Episode 10 – Understanding Infectious Disease

Woman with livestock © Jo Halliday

Hello and welcome to our 10th podcast!

In this episode we talk with Jo Halliday and Sunny Townsend about their research into epidemiology, the study of patterns, causes and effects of disease.

Child with dog © Jo Halliday

Jo talks us through her work on the transmission of disease between people and livestock in Tanzania, and her recent paper in Philospohical Transactions of the Royal Society B.

Sunny explains her work on the spread and transmission of rabies, and a recent paper in the journal Comparative Immunology, Microbiology and Infectious Diseases.

Episode 10 – Understanding Infectious Disease

Enjoy!

Episode 9 – Spatial Ecology Spectacular

African elephant (c) James Grecian 2007

How do we understand and quantify the way animals move and interact with their environment?

In the first podcastt of 2013 we talk with Grant Hopcraft and Jason Matthiopoulos who have recently joined IBAHCM and are both interested in spatial and movement ecology.

Grant talks us through his work in the Serengeti and a recent paper in the Journal of Animal Ecology examining the role of body size in determining the distribution of grazers in this large grassland ecosystem.

Jason then explains how to approach analysing this type of data, and we discuss his recent paper in Ecology describing how generalised functional responses can be used to examine species distributions.

Episode 9 – Spatial Ecology Spectacular

Enjoy!

Episode 8 – How to get research funding

In the last podcast of 2012 we discuss how to source research funding and how to write successful grant proposals. Tune in for some top tips and advice from Barbara Mable, Neil Metcalfe and Kathy Dunlop!

Episode 8 – How to get research funding

There are hundreds of organisations that fund research, but here are a few links to the organisations mentioned in this episode:

• British Ecological Society
• Society for Conservation Biology
• Society for Experimental Biology
• Genetics Society
• Peoples Trust for Endangered Species
• Glasgow Natural History Society
• European Research Council
• Natural Environment Research Council
• British Antarctic Survey
• Marie Curie Fellows Association
• The Leverhulme Trust
• The Royal Society

Kathy also talks about her work with the The Clipperton Project.

Episode 7 – Fish Evolutionary Biology, Physiology, and Schooling Behaviour

After a bit of a hiatus during the summer we’re back with a somewhat fish-themed episode in which we talk with two new faculty members in the Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health, and Comparative Medicine at the University of Glasgow. Listen as Kevin Parsons talks about his work looking at the evolutionary biology of fishes, and Shaun Killen tells us about his work in fish physiological ecology and schooling behaviour.

Episode 7 – Fish Evolutionary Biology, Physiology, and Schooling Behaviour

Episode 6 – Research Round Table: Foraging Gannets, Stickleback Growth, and Self-Fertilization

In this Research Round Table episode we discuss three recent research papers from within the institute: a paper by James Grecian and colleagues examining sex-based differences in foraging behaviour in gannets; a study by Who-Seung Lee, Pat Monaghan, and Neil Metcalfe studying the costs of rapid growth in sticklebacks; and a paper by Annabelle Haudry, Barbara Mable and colleagues investigating the consequences of self-fertilization for genetic diversity in plants.

Episode 6 – Research Roundtable: Gannet Foraging, Stickleback Growth, and Self-Fertilization

Papers Discussed:

Stauss C, Bearhop S, Bodey TW, Garthe S, Gunn C, Grecian WJ, Inger R, Knight ME, Newton J, Patrick SC, Phillips RA, Waggit JJ, and Votier SC (2012) Sex-specific foraging behaviour in northern gannets Morus bassanus: incidence and implications. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 457:151-162

Lee, W-S, Monaghan P, and Metcalfe NB (2012) The pattern of early growth trajectories affects adult breeding performance. Ecology 93:902–912

Haudry A., Zha HG, Stift M, and Mable BK (2012), Disentangling the effects of breakdown of self-incompatibility and transition to selfing in North American Arabidopsis lyrata. Molecular Ecology, 21: 1130–1142

Episode 5 – How to Survive a Conference

With several big conferences rapidly approaching, many students will find themselves at their first scientific conference this summer!  In this edition of the Survivor’s Guide to Academia, David Bailey, Rob Critchlow, Zara Gladman, and Shaun Killen chat about how to survive a conference.

Tune in for tips on talks and posters, effective networking, making the most out of social events and other tales of conference hilarity and awkwardness!

Episode 5 – How to Survive a Conference

Up coming conferences that may be of interest . . .

10th and 11th July 2012 - FBA Annual Scientific Meeting, University of Glasgow

28 August – 1st September 2012 – 3rd European Congress of Conservation Biology, SECC, Glasgow

12-17th August 2012 – The Fifth International Albatross and Petrel Conference, Wellington, New Zealand

The British Ecological Society are running several events throughout the summer

19-21st March 2013 – Student Conference on Conservation Science, University of Cambridge

Episode 4 – Glasgow Science Festival Special!

Today marks the start of Glasgow Science Festival, which runs from 5th-17th June and features an array of events across the city to suit all ages and tastes, from knit-a-microbe workshops to geometric acrobatics!  The festivities kick off tonight with a celebration of 2012′s Transit of Venus.

In this Naturally Speaking: Festival Special, James Buckley speaks to three event leaders, Kathy Dunlop, Cat O’Connor and Zara Gladman for a taste of what’s to come!  Tune in for coral art, video games, comedy and more…

Episode 4 – Glasgow Science Festival Special