MPIG 2013: Thank You Iowa State University!

Another great MPIG conference, this year in Iowa State University. Though this is only my second MPIG conference, I feel like this is one of the greatest regional conference to participate in. Great science and good people all around. It's one of the reason why a Northeasterner like me is in the midwest every year. Thanks for Jill Pruetz and Stacy Lindshield for such great hosts.

Also, thanks to those who stopped me and said hi during the conference. I love meeting my blog readers. You have no idea how happy you make me when you tell me you read my blog!

MPIG 2013 Pre Registration

Keynote Speaker Dr. Paul Garber, Distinguished Primatologist, on Primate Feeding Ecology

MPIG Reception

Dr. Julienne Rutherford presenting the first talk of the conference, "Ten Years of MPIG". Congrats for being 10 years old, MPIG!

Yours truly and his poster.

MPIG 2013 Poster

Here's my poster for MPIG 2013.

ABSTRACT:

Gestural communication is thought to be a precursor to the origin of human language. Since human language is lateralized between brain hemispheres, is there also a lateralization in gestural communication in nonhuman primates?

This preliminary study sought to elucidate whether the hamadryas baboon (Papio hamadryas) troop at the Prospect Park Zoo in Brooklyn, New York exhibits hand preference in gestural communication. Two types of gestural communication were examined: hand slapping and muzzle wiping. An all occurrence sampling method was completed in 3 weeks with a total of 24 hours of observation and data collection. The Handedness Index (HI) for each individual (N=7) was calculated for both hand slapping and muzzle wiping.

This study revealed that most P. hamadryas individuals at the Prospect Park Zoo exhibit a right hand preference for hand slapping, but exhibit no hand preference for muzzle wiping. These results are consistent with previous studies on another baboon species, olive baboons (Papio anubis) (Vauclair et al., 2005; Meguerditchian & Vauclair, 2006; Meguerditchian & Vauclair, 2009). Results from this preliminary study can contribute to the study of nonhuman primate handedness, as well as the evolution of language.

MPIG 2013: Iowa State University

The 10th annual Midwest Primate Interest Group (MPIG) will be held in Iowa State University, Iowa on October 18th and 19th this year. The amazing Dr. Jill Pruetz will be the local host. I will be at the conference and I look forward to seeing familiar and new faces there.

Here are some info you might find useful if you are interested in attending or presenting at the conference. Thanks for Dr. Katherine MacKinnon for the write up!

1. Abstracts
Abstracts are due Sunday, September 1. Send your abstracts as a Word document to Dr. Julienne Rutherford: ruther4d@uic.edu. Indicate in your email your preference for poster or podium presentation. Abstracts are limited to 275 words. Please use 12 point Arial font (if possible) and format the title/author information as follows:

Developing the brain: A potential role for the placenta in hominin brain evolution

Authors: Julienne Rutherford 1,2,*, Elizabeth Abrams 2, Kate Clancy 3, Victoria DeMartelly 1, Sana Said 2

1 University of Illinois at Chicago, Comparative Primate Biology Laboratory
2 UIC, Department of Anthropology
3 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Department of Anthropology

* < full contact information for corresponding/presenting author >

2. Meeting Registration
Registration fees are $15 for students and $40 for faculty. Please make your check payable to the Midwest Primate Interest Group and mail to Dr. Robert Sussman, MPIG Treasurer, Department of Anthropology, Washington University, Campus Box 1114, One Brookings Drive, St. Louis, MO 63130.

(You may register onsite as well).


3. Hotels and Travel Info
MPIG has a group block of hotel rooms from October 17-19 at the Hotel Memorial Union on the Iowa State University campus.

--Single-queen $80 (after discount)


--Single-king $90 (after discount)

For reservations, call 1-800-433-3449 and mention the Midwest Primate Interest Group to get the group discount.

