LATEST NEWS

Congratulations to this year’s T. H. Huxley Award recipient, Dr. Elizabeth Schultheis! Dr. Schultheis is the Education and Outreach Coordinator for the Kellogg Biological Station Long-Term Ecological Research Program at Michigan State University. She was selected for her collection of educational resources called "Data Nuggets". Data Nuggets, which were developed in collaboration with Dr. Melissa Kjelvik, bring real data and scientific role models into the classroom to build quantitative and critical thinking skills. To learn more about her work, visit the Data Nuggets website.

As part of the award, Dr. Schultheis will receive funding to present her work at the National Association of Biology Teachers (NABT) conference in October.

The T. H. Huxley Award is administered by the T. H. Huxley Award Committee, a subset of the SSE Education and Outreach Committee.

Dr. Melissa Kjelvik (left) and Dr. Elizabeth Schultheis (right), creators of Data Nuggets.

SSE Council recently voted to cease activity on the SSE account (@sse_evolution) on X/Twitter after April 15. This motion was raised due to the platform’s ethical misalignment with SSE’s mission and vision, particularly around equity, inclusiveness, and responsible communication of science. We encourage our members to follow us on other social media platforms in order to stay up to date with the latest SSE news. 

Find SSE on Bluesky, Mastodon, and Facebook. 

Announcements are also sent to all SSE members via email in our monthly newsletter. Make sure your email address is up to date by logging in here.

The Evolution and Evolution Letters journals will also stop posting to Twitter - follow Evolution on Bluesky, Mastodon, and Facebook and Evolution Letters on Bluesky and Mastodon.

You can still find the Evolution Meetings on Bluesky and Twitter.

Update March 20: The SSE Graduate Student Advisory Committee (GSAC) will cease activity on their Twitter account (@SSEgrad) after July 24th. Find them on Bluesky.

The SSE Nominating Committee invites nominations for six Council positions beginning January 2026: President Elect, Non-North American Vice President, Executive Vice President, and three Councilors. Nominations are accepted throughout the year, but only nominations submitted by April 1 will be considered for the 2025 ballot. We welcome self nominations. for descriptions of each position.

A large component of Council business occurs via the messaging platform Slack, and those nominated must be willing to monitor and engage regularly and meaningfully via this platform.

Submit your nomination by April 1.

PRESIDENT ELECT

The President Elect position makes up the first year of a three-year presidential term. The individual elected to this position spends the first year as President Elect, the second year as President, and the third as Past President. 

Term: January 2026 - December 2028

Responsibilities:

1. Participate as an active member of SSE Council, including attending two Council meetings each year and discussing and voting on various issues via Slack. One Council meeting is held via Zoom in January or February, and the other occurs in two parts at the in-person portion of the annual meeting, typically in June. The meeting registration fee, coach class travel, and up to $500 for accommodations are covered by SSE.


2. Serve on the SSE Executive Committee, with the President, Past President, Executive Vice President, and Secretary. This committee typically meets twice per month (via Zoom), and stays abreast of current issues and opportunities for the Society and generally oversees all activities of the Society.


3. Evaluate papers submitted for the SSE Presidents’ Award for Outstanding Dissertation Paper. This award recognizes an outstanding paper in Evolution or Evolution Letters that is part of the first author’s PhD work.


4. Attend the Joint Council meetings with leaders of SSE, the American Society of Naturalists, and the Society of Systematic Biologists at the annual Evolution meeting.

Full duties of the second and third years of this position, as President and Past President, are outlined on page 3 of the SSE Officers Handbook. 

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT

The Executive Vice President (EVP) has the most complex and time-consuming job in the Society. The EVP oversees the majority of Society activities, including business operations, contracts, journals, committee activities, and the Evolution meetings. The EVP coordinates with the Communications Manager, Treasurer, Secretary, committee chairs, and others as needed. The EVP receives a stipend of USD $15,000 per year.

