LATEST NEWS

The SSE GSAC is looking for three new council members to join our 2024 cohort!

The GSAC represents student and postdoc interests to the SSE Council and facilitates interaction among students and postdocs, and between students, postdocs, and mentors. Our goal is to be a source of information for students and postdocs during their graduate school career and as they make career transitions, and to provide an early-career perspective to the rest of the SSE council. For example, recently we took a leading role in putting on the successful virtual International Symposia Series and the SSE Caregiver Award.

GSAC members must be graduate students at the time of application and members of SSE. (Learn more about how to join.) Applicants should be organized, possess leadership skills, and be interested in working with SSE Council and members to contribute to the Society. Many more details about our activities throughout the year can be found in our GSAC blog post on the SSE Community Blog. 

We strongly encourage those with non-traditional pathways to graduate school, those from non-R1 universities, and those from outside the United States to apply. GSAC is also committed to diverse representation, and we encourage applicants from historically excluded ethnic, gender, and socio-economic backgrounds. 

Visit the GSAC webpage for more information about how to apply. Deadline: July 26, 2023 (any time zone)

Congratulations to the finalists of the SSE W. D. Hamilton Award for Outstanding Graduate Student Presentation: Maria Akopyan, Alicia L. Bruzos, Shyamsunder Buddh, Robert Driver, Arielle Fogel, Jay Gallagher, Nikunj Goel, Juanita Guiterrez-Valencia, Israt Jahan, Matthew Kustra, Brian Lerch, Benjamin Moran, Rosalyn Price-Waldman, Ryan Ridenbaugh, and Merlijn Staps! Come hear their talks in three sessions starting at 3:30 pm Eastern (GMT-4) on Saturday, June 3 at the virtual portion of the Evolution 2023 meeting.

SSE Presidential Symposium
Time does not heal all ills: The misuse of evolutionary biology as a driver of modern-day inequalities
Friday, June 2, 11:00 AM Eastern (GMT-4)

As evolutionary biologists, we engage in research and scholarship to better understand the world around us, whether it be the origin of life, its relatedness, or responses to environmental change. And through our mentoring and education we seek to equip our students with the tools they need to also examine the world through the lens of evolution and change. This commitment to understanding change in the world around us must also extend to intentional examination of the historical and contemporary impact of our field on society and human history, even if those conversations are uncomfortable or painful. The history of our field of evolutionary biology includes extensive entanglement with eugenics and white supremacy, and thus has served as a driver of social inequality. To this day, genetic research and the concept of genetic determinism are misused by white supremacists and distributed in the popular media. 

The focus of this symposium will be an examination of modern evolutionary genetic research and what it can, or cannot, tell us about variation, origins, and evolution. Speakers will address issues in three broad areas: i) the historical role of evolution as a promoter of inequality, ii) present-day challenges, and iii) best practices and future directions. The symposium will conclude with a moderated panel discussion including all speakers, who will address questions from the audience.

SSE Council is pleased to announce the recipient of the 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award, Dr. Sarah "Sally" Otto.

Dr. Otto was selected for her countless important contributions to evolutionary biology as a researcher, mentor, educator, and activist. As an outstanding researcher, Dr. Otto’s empirical and theoretical work on the evolution of ploidy, sex, and recombination has moved the field forward. As a mentor and educator, she has provided rigorous and accessible training to the next generation of biologists. As a member of the scientific community and citizen of the world, she has served in leadership roles for several scientific societies (the American Society of Naturalists (ASN), the European Society for Evolutionary Biology, the American Genetic Association, and SSE), co-founded the Canadian Society of Ecology and Evolution, and directs the Liber Ero Fellowship Program. At every level, Dr. Otto has worked towards bettering the environment—scientifically and globally, individually and collaboratively. Her achievements have been recognized with a number of awards (including the Darwin-Wallace Medal from the Linnean Society, the Sewall Wright Award from ASN, the MacArthur Foundation "genius grant", National Academy of Sciences membership, and Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada), and we are delighted to honor her with the Lifetime Achievement Award for 2023.

