GfP conference in Zurich 2017
From February 15 to 17, part of the SoHaPi members visited the “15th conference of the Gesellschaft für Primatologie” in Zürich, Switzerland. PhD student Nadine Müller gave a great talk on "Physiological and social consequences of gastrointestinal parasite infection in semi-free ranging Barbary macaques at Affenberg Salem". PhD students Filipa Paciência, Charlotte Defolie and Katja Rudolph each contributed posters presenting their most recent results. Katja could even convince the conferences' jury with her poster on "Optimal group sizes in Verreaux's sifakas" and won the first price of the students' poster competition. CONGRATULATIONS!
Members of the SoHaPi group at the conference. Missing in the picture but also present at the conference: Charlotte Defolie and Peter Kappeler.
Charlotte Defolie (left) and Filipa Paciência happily presenting their posters at the conference. Katja Rudolph in front of her winning poster.
Baboon Survey Workshop in Tanzania
As part of Capacity Building within project 2 of the “Sociality and Health in Primates” Research Unit, a DFG funded Baboon Survey Workshop was held from November 6th to 12th 2016 at Lake Manyara National Park in Tanzania. Twelve students were trained in census techniques, providing them respective theoretical background and pratical experience. Participants came from Tanzania, Mozambique, Portugal, and Germany. Their institutional links were the College of African Wildlife Management (MWEKA), Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute (TAWIRI), Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA), Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA), and the German Primate Center. The workshop aimed to create scientific capacity in the field of wildlife research as well as it was supposed to estimate the population size of olive baboons within Lake Manyara National Park. The latter is essential for subsequent epidemological modeling as part of our study on “Behavioural determinants and cosequences of the spread of a sexually transmitted disease in wild olive baboons (Papio anubis)”.
After the introductory sessions with lectures on baboon ecology and behaviour and census techniques the workshop participants went on a bicycle ride to a nearby waterfall. All participants enjoyed the “icebreaker” pretty much.
Workshop Woman Careers Göttingen
In November 2016, the SoHaPi students organized a workshop on soft skills held by Philipp Gramlich from NaturalScience.careers (http://naturalscience.careers/en/) at the German Primate Centre (DPZ) in Göttingen. The 3 day workshop was comprised of a well-balanced mixture of knowledge transfer and interactive tasks. We learned about future career options and work-life balances, improved our presentation and small talk skills and received tips and tricks on establishing and expanding our networks.