Term: January 2026 - December 2028

Responsibilities:

1. Participate as an active member of SSE Council, including attending two Council meetings each year and discussing and voting on various issues via Slack. One Council meeting is held via Zoom in January or February, and the other occurs in two parts at the in-person portion of the annual meeting, typically in June. The meeting registration fee, coach class travel, and up to $500 for accommodations are covered by SSE.


2. Serve on the SSE Executive Committee with the President, Past President, Executive Vice President, and Secretary. This committee typically meets bi-weekly (via Zoom), and stays abreast of current issues and opportunities for the Society and generally oversees all activities of the Society.


3. Attend the Joint Council meetings with leaders of SSE, the American Society of Naturalists, and the Society of Systematic Biologists at the annual Evolution meeting.


4. Coordinate with the journal Editors-in-Chief and publisher (Oxford University Press) for Evolution and Evolution Letters to address issues that arise in relation to the journals. 


5. Serve as one of two SSE members of the Joint Meeting Committee, which oversees the annual Evolution meeting.


6. Work with the Treasurer to oversee budget allocations and address issues and requests related to SSE finances.


7. Work with the Communications Manager to oversee all SSE award and grant programs.


8. Serve as the primary representative of SSE to all third parties and the primary signatory on any agreements or contracts. 

See a full description of Executive Vice President responsibilities on page 7 of the SSE Officers Handbook.

NON-NORTH AMERICAN VICE PRESIDENT

The Non-North American Vice President is one of two vice presidents, the other being the North American Vice President. These positions have two-year terms and alternate years in which they are elected.

Term: January 2026 - December 2027

Responsibilities:

1. Chair the International Committee, which administers the International Travel Stipends and International Event Grants and organizes events at the annual Evolution meeting.


2. Conduct two competitions for the Graduate Research Excellence Grants, the R. C. Lewontin Early Award (February application deadline) and the Rosemary Grant Advanced Award (September application deadline). This includes recruiting, organizing, and instructing evaluators to score ~250 applications each round, and working with the SSE Diversity Committee to pursue equity in awarding.


3. Evaluate candidates for the Dobzhansky Prize, which recognizes an outstanding early career researcher (December application deadline).


4. Participate as an active member of SSE Council, including attending two Council meetings each year and discussing and voting on various issues via Slack. One Council meeting is held via Zoom in January or February, and the other occurs in two parts at the in-person portion of the annual Evolution meeting, typically in June. The meeting registration fee, coach class travel, and up to $500 for accommodations are covered by SSE.

 See a full description of the Non-North American Vice President’s duties on page 6 of the SSE Officers Handbook.

COUNCILOR

In addition to the three Presidents, Executive Vice President, two Vice Presidents, Treasurer, and Secretary, SSE Council includes nine councilors. Three are elected each year and serve three-year terms. 

Term: January 2026 - December 2028

Responsibilities:

1. Participate as an active member of SSE Council, including attending two Council meetings each year and discussing and voting on various issues via Slack. One Council meeting is held via Zoom in January or February, and the other occurs in two parts at the in-person portion of the annual meeting, typically in June. The meeting registration fee, coach class travel, and up to $500 for accommodations are covered by SSE.


2. Evaluate proposals for the Graduate Research Excellence Grants, the R. C. Lewontin Early Award (February application deadline) and the Rosemary Grant Advanced Award (September application deadline). First and second year councilors evaluate R. C. Lewontin Early Award proposals (typically in March), and third year councilors evaluate Rosemary Grant Advanced Award proposals (typically in October).  


3. Evaluate nominations for the Gould Prize, which recognizes an individual who has advanced the public understanding of evolution and its importance in biology, education, and everyday life. This award now occurs once every three years, with a nomination deadline in January. The next competition will be held in 2026.


4. Serve on other committees according to personal interests and committee needs. Councilors may serve on a variety of SSE Committees, including the Diversity Committee, Education and Outreach Committee, International Committee, Public Policy Committee, and other ad hoc committees.

