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SYNTHESYS Third Call
by Gemma Robinson (via Adrian Rissone) 20 Jul '05

20 Jul '05

Dear Scientist, Next Deadline: 16 September 2005 The SYNTHESYS Office is pleased to announce the Third call for proposals under the European Commission's FPVI European-funded Integrated Infrastructure Initiative. SYNTHESYS Project funding is available to provide scientists (Users) based in European Member and Associated States to undertake short visits to utilize the infrastructure (namely the collections, staff expertise and analytical facilities) at one of the 20 partner institutions (see full list below) for the purposes of their research. The 20 partner institutions are organised into 11 national TAxonomic Facilities (TAFs). TAF Users will be hosted by a TAF staff member. The 11 TAF institutions represent an unparalleled resource for taxonomic research offering: Collections amounting to over 337 million natural history specimens, including 3.3 million type specimens. Internationally renowned taxonomic and systematic skill base· Chemical analysis, molecular and imaging facilities. Proposals will be welcomed from high calibre researchers seeking access for short-term visits. SYNTHESYS is able to meet the Users' costs for: · Research costs* · International travel · Local accommodation whilst based at the TAF · A per diem to contribute towards living costs * Research related costs including: bench fees and consumables (including molecular biology at some TAFs). See www.synthesys.info for more information or contact synthesys(a)nhm.ac.uk TAF visits will be scheduled from December 2004 until January 2009. SYNTHESYS is a five-year project comprising two parts which together aim to create an integrated European infrastructure for researchers in the natural sciences. SYNTHESYS Partners: GB-TAF Natural History Museum, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. ES-TAF Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Real Jardín Botánico Naturales. DK-TAF The Natural History Museum of Denmark. FR-TAF Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle. SE-TAF Naturhistoriska Riksmuseet. NL-TAF University van Amsterdam, Nationaal Herbarium Nederland, Centraalbureau voor Schimmelcultures, National Natural History Museum Naturalis. DE-TAF Museum fur Naturkunde, Botanischer Garten und Botanisches Museum. AT-TAF Naturhistorisches Museum, Wien. HU-TAF Hungarian Natural History Museum. PL-TAF Museum and Institute of Zoology, Polish Academy of Sciences. BE-TAF Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Koninklijik Museum voor Midden-Afrika, National Botanic Garden of Belgium. 1 The SYNTHESYS Partners are inviting applications from researchers based in the Member States of the EU: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom plus the Associated Countries of the EU: Switzerland, Iceland, Israel, Liechtenstein, Norway and Candidate Countries of the EU Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey. Contact: Gemma Robinson (gemma.robinson(a)nhm.ac.uk) SYNTHESYS Administrator Natural History Museum Cromwell Road London SW7 5BD United Kingdom Tel: +44 (0)20 7942 6075 Fax: +44 (0)20 7942 5841 www.synthesys.info

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TDWG Subgroup: Natural Collections Descriptions (NCD)
by Neil Thomson 10 Jul '05

10 Jul '05

Dear All, At the 2004 TDWG meeting in Christchurch, a new subgroup was formed to develop the BioCASE collections description standard from dealing only with collections of specimens and observations data to dealing with any type of collection of natural history related material. Such collections include bibliographic, archival and artwork collections and especially mixed collections formed during expeditions and the voyages of discovery. Background information on NCD, along with the uses of collections descriptions and the latest version of the XML Schema (v 0.32) may be found at: http://www.tdwg.org/NCD/TDWG_NCD_Subgroup.htm [note underscores] A number of TDWG'ers expressed interest in helping with the development of NCD as one of the suite of data standards being produced for TDWG. There will be a subgroup meeting at this year's TDWG meeting for those of you that are able to attend and to which you will be very welcome. If you are interested in helping with NCD but have not already registered your interest or are unable to attend the St Petersburg meeting, please let me know and I will add your email address to main NCD list. All comments are welcome, With thanks, Neil ------- Neil Thomson Head of Data & Digital Systems The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD Tel: +44 (0)20 7942 5294, Fax: +44 (0)20 7942 5559, Email: n.thomson(a)nhm.ac.uk http://www.nhm.ac.uk