Dr. Otto will present the Lifetime Achievement Award talk during the virtual portion of the Evolution 2023 meeting on Friday, June 2 at 6:30 PM Eastern.

Congratulations to Dr. Jim Costa, recipient of the 2023 Gould Prize! This award recognizes efforts to advance public understanding of evolutionary science and its importance in biology, education, and everyday life. Dr. Costa was selected for his work to advance the public understanding of evolution and the history of evolutionary thinking, and for his work to promote biodiversity education and conservation through outreach and community engagement. Dr. Costa will present the Gould Prize Plenary the opening night of the in-person portion of the Evolution 2023 meeting. Learn more about Dr. Costa’s work and this award here.

The SSE Education and Outreach Committee is pleased to announce the winner of the 2023 T. H. Huxley Award, Sarah Bordenstein, for her development of the activity, "Discover the Microbes Within! The Wolbachia Project." This award recognizes and promotes the development of high quality evolution education resources. Learn more about the award and Sarah’s project.

Congratulations to the 2023 Dobzhansky Prize winner, Dr. Dakota McCoy! This award recognizes the accomplishments and future promise of an outstanding early-career evolutionary biologist. Dr. McCoy will present the Dobzhansky Prize lecture at the in-person portion of the Evolution 2023 meeting in Albuquerque, NM in June. Read more about Dr. McCoy here.

SSE is sponsoring registration costs for ten local (i.e., within ~100 miles of Albuquerque) undergraduate students to attend the Evolution 2023 conference in Albuquerque, NM for one day (June 24). Undergraduates selected for this opportunity will be paired with graduate student or postdoc mentors from around the world to help them navigate through the meeting and answer any questions they may have both before and during the event. Accepted students will receive free registration for the day, but participants will be responsible for their own transportation to the Albuquerque Convention Center and any food they purchase. Interested undergraduate students should apply by May 30 here.

Interested in mentoring? Graduate students or postdocs interested in mentoring should apply here.

Register now for the Evolution meeting! This is the joint annual meeting of the American Society of Naturalists, the Society for the Study of Evolution, and the Society of Systematic Biologists. The meeting is one of the premiere opportunities for sharing research on evolutionary biology each year.

EVOLUTION 2023
Virtual: June 2-3
Albuquerque, NM: June 21-25

Registration for the in-person portion includes access to the virtual portion.
Early-bird discounts for in-person registration have been extended through May 15!

The deadline for the 2023 Caregiver Awards has been extended to May 5, 2023. These awards provide up to $500 USD for SSE members who need assistance in covering caregiver costs while attending the annual Evolution meeting in person or virtually.

A caregiver is broadly defined and includes anyone who cares for children, dependent adults (including adult children with a disability or elderly relatives), or people in need of personal assistance. This award can be spent as the awardee wishes to facilitate attendance.

Learn more about the Evolution meeting or the Caregiver Awards.

Deadline: May 5, 2023

Congratulations to Michael Itgen for his winning paper, “Genome size drives morphological evolution in organ-specific ways”, published last year in Evolution. Read more about his paper and this award.

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 2023. 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. The deadline to apply is April 24, 2023. 

Learn more and apply.

Would you like to serve in a leadership role at SSE? Know someone else who would? Nominate yourself or someone else for SSE Council. Officer nominations submitted by April 1 will receive full consideration by the nominating committee for that year's election cycle. 

SSE seeks diversity of people and ideas on council and editorial boards. We strongly encourage nominations and self-nominations of individuals who represent the full diversity of the evolutionary biology community, including (but not limited to) all aspects of identity and background, types of institution, geographic location or scientific approach. 

SSE seeks participation by individuals committed to increasing diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility in science. We strongly encourage nominations, including self-nominations, of individuals who have a demonstrated commitment to advancing equity and inclusion in science.

Learn more about the roles and responsibilities of each position in the SSE Handbook. 

Submit your nomination here. Deadline: April 1.