See a full list of Council member duties on page 17 of the SSE Officers Handbook.

Update April 7

This letter was originally posted on February 5th. A revised version is in progress and will be posted shortly. 

Congratulations to the 2024 recipients of the Rosemary Grant Advanced Awards! These grants are part of the Graduate Research Excellence Grants (GREG) program, and provide up to $3,500 USD to students in the later stages of their PhD work. The 2024 recipients are: Audrey Arner, Denis Calandriello Calio, Ridhi Chandarana Rajesh, Alec Chiono, Tristram Dodge, Claire Evensen, Anjali Gupta, Nadia Haghani, Emily Kerns, Jill Love, and Ella Martin.

The W. D. Hamilton Award for Outstanding Graduate Student Presentation will be given to a current or very recent graduate student who presents an outstanding talk based on their graduate work at the annual Evolution meeting. Finalists will present their talks during the live-streamed Hamilton Award symposium during the virtual part of the meeting May 29-30. The application to become a Hamilton award finalist will be part of registration for the virtual meeting. Registration is expected to open in February. Learn more and submit your talk by April 15!

The SSE Caregiver Award is meant to assist members who have additional needs and responsibilities that can inhibit participation at the annual Evolution meeting. This award provides up to $500 to SSE members that need assistance in covering caregiver costs while attending the annual Evolution meeting in person or virtually. A "caregiver" is broadly defined and includes people caring for children or dependent adults (including adult children with a disability or elderly relatives), and people in need of personal assistance. This award can be spent as the awardee wishes to facilitate attendance. Learn more and apply by March 15!

The SSE Public Policy Committee invites SSE members to apply for funds to attend the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS) 2025 Congressional Visits Day. The event will take place in Washington, DC and includes a free half-day training session on April 29 and meetings with lawmakers on April 30. There is also the option to also attend the Communications Boot Camp for Scientists on April 28-29. 

SSE members at all career stages who are interested in communicating the importance of federal investments in scientific research and education to lawmakers are encouraged to apply. Funding can be used to cover the cost of the Communications Boot Camp and contribute toward travel and lodging. 

SSE members interested in using these funds for other advocacy opportunities are also welcome to apply. Email policy@evolutionsociety.org for more information.

Learn more and apply by February 17, 2025.

Congratulations to the recipient of the 2024 IDEA Award, Dr. Jeremy Yoder! 

The Inclusiveness, Diversity, Equity, and Access (IDEA) Award is presented by the American Society of Naturalists, the Society for the Study of Evolution and the Society of Systematic Biologists. Dr. Yoder was selected for his foundational work recognizing, celebrating, and promoting the inclusion of LGBTQ+ professionals in STEM fields. In 2013, he spearheaded a large-scale study with the nonprofit Out to Innovate to survey more than 1,400 LGBTQA researchers around the world about their experiences in STEM fields. This work produced three papers which together have been cited almost 300 times, have inspired new projects and research, and are used as educational resources. Yoder has presented seminars on inclusion on LGBTQ inclusion and experiences in STEM, and served on panels to review policies for the advancement of LGBTQ+ people in STEM careers. In 2024, he spoke about his career studying Joshua trees in the Story Collider event at the annual Evolution meeting, where he previously helped organize LGBTQ+ meetups and mixers for several years. Learn more about his work on his lab website.

Dr. Yoder will present his work during the IDEA Award Plenary at the in-person portion of the Evolution 2025 meeting in Athens, GA in June.

The SSE Education and Outreach Committee is now accepting proposals for the Small Grants Program for Local and Regional Outreach Promoting the Understanding of Evolutionary Biology. 

These grants provide support for local and regional educational outreach activities to take place during 2025. Examples of past outreach activities have included public lectures, exhibits, student competitions, and professional development events for teachers.

Grants of up to $1000 USD will be awarded. Applicants must be members of SSE. 

Learn more and apply by  March 1, 2025.