MU Hotel website: http://www.mu.iastate.edu/en/hotel_memorial_union
More lodging options can be found at: http://www.visitames.com/come_and_stay
Des Moines International Airport: http://www.dsmairport.com/


4. 2013 Distinguished Primatologist Award
Dr. Paul Garber will be the recipient of this year's award and his Friday evening talk is titled "Time Vs. Energy: New Perspectives on Primate Feeding Ecology", to be followed by the opening reception. Make sure you get to Ames by late Friday afternoon and/or in time for the opening festivities! (see #5)


5. Schedule for the 2-day meeting
As in past years, the MPIG meeting schedule generally goes something like this (subject to slight revisions as we organize this year's program...)

Friday (10/18)

7pm – The Distinguished Primatologist Award, followed by reception from 8:00-9:30pm


Saturday (10/19)

8am – 10am Light breakfast provided

8:30am – 12:00pm Podium presentations

12:00 – 1:30pm Lunch break (on your own)

1:30 – 3:00pm Podium presentations

3:00 – 5:00pm Poster presentations

5:00pm -- Closing remarks, followed by party (time/place TBA)


Just a reminder: as we transition from our old website to a new one, please check the MPIG facebook page for all the latest information and updates.

https://www.facebook.com/MidwestPrimateInterestGroup

The 9th MPIG conference at University of Northern Illinois with my homegirl Ashlee of This is Serious Monkey Business blog.

MPIG 2012: My First Poster Session!

Last weekend was my first time going to the Midwest Primate Interest Group (MPIG). I thoroughly enjoyed the academic experience, not to mention being able to meet fellow primatologists and those whose work I have read frequently but never met in person. I was also able to meet some friends that I've met online through blogs, Facebook and Twitter in person. So, in short, MPIG was a great academic experience and also a way for me to put a 3D sensory input on people I knew but never met. The podium talks were great and posters were very interesting. I only wish the poster session was longer so I could see all the posters that were submitted (there were 25 and I was only able to see 5!).

Getting ready to present our groundbreaking data!

MPIG also marked my first time presenting an academic poster. I was the co-author, with the illustrious Ashlee Van Schyndel (from This Is Serious Monkey Business) as the first author. Thanks to those that stopped by to look at our poster, and gave us important and useful constructive criticisms (and praises!). I have included the poster on the bottom of this post. So, what do you guys think? Any suggestions on how we can make a better poster in the future?

Below is the abstract of our poster:

Foraging preferences and substrate use in the absence of food availability pressures in three lemur (Lemur catta, Eulemur mongoz, and Eulemur sanfordi) species

A.A. Van Schyndel1 and Raymond Vagell2

1Lemur Conservation Foundation, Myakka City, FL and 2Department of Psychology, CUNY Hunter College, New York, NY 

Foraging behaviors are complex and is contingent upon the environment in which the organism lives. In situations where the ecological pressure of food availability is removed, individuals have the option of foraging based on preference. At the Myakka City Lemur Reserve in Myakka City, Florida, lemurs are semi-captive, free ranging, and provisioned. However, between the multiple lemur species in the free-ranging forests, there is an expected diversity in foraging preferences in terms of food choice and substrate use.  For this study, three species of lemurs were studied: ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta), mongoose lemurs (Eulemur mongoz), and Sanford’s brown lemurs (Eulemur sanfordi). A focal animal scan sampling and all occurrences sampling was completed over the course of two months that measured activity budget, food item choice, and substrate use. Results indicate there is a relationship between the niches inhabited by the lemurs in terms of substrate use and food item choice.

Please click on the image for a large file. If you would like a pdf version of our poster, please let me know

Who Else Is Going To The Midwest Primate Interest Group (MPIG) Conference?

This September, the illustrious Ashlee Van Schyndel (of This Is Serious Monkey Business) and I will be presenting in a poster session at Midwest Primate Interest Group (MPIG) Conference. The conference will be held in Northern Illinois University, Dekalb, IL from Friday (Sept. 28th) till Saturday (Sept. 29).

Our poster topic will be on the foraging preferences (food choice and substrate use) in lemur species in the absence of food availability pressures. Ashlee collected her data at the Lemur Conservation Foundation in Myakka City, FL when she was a research assistant.

For more information about the conference, please visit the Midwest Primate Interest Group website. Hope to see y'all at the conference!