SEAMAMMS 2008 First Announcement The 16th Annual Southeast and Mid-Atlantic Marine Mammal Symposium (SEAMAMMS) will be held March 28-30, 2008 in Charleston, South Carolina. This symposium provides an opportunity for researchers and students (both graduate and undergraduate) to present their latest findings, network and build collaborations with other marine mammal researchers in the Southeast United States. SEAMAMMS 2008 is being co-hosted by partners at the Hollings Marine Laboratory (HML), including the Medical University of South Carolina, NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science and the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and NOAA Fisheries Office of Protected Resources (OPR). To build on the partnership with HML and OPR, this year we will have a keynote speaker and expert panel to discuss conservation medicine and its applications to marine mammal research and management. However, presentations need not focus on health research; a broad range of marine mammal research disciplines will be represented. Along with the panel discussion, the scientific program will consist of oral presentations and a poster sesssion. There will be an icebreaker reception on Friday night, followed by presentations all day Saturday and Sunday morning. A dinner cruise of scenic Charleston Harbor is planned for Saturday evening The deadline to submit an abstract is February 1, 2008. More details can be found on the SEAMAMMS website: http://www.musc.edu/mbes/seamamms/ Lori Schwacke Lori.Schwacke@noaa.gov -- Lori Schwacke, PhD NOAA's Ocean Service National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science Hollings Marine Laboratory 331 Fort Johnson Road Charleston, SC 29412 Ph/ 843.762.8868 Fx/ 843.762.8737 Lori.Schwacke@noaa.gov