The Northwest Student Chapter of the Society of Marine Mammalogy (NWSSMM) will be held on Saturday, May 2 2009 at Western Washington University in Bellingham, WA. The meeting focuses on exchanging ideas and constructive feedback between fellow students from the Pacific Northwest community involved in marine mammal research. Presentations are 12 minutes long with 3 minutes for feedback and can concentrate on a research proposal, a progress report (what data you have and what is left to be done), a rehearsal for your defense, or a summary of a summer research project. If you don’t have a presentation, you are welcome to attend, learn about current research, provide feedback, and network with other student researchers in our field. Undergraduate students are also encouraged to attend. Regardless of the stage of your work, you can contribute to and benefit from this meeting! The day will begin with a plenary talk by Steve Jeffries from Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, followed by a full day of presentations and an optional group dinner/happy hour somewhere local. For those of you who will be traveling to get to Bellingham and would like to stay the night, we are offering limited accommodation with local students. We can also suggest some relatively cheap rooms in which to stay. The registration fee will be small and covers lunch, snacks, and printing of abstract books for the attendees. While the exact amount will depend on the number of people that register, for the past four years it has been less than $20, and we expect the same to be true again this year. We will let you know the cost, which can be paid on the day of the conference. REGISTRATION FORMS: A registration form is attached with this e-mail, and will also be available on the NWSSMMwebsite (*http://www.marinemammalscience.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article... <http://www.marinemammalogy.org/student/chapter.cfm?Id=4*>). Please fill it out electronically and email it to Sasha McFarland at NWSSMM@gmail.com <2009NWSSMM@gmail.com> by April 10, 2009. SIGN UP NOW: The sooner you register the better. Give yourself a deadline to share your research and/or collaborate with your peers. We look forward to seeing you in May! Sasha McFarland Please contact me (NWSSMM@gmail.com <http://www.ac.wwu.edu/webmail/src/compose.php?send_to=allen%40zoology.ubc.ca>) if you need clarification on meeting details. If you have any questions about the NWSSMM, please check out the website (http://www.marinemammalscience.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article...) <http://www.marinemammalscience.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=127&Itemid=163>.