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TDWG 2005 - book your hotel to get your visa voucher!
by Adrian Rissone 05 Jul '05

05 Jul '05

TDWG 2005 St. PETERSBURG Apologies for yet another message from me, and for cross posting. We note that there are several people who have expressed interest in attending the TDWG meeting in St. Petersburg (11-18 September 2005) who have not yet booked a room through the recommended hotel management. Of course, it is possible that you have booked elsewhere but if you intend to visit St. Petersburg staying in *any* hotel and have not yet booked it is ESSENTIAL that you book immediately to give enough time for the hotel to issue the required voucher and tourist invitation for you to get your visa to enter the Russian Federation. The recommended deadline for hotel booking is 10 July. We cannot emphasise too strongly how important it is to follow this advice. Regards, Adrian Rissone TDWG 2005 Meeting Coordinator

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TDWG 2005 (11-18 September 2005) - Please Register now
by Adrian Rissone 05 Jul '05

05 Jul '05

TAXONOMIC DATABASES WORKING GROUP (TDWG) Annual Meeting 11-18 September 2005 St.Petersburg, Russian Federation Apologies for cross-posting. The on-line registration site for the meeting is active now at: <http://www.regonline.com/25832>http://www.regonline.com/25832 IMPORTANT: Please register as soon as possible. This will help us plan the meeting and organise the venue. If possible, please pay on-line by credit card. Payment in cash or by credit card at the venue is possible but causes an additional administrative burden on the Local Organiser and we respectfully ask that you avoid this method of payment. Please note that payment for the Cultural Excursion (Wed 13 September) is NOT possible on the Registration site. Instructions on how to book a place on the Cultural Excursion are given at: http://www.tdwg.org/2005meet/TDWG_2005_Excursion.html ----------------------------------------------------- Full information about the meeting is available here: http://www.tdwg.org/2005meet/TDWG_2005_Intro.html General information about the TDWG is here: http://www.tdwg.org Regards, Adrian Rissone Secretary and Scientific Porgramme Coordinator Taxonomic Databases Working Group

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Potential student funding for TDWG2005
by Rob Guralnick 24 Jun '05

24 Jun '05

Potential underrepresented student support for September 2005 Meeting of the Taxonomic Data Working Group (TDWG), St. Petersburg, Russia. We have applied for assistance to the U.S. National Science Foundation to fund up to $3,000 per student for approximately 8 underrepresented (based on gender, ethnicity, disability, and geography) undergraduate, graduate and post-doctoral students working in or proposing biodiversity informatics projects, to attend the TDWG meetings from September 11-18, 2005 in St. Petersburg, Russia. See http://www.tdwg.org/2005meet/TDWG_2005_Intro.html for the meeting program. The focus of the meeting is on the provisioning and quality of biodiversity data. Provisional symposiums are listed on the web page. Underrepresented students at U.S. institutions who are either U.S. citizens or permanent residents are invited to submit an application describing their studies or research projects in biology or computer science and a brief paragraph about how they expect attendance could further their work. We will especially consider applicants not traditionally included in the taxonomic and informatics community. Application requirements: - Total narrative should not exceed one page (when formated in 12-point Times Roman, single spaced text on an 8.5x11" page with 1" margins) - If relevant, include at most one additional page of references to web links describing projects in which they participate, and papers on which they are joint authors. - Applications may be accompanied by up to two letters of recommendation from faculty members or other professionals aware of the projects described in the narrative and commenting on the student's role and expected benefit. Please send documents in PDF or a format openable in MSWord to Dr. Robert Guralnick (Robert.Guralnick(a)colorado.edu) by July 3. Awards will be announced by July 8. Applications will be evaluated by a committee composed of Rob Guralnick, Robert A. Morris from the University of Massachusetts at Boston, Annie Simpson at the National Biological Information Infrastructure, Gerald Guala at the US Department of Agriculture and Ginger Ogle at the University of California at Berkeley.

