Please post to your list serve; The University of Florida’s Aquatic Animal health Program is pleased and excited to invite you to join us for the 2015 Aquatic Ecosystem Health conference consisting of two back-to-back meeting: the Fifth Florida Marine Mammal Health Conference, June 2-4 2015 directly following the Third International Symposium on Ranaviruses May 30-June 1 in Gainesville, Florida. The focus of the Fifth Marine Mammal Health Conference will be to discuss how Florida faces the same global challenges affecting aquatic ecosystems worldwide including development pressure, resource depletion, water quality deterioration, chemical contamination, biotoxin imbalance, trophic level disruption and an increasing number of marine animal mortality events. The Fifth Florida Marine Mammal Health Conference will bring together scientists, veterinarians, policy makers and students from throughout Florida to discuss environmental factors and their interrelationships with marine animal health, including: *Ecosystem health assessments and monitoring *Infectious diseases *Anthropogenic health stressors *Molecular techniques and immunology *Reproductive health *Conservation solutions * Role of government in ecosystem health In addition to oral presentations by experts and students, there will be Keynote addresses by Dr. Jan Landsberg (Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission) and Dr. John Reynolds (Mote Marine Laboratory), a panel discussion, and a poster session. The conference will be held at the Hilton University of Florida Conference Center and there will also be a social networking event held at the Florida Museum of Natural History (http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/). We encourage all individuals with an interest in ecosystem health, wildlife diseases and marine mammal health to attend both meetings (http://conference.ifas.ufl.edu/aeh/). Abstract submissions are due MARCH 8th, 2015. More information and instructions for abstract submission can be found on the conference website: (http://conference.ifas.ufl.edu/aeh/marinemammal). In order to ensure that interested students and researchers are able to participate, we are seeking support and donations to help defer the travel costs of invited speakers, provide travel grants to students and research associates, as well as cover other expenses including program printing, rental fees, refreshments, light snacks, and lunches. If you are interested in being a sponsor for the Aquatic Ecosystem Health Conference or know someone who may, please visit our website for more information (http://conference.ifas.ufl.edu/aeh/marinemammal/sponsor_ops.html). We hope to see you in Gainesville! Fifth Florida Marine Mammal Health Conference Organizing Committee Thank you, Nina Thompson Program Assistant/Biologist Aquatic Animal Health Program UF College Of Veterinary Medicine PO Box 100136 Gainesville, FL 32610 352-214-7133 (cell) 352‐294‐4198 (Office) [Description: AAH logo blue E-Mail Sig]
