The inaugural symposium of the newly created "Comparative Morphology & Development" section (CMD) of the Canadian Society of Zoologists (CSZ) will take place at the 45th annual CSZ meeting in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada (May 2 - 6, 2006).

INAUGURAL SYMPOSIUM: Development, Morphology, Evolution: The Triple Helix

Confirmed speakers for the May 4 symposium include:

Dr. Brian K. Hall, Dalhousie University
"Penguins, Platypus, Peripatus and Polypterus: Embryos in Evolution"

Dr. Nick Butterfield, University of Cambridge
"From Microbes to Morphology: The Cambrian Explosion and Origins of the Modern Biosphere"

Dr. Mark Q. Martindale, University of Hawaii
"The Evolution of Morphological Complexity: Developmental Tails (sic) from an Anemone Embryo"

Dr. Phil Currie, University of Alberta
"On the Shoulders of Giants: Development, Size and the Evolution of Tyrannosaurid Dinosaur Crania"

Dr. Mimi A. R. Koehl, University of California- Berkeley
"Sniffing with Hairy Noses: Fluid Mechanics and Convergent Evolution of Odor Capture by Antennae"


REGISTRATION & CALL FOR ABSTRACTS

To register to attend this exciting symposium, or to submit an abstract for a talk to be given in one of the many related contributed paper sessions on Larval Biology, Biomechanics & Functional Morphology, Paleobiology, or Evolution of Development, visit the the CSZ 2006 Meeting web site:

http://www.biology.ualberta.ca/csz2006/index.htm

*** DEADLINE FOR EARLY REGISTRATION AND ABSTRACT SUBMISSION ***:
Feb. 15, 2006

Don't miss this opportunity to attend the memorable, and historically significant launch of the Comparative Morphology & Development section of the CSZ.


RELATED EVENTS

A companion symposium sponsored by the Canadian Secretariat (http://www.ualberta.ca/~ipy/index.html) of the International Polar Year consortium will occur at the CSZ meeting on May 3:

Biology of the Canadian Artic II. Integrating across scales: From site-specific to regional and global processes


And don't forget that Edmonton is just a short drive from one of the most spectacular driving tours in North America, the Icefields Parkway (http://www.canadianrockies.net/icepwy.html) that runs from Jasper (http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/ab/jasper/), past the Columbia Icefields and Lake Louise, to Banff (http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/ab/banff/) through the heart of the world-famous Canadian Rockies.


So there are many reasons to attend the annual CSZ meeting this year!


THE COMPARATIVE MORPHOLOGY & DEVELOPMENT SECTION

The CMD section of the CSZ aims to promote and enhance interactions, dialogue and intellectual cross-fertilization among the many Canadian zoologists and paleontologists who work on morphology (functional or comparative), larval biology, development, and developmental evolution, and particularly those who work at the interfaces between development, morphology and evolution. An exciting aspect of this new section will be the involvement of paleontologists, which we hope will make the annual meetings attractive to a wide range of participants from inside and outside of Canada. We are actively working to make the new CMD section a welcome home for both zoologists and paleontologists interested in development, morphology or evolution, and we welcome participation by Canadians and non-Canadians alike.

To learn more about the goals, history, inaugural symposium, student awards and other activities of the CMD section, visit the section's web site:

http://www.biology.ualberta.ca/CMD/home.htm


STUDENT AWARD

Starting with the 2006 CSZ meeting, the CMD section will offer an attractive award (the Brian K. Hall Award in Comparative Morphology and Development of $300) for the best student presentation by a member of the CMD section. See
http://www.biology.ualberta.ca/CMD/home.htm#awards for details. So students are encouraged to participate.


A. Richard Palmer
Systematics and Evolution Group
Department of Biological Sciences
University of Alberta
Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E9 CANADA
phone: (780) 492-3633
message: (780) 492-3308
FAX: (780) 492-9234

http://www2.biology.ualberta.ca/palmer/palmer.html
(biological asymmetries, software, course notes)
Chair, Comparative Morphology & Development section,
Canadian Society of Zoologists. For info. see
http://www.biology.ualberta.ca/CMD/home.htm

rich.palmer@ualberta.ca