error and the trust Associate Professor Radovini has placed in our community.

The video recording is still available for viewing for anyone who may have missed the session.

4 years ago

Online Community

Don’t forget to follow @seabirders on Twitter! An active community of over 5000 followers. Join us today and follow #WSC3 #seabirds #seabirders

4 years ago

Exhibits and Posters in Gather.town

Be sure to stop by the exhibit booths within Underline and Gather.town to view the exhibitor offerings. The posters are available for viewing at any time as well.

4 years ago

Networking and Connections

Visit the Lounge tab to access Gather.town and a dedicated WSC3 Slack channel! Visit Gather.town to video chat with others, view the posters, and attend non-scientific sessions; or participate in lively conversation on the Slack channel. Post a job, a question or continue discussions after the conference with others in the community.

4 years ago

Welcome and Walkthrough Videos

View the Underline walkthrough video to familiarize yourself with the virtual platform. This can be found via the Help Desk icon, along with other attendee resources. Take a look at the welcome video from the World Seabird Union Chair, Pat Jodice, and the Virtual Conference Chair, Grant Humphries, on the reception page below the welcome letter.

4 years ago

Conference Bingo

Interested in participating in the conference in a different way? Play conference bingo! Pick up your bingo card here, complete the card and submit it for a chance to win some great prizes.

4 years ago

Ecogrief Session

Please note there has been a change in the date for the Ecogrief session with Sandra Radovini. The session will now take place on Monday October 4th at 21:00 UTC

The system will be updated shortly and access will still be through the Zoom button in the description.

4 years ago

Welcome!

Welcome to WSC3! We hope you enjoy the week of learning, networking, and science in the virtual world.