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Museum Informatics Job Announcement
by Adrian Rissone 13 Jun '05

13 Jun '05

Fowarded from Anna Weitzman: Apologies for cross-posting. Please circulate widely. The Informatics Branch of the Information Technology office of the National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) expects to fill one (or more) positions. The position is open for applications as of 10 June 2005 and will close on 1 July 2005. A summary of the position follows. The full announcement with duties, qualifications, and information about how to apply can be found at <http://ohr.si.edu/vaclib/sivacancy.cfm>http://ohr.si.edu/vaclib/sivacancy.cfm under 05JW-1141 IT Specialist. The position is located at NMNH's main building in Washington, DC. - supports the Research & Collections Information Systems (RCIS) which uses KE Software's Electronic Museum (EMu) software - assists with user and operations training, including in reports development in Crystal Reports - assists with analyzing data structures in current systems and developing data reconfiguration plans for migration to RCIS - coordinates and/or assists with development and maintenance of user and help desk documentation - tests EMu upgrades and deliverables, including customization and other changes to the system Anna L. Weitzman, Ph.D. Informatics Branch Chief, National Museum of Natural History Smithsonian Institution, PO Box 37012 Natural History Building, Room 544, MRC 136 Washington, DC 20013-7012 U.S.A. phone: (202) 633-0846 fax: (202) 786-3180 email: <mailto:weitzman@si.edu>weitzman(a)si.edu electronic Biologia Centrali-Americana - <http://www.sil.si.edu/digitalcollections/bca/>http://www.sil.si.edu/digitalcollections/bca/

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TDWG 2005 - IMPORTANT MESSAGE RE: HOTEL BOOKING E-MAIL
by Adrian Rissone 08 Jun '05

08 Jun '05

TDWG 2005 - St. Petersburg, Russia, 11-18 September 2005 Dear Colleague, Contact Preference Announcement: You are receiving this bulk message because, recently or in the past few years, you have expressed interest in attending an Annual Meeting of the Taxonomic Database Working Group (TDWG). If you would prefer to NOT receive messages from the TDWG with regard to meetings please accept my apologies for troubling you and send e-mail to me at this address: A.Rissone(a)nhm.ac.uk with Subject line "TDWG - Remove from mailing list" This important message is addressed specifically to anyone who sent e-mail to the recommended hotel focal point (<mailto:shelfort@peterstar.ru>shelfort(a)peterstar.ru) during the period 2 June - 8 June 2005. Unfortunately, due to technical problems at the hotel all incoming e-mails were lost. If you sent mail to the hotel and have not received a reply please contact them again immediately. Regards, Adrian Rissone Secretary and Meeting Coordinator Taxonomic Databases Working Group E-mail: A.Rissone(a)nhm.ac.uk with Subject line "TDWG 2005" (please do NOT reply to this listserv, which is for distribution only)

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TDWG 2005 - reminder - deadline for Abstracts 15 June, hotel booking 10 July
by Adrian Rissone 07 Jun '05

