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UNIVERSITY NEWS - MARCH 2004
MEDIA CONTACT: Kevin Petrovsky
FAU Students Recognized At International Conference
BOCA RATON, FL (March 19, 2004)
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Twenty students and two professors
from Florida Atlantic University's Charles E. Schmidt College
of Science traveled last week to San Jose, Costa Rica to
participate in the International Sea Turtle Society's Annual
Symposium. They were joined by more than 1,000 students and
scientists from around the world to share research and
discuss the future of the world's endangered sea turtle
populations.
As part of the symposium,
competitions were held for graduate students in four
categories: Best Biology Poster, Best Biology Paper, Best
Conservation Poster and Best Conservation Paper. More than
100 master's and doctoral students participated in the
competition. Judy Gocke, an FAU master's student supervised
by Michael Salmon in Biological Sciences won Best Biology
Poster for her work titled, "Visual Spectral Sensitivity of
Loggerhead (Caretta caretta) and Leatherback (Dermochelys
coriacea) Hatchlings: A Comparative Study." Lesley Stokes,
an FAU master's student in Biological Sciences supervised
by Jeanette Wyneken, took second place in the biology
poster competition with her work titled, "Seasonal
Latitudinal Assessment of Early Growth Rates in Northern
and Southeastern Loggerhead Sea Turtles (Caretta caretta)
From U.S. Beaches."
"We are very proud of these
students, especially since they excelled over several Ph.D.
students in the same category," said Dr. Jeanette Wyneken,
assistant professor of biological sciences. "This is not
the first time that FAU students have been recognized for
their work at this international conference."
Dr. Wyneken and Dr. Salmon are
considered leading authorities in the United States on sea
turtle populations. The community can view some of the
College's turtle research at the FAU Marine Science
Laboratory at Gumbo Limbo Environmental Center in Boca Raton.
Additional information can also be found on the College web
site at www.science.fau.edu.
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