The new Evolution English Language Support (EELS) Program offers free, light touch editing for authors submitting to Evolution for whom English is not their preferred language. To participate in this program, authors can contact the EELS program coordinator before submission at EELScoordinator@gmail.com, or indicate during manuscript submission that they are willing to be contacted during the review process about this language support.

Evolution publishes exclusively in English, which can present additional challenges to authors for whom English is an additional language. The EELS Program is intended to help reduce barriers to scientific publishing by providing such authors with an opportunity for additional support.

Learn more about the EELS program or how to submit to Evolution.

The 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 Evolution 2023 meeting. Finalists will present their talks during the live-streamed Hamilton Award symposium during the virtual part of the meeting June 2-3. The application to become a Hamilton award finalist is part of registration for the meeting. Applicants must check a box during meeting registration indicating their interest in the Hamilton Award and submit an abstract. Register by April 15, 2023.

The Undergraduate Diversity at Evolution (UDE) program sends undergraduate students to the annual Evolution meeting, held this year online June 2-3 and in Albuquerque, NM, USA from June 21-25. 

At the in-person part of the meeting, awardees will present a poster, receive mentoring, and participate in a career-oriented Undergraduate Futures in Evolutionary Biology panel and discussion. Awardees will receive free meeting registration, travel, and lodging, a meal stipend, and a ticket to the Super Social. 

Applicants must be current undergraduates or very recent graduates. As a group, selected applicants must increase diversity among undergraduates at the meeting. Applicants demonstrating a need for funds to attend will be given preference. 

Learn more and apply on the UDE webpage. 

Deadline: March 13, 2023

The SSE Education and Outreach Committee is pleased to announce the 2023 T.H. Huxley award, named in honor of Darwin's very public supporter, which recognizes and promotes the development of high-quality evolution education resources. If you have an interesting project or educational activity to share, consider applying for this award. Graduate students and postdoctoral fellows are encouraged to apply. 

This award provides funding for an SSE member to present evolution education resources at an education-focused conference, typically the National Association of Biology Teachers annual conference, or an education-focused session at another conference. This year’s NABT conference will be held in Baltimore, Maryland from November 2-5, 2023. 

Applications are due March 31st. Learn more and apply here. 

The deadline to nominate a person or group for the ASN/SSE/SSB Inclusiveness, Diversity, Equity, and Access (IDEA) Award has been extended to February 10. This award will be given to a person at any career stage who has strengthened the ecology and evolutionary biology community by promoting inclusiveness and diversity in our fields. The award can also be presented to a group. The recipient(s) will be invited to present a plenary lecture at the following year’s Evolution meeting. Each recipient will also receive a plaque and a $1000 honorarium (shared among recipients if more than one).

***Eligibility Note: No contemporary officer, editor, member of diversity committee, or meeting organizer of the three societies is eligible for the award. Membership in any of the three societies is not required to nominate someone or be nominated for this award.***

Nomination packages should include:

1. Nomination Letter: A single letter of support (1-2 pages) including biographical information (name, title, organization) of the person or group being nominated, along with a short description of the activities supporting the nomination. The letter must also include a section on the nature of impact the person or group has had on inclusivity, diversity, and equity in the field. For self-nominations, this letter should be written by another person who is familiar with the activities of the nominee.


2. Biosketch: A brief biosketch or list of activities (maximum 3 pages) for the person/group nominated.


3. Optional supplementary material: any material you believe clarifies the activities of the nominee relevant to this award (maximum 3 pages). 

Please contact committee chair Andrea Sweigart at sweigart@uga.edu with any questions.

Or click here to access the application. 

DEADLINE EXTENDED: February 10, 2023

Congratulations to the recipients of the 2022 Rosemary Grant Advanced Awards: Grace Burgin, Haley Carter, Dylan DeBaun, Owen Dorsey, Yasmeen Erritouni, Matías Gómez-Corrales, Maggie Grundler, Sarah McPeek, Henry North, Krish Sanghvi, Jeremy Summers, and Rebecca Tarnopol! 

