Social Program
We are pleased to offer a range of events throughout the Congress to enhance your experience and to create opportunities for you to meet with colleagues from across the globe. Some events are included within your registration fees and others are optional at additional cost.
Inclusive Events
Welcome Reception
Date: Sunday 29 September 2024
Time: 1800-1930
Venue: Melbourne Convention Centre Courtyard
Cost: Included in Congress registrations. Additional tickets are
available at
$70
per person
Dress code: Smart casual
As the first official social event of ISBE 2024, the Welcome Reception provides
you with the opportunity to relax and enjoy the company of colleagues and
friends in the surrounds of the Convention Centre Courtyard.
Sponsored By:
Poster Sessions
Date: Monday 30 September 2024 (session 1) and Tuesday 1 October 2024
(session 2)
Time: Monday 1715-1915 and Tuesday 1645-1845
Venue: Congress Exhibition Hall
Cost: Included in Congress registrations. Additional tickets are
available at $45 per person
Light refreshments will be served during the poster sessions as you view posters
and meet with the authors.
Optional Events
Congress Social Event
Join us for a relaxed evening that will offer refreshments and a great
opportunity
to celebrate the Congress with your colleagues and friends. In ISBE
tradition,
great
music will add to a memorable evening not to be missed.
Date: Thursday 3 October 2024
Time: 1900-2100
Venue: The Garden State Hotel, 101 Flinders Lane Melbourne
Cost: $120 per person
Dress code: Smart casual
EDI Event: Mentor-Mentee Networking Session
Brief description of event: Conference attendees are invited to participate
in a
mentor-mentee networking event in which early- and mid-career researchers can meet
and engage with late-career researchers attending the conference. The session will
involve small group discussions, with two or more mentees paired with a mentor for
introductions and conversation. This event aims to benefit both ECRs and PIs by
facilitating networking that can be daunting for young researchers. For mentees,
this can act as an opportunity to explore potential postdoc positions or
collaborations, or to simply gain knowledge and insight about the field from someone
more experienced than themselves.
Date and time: To be held during lunchtime (1:30-2:30pm) on Monday 30th
September or
Tuesday 1st October, depending on group allocations.
Location: Courtyard, Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre
LGBTQIA+ Event: Trivia night
Brief description of event: Join us for a night of trivia at one of Melbourne's most
iconic LGBTQIA+ venues. Snacks will be provided, with drinks and additional food
available for purchase at the bar. This event is open to all ISBE delegates; those
within the LGBTQIA+ community and allies. It aims to provide a safe space for
participants to wind down, create meaningful connections, and facilitate networking
opportunities in a lively and informal setting.
Date and time: Tuesday 1st October, from 7pm. Trivia will begin at 8:15pm
Location: Mollies Bar and Diner, level 1, 103 Smith St, Fitzroy VIC 3065
Getting there: Take the route 12 or 109 tram from the Convention Center (stop 124)
to Smith Street/Victoria Parade (stop 15) and then walk 6 minutes to the Diner. The
journey should take approximately 25 minutes.
EDI Event: Lunchtime ECR Panel Discussion Session
Early Career Researchers (ECRs) often face unique challenges and opportunities in their professional journeys. To address these, we are excited to bring a lunchtime panel discussion session at ISBE 2024, with the goals to:
- Facilitate Knowledge Sharing: Allow ECRs to gain insights and advice from established researchers.
- Promote Diversity and Inclusion: Ensure representation from various backgrounds, research areas, and career stages.
- Enhance Networking Opportunities: Create an informal setting for ECRs to interact with panellists and peers.
Location: Conference venue Duration: 1 hour
Schedule: 3rd October, Thursday Lunchtime
Format: Introduction (5 minutes), Panel Discussion (40 minutes), Q&A Session
(15
minutes)
Audience: Open for everyone, targeting ECRs attending ISBE 2024
Panellists: Experienced researchers from diverse backgrounds and research areas
Topics: ECR-related topics for discussion could include but are not limited to:
- Career development and progression
- Balancing research with personal life
- Securing funding and grants
- Publishing and peer review process
- Networking and collaboration
- Overcoming academic challenges and setbacks
ECR panellists
Assistant Professor Bibiana Rojas
Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine
Vienna.
Bio: My main interests lie in the interface between behavioural and
evolutionary ecology. I am particularly interested in different aspects of
communication, animal colouration, predator-prey interactions, aggression,
parental care, and life history trade-offs. Thus far, I have been using
poison frogs, wood tiger moths, and blue and great tits as study systems.
Currently, my primary interests are focused on the effects of anthropogenic
activities such as habitat alteration and contamination on the life history,
health and behaviour of amphibians, in particular poison frogs and fire
salamanders.
Associate Professor Kavita Isvaran
Indian Institute of Science Centre for Ecological Sciences
Bio: I am interested in the ecology and evolution of behaviour and life
histories, particularly in social and reproductive traits and in sexual
selection. I am also interested in the consequences of evolved decisions for
populations and communities; and in applying behavioural and evolutionary
principles towards the conservation of species.
Emeritus Professor Leigh W Simmons
Centre for Evolutionary Biology, The University of Western Australia
Bio: Leigh Simmons is a behavioural ecologist who has studied sexual
selection and life-history evolution. He mostly uses insects as study
organisms but has also worked on a variety of taxa, from millipedes to
frogs, mice and humans. His work has focused on the evolution of secondary
sexual traits, genital morphology, and gamete form and function. He has been
particularly interested in female perspectives in sexual selection, with
much of his work focussed on female choice before and after mating. As an
early career researcher, he held a number of postdoctoral fellowships in the
UK and Australia before being granted an ongoing position at the University
of Western Australia. He was the Editor-in-Chief of the ISBE’s journal
Behavioural Ecology for 10 years (2012-2022). He recently retired to “spend
more time with his remaining limbs”.
Professor Suzanne Alonzo
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California
Santa Cruz
Bio: Suzanne is a Full Professor in the Department of Ecology and
Evolutionary Biology and the Associate Vice Provost for Academic Affairs at
the University of California Santa Cruz. Her research focuses on sexual
selection, reproductive behaviors, and social interactions, using a
combination of empirical fieldwork on marine wrasses and mathematical
modeling. One of her favorite things is to conduct fieldwork in Corsica with
her research team, where they observe these wrasses and conduct experiments
underwater on SCUBA. Suzanne’s work as Associate Vice Provost focuses on
inclusive education, mentorship, and leadership in higher education. Suzanne
attended her first ISBE meeting as a graduate student and has been a member
ever since.
GRAZELAND
Post-conference social gathering
Location: 20 Booker St, Spotswood VIC 3015
Date and time: Friday 4th October, from ~5:30pm onwards (Grazeland closes at 10pm)
Entrance fee: $4pp
Getting there:
- Parking: there is parking onsite as well as on-street parking including dedicated disabled parking.
- Public Transport via train: take the Werribee/Williamstown line to Spotswood train station. Grazeland is a short 10 minute walk (500m) from the station. If travelling from Southern Cross station, the train journey takes approx. 15 minutes.
- Travelling by Bike: Grazeland has 100 bike racks right at the front gate. The Hobsons Bay Coastal Trail runs on the foreshore adjacent to Grazeland. The dedicated bike trail extends 23km to Altona Meadows and the bike punt and connects to the Docklands and CBD.
©International Society for Behavioral Ecology Congress 2024