07 Jun '05

TDWG 2005 - St. Petersburg, Russia, 11-18 September 2005 Dear Colleague, You are receiving this message because, recently or in the past few years, you have expressed interest in attending an Annual Meeting of the Taxonomic Database Working Group (TDWG). If you would prefer to NOT receive messages from the TDWG with regard to meetings please accept my apologies for troubling you and send e-mail to me at this address: A.Rissone(a)nhm.ac.uk with Subject line "TDWG - Remove from mailing list" Please note the following important deadlines. Deadlines: 15 June 2005: submission of abstracts to be complete (http://www.tdwg.org/2005meet/TDWG_2005_Abstracts.html) 10 July 2005: hotel bookings to be complete (to allow time for visa processing) (http://www.tdwg.org/2005meet/TDWG_2005_TravelAccom.html) It is STRONGLY recommended that you complete your hotel booking and get your visa application started in the next few days. We have been advised that some Russian Consulates are experiencing delays which are likely to get worse as the main tourist season gets under way. You will also see on the meeting site a request for pre-registration. Please pre-register if you can. The full Registration Site will be available in June. We look forward to seeing you in St. Petersburg! Regards, Adrian Rissone Secretary and Meeting Coordinator Taxonomic Databases Working Group E-mail: A.Rissone(a)nhm.ac.uk with Subject line "TDWG 2005" (please do NOT reply to this listserv, which is for distribution only)

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Call for Applications: TDWG Architect and TDWG Project Manager
by Donald Hobern 24 May '05

24 May '05

Call for Applications: TDWG Architect and TDWG Project Manager -------------------------------------------------------------- Background ---------- The Taxonomic Databases Working Group (TDWG, http://www.tdwg.org) and the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF, http://www.gbif.org) have received funding from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation (http://www.moore.org) to undertake a review and modernization of the TDWG standards development process and to establish new support infrastructure and tools for its subgroups. This project will take place over a two-and-a-half year period and includes funding for the following activities: - Revising TDWGs activities to ensure that all data standards are managed according to well-defined best-practice processes - Establishing web-based collaboration tools to support the work of the TDWG subgroups - TDWG subgroup meetings to work on standards development - Developing software components and writing technical documentation to support the use of TDWG data standards - Developing standards and infrastructure for the use of globally unique identifiers in TDWG data standards - Establishing long-term support and funding for TDWG operations The grant includes funding for two TDWG staff (an Architect and a Project Manager) to coordinate these activities and to manage the necessary contracts with software developers and technical authors. The TDWG staff will work closely with the TDWG Executive Committee, TDWG subgroup conveners, and GBIF Secretariat. The host location will be determined in part by the availability and suitability of candidates. TDWG and GBIF are therefore issuing this call for applications for these roles. The positions have been designated as Architect and Project Manager, but the emphasis will be on identifying candidates who together will be able to coordinate the listed activities. Requirements ------------ Since TDWGs mission relates to the development of biodiversity data standards for use in web-based applications, candidates are expected to show understanding of biodiversity informatics and of a wide range of the following standards and technologies: - Familiarity with: - Either: TDWG standards (DiGIR/BioCASe/TAPIR data exchange Protocols; Darwin Core; Access to Biological Collection Data [ABCD] schema; Taxon Concept Schema [TCS]; Structured Descriptive Data [SDD] schema) - Or: standards development processes in other communities (e.g. IETF, W3C, OMG, (N)ISO, OGC) - Working knowledge of HTML, website development and management, and Internet-based collaboration technologies (including mailing lists, wikis, content management systems, CVS) - Application of information modelling methodologies (e.g., ERD, IDEF1X, ORM, UML) - Familiarity with XML (including XML Schema, XPath, XSLT, XQuery) - Knowledge of Web services (including SOAP, WSDL, UDDI), OGC Geography Markup Language (including Web Feature Service), Grid Technologies, and programming languages (e.g., Java, Python, PHP) Candidates should also be able to demonstrate the following: - Experience working as part of a team and promoting collaborative endeavours. - Skills in negotiation and management. - Inter-cultural communication skills, including a good command of English. - Familiarity with the theory and practice of biological taxonomy (or systematics) and nomenclature, biological collections, and of biological data management. Prior experience in IT development and/or project management will be an advantage. Candidates should be prepared to undertake international travel to attend working meetings and to represent TDWG at relevant workshops and conferences. How to apply ------------ Interested applicants should send the following by e-mail to Donald Hobern, GBIF Programme Officer for Data Access