These grants are part of our Graduate Research Excellence Grants. This year's awards were funded in part by member donations to the Rosemary Grant Advanced Award fund and the George W. Gilchrist Student Support Fund. Thank you for supporting student research!

Thank you to everyone who voted in this year’s Council election. We are pleased to welcome Anne Charmantier (President Elect), Howard Rundle (Executive Vice President), Michael Whitlock (North American Vice President), and Councilors Danielle Edwards, Amber Rice, and Katie Wagner. We’d also like to welcome Robin Tinghitella, who joined Council earlier this year. 

Thank you to our outgoing Council members, whose terms end at the end of this month: Lynda Delph (Past President), Andrea Case (Executive Vice President), Leonie Moyle (North American Vice President, and Councilors Joel McGlothlin and Nicole Valenzuela. 

We are excited to be working with Oxford University Press to publish our journals starting in 2023. Beginning in January, all Evolution and Evolution Letters articles will be available at the new Oxford University Press websites for Evolution and Evolution Letters. Newly accepted articles in Evolution are currently free to view on the OUP site. All previously published articles are still available through Wiley websites (Evolution, Evolution Letters). These will remain available through Wiley until the entire archive has been transferred to OUP. Article submission is still through ScholarOne (submit to Evolution, Evolution Letters). Please contact our new Managing Editor Melinda Modrell (managingeditor@evolutionsociety.org) with any questions. 

Welcome to Jill and Susu, incoming GSAC members!

We are thrilled to welcome Jill Syrotchen and Haosu (Susu) Cong as members of the 2023 cohort of the Graduate Student Advisory Council (GSAC). Jill is a PhD student in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology department at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana. She uses the Mimulus system to investigate phenotypic plasticity and local adaptation with a combination of quantitative genetic, genomic, and field experiments. Susu is a PhD candidate at Michigan State University, where he studies the evolution of sexual dimorphic mating signals in Drosophila species. Their term will begin on January 1, 2023. 

SSE and the European Society for Evolutionary Biology (ESEB) are pleased to welcome Dr. Melinda Modrell, who is stepping into the new role of in-house Managing Editor for Evolution and Evolution Letters. 

Dr. Modrell is based at the Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales in Madrid, Spain. She earned her Ph.D. in Integrative Biology from UC Berkeley and completed postdocs at the University of Cambridge. She has been working as a self-employed editor and consultant since 2016, providing science and language editing services to primarily non-native English speakers. Dr. Modrell will work closely with the editors of Evolution and Evolution Letters and the staff at Oxford University Press to help our societies continue publishing leading research from our evolutionary biology community. 

Evolution is the flagship journal of the Society for the Study of Evolution. Evolution Letters is an Open Access journal jointly owned by ESEB and SSE. Starting in January 2023, both journals will be published by Oxford University Press. Learn more about this transition here.

The SSE Diversity Committee (DC) seeks to add two to four new members to the committee starting in 2023. 

The DC works to support members from all backgrounds through several main actions: 
- broadening representation to the SSE Executive Council
- pursuing initiatives that support historically excluded groups
- creating an inclusive, accessible environment at the annual Evolution meeting and in evolutionary biology in general 

Applicants must be members of SSE (join or renew your membership here) and have attended at least one Evolution meeting in the past. We are especially in search of members who have experience in leading and completing successful projects related to equity and inclusion, even in challenging circumstances. We encourage applications from individuals at all career stages, including those who are grad students, postdocs, pre-tenure faculty, or in secure or post-tenure academic or non-academic positions. 

Apply by December 31, 2022 by emailing diversity@evolutionsociety.org. Continue reading for more information.

SSE is pleased to announce the 2023 Graduate Research Excellence Grant (GREG) R. C. Lewontin Award competition. These awards offer up to $2,500 USD to assist students in the first two years of their PhD programs. Student applicants must be members of SSE. This award is not limited to students in the United States. Proposals are due February 15, 2023. Learn more about how to apply.