Dear colleagues, The Gulf Coast Student Chapter of the Society for Marine Mammalogy is pleased to announce its 2nd Annual Student Research Symposium to be held at the University of Southern Mississippi’s Thad Cochran Center in Hattiesburg, MS, August 27-28th, 2011. An icebreaker event is planned for the evening of August 26th. This meeting is intended to facilitate and foster scientific discussion and collaboration among marine mammal students and professionals working in the Gulf Coast region. Whether you are an established professional or student, undergraduate or graduate, we invite you to attend! This year’s symposium features a keynote address by Dr. Ruth Carmichael, Senior Marine Scientist of the Dauphin Island Sea Lab and Assistant Professor of Marine Science at the University of Southern Alabama. Dr. Carmichael’s research focuses on the population ecology of West Indian manatees (*Trichechus manatus*) in Alabama waters. Also on the agenda are student research presentations and workshops geared toward professional development - including a MATLAB introductory workshop. Following the symposium, attendees are welcome to join GCSC members for an afternoon of canoeing down the Okatoma Creek. If you are interested in attending, please visit our website<http://www.marinemammalscience.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=368&Itemid=160>for further details and registration information. Abstracts should be submitted to Courtney Smith (at Courtney.e.smith@eagles.usm.edu) no later than 5:00 pm ET Friday, August 5th . Presentation space is limited, and priority will be given to students. Following the guidelines for the traditional SMM Biennial talks, student presentations should be no longer than 12 minutes (followed by 3 minutes for questions). We encourage students working in the Gulf Coast region to present their research, regardless of the stage of the project. For those students traveling long distances to join us, we have a limited number of free accommodations that may be arranged with local students. Please note the need for accommodations on your registration form and we suggest you register early, as space is allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Any further details pertaining to this event will be posted on our website. Please contact Courtney Smith at the above email address if you have any questions regarding the symposium. We look forward to seeing you! Take care, Courtney -- ------------------------------------------------------- Courtney Smith M.A. Student Marine Mammal Behavior & Cognition Lab Department of Psychology University of Southern Mississippi 118 College Dr. #5025 Hattiesburg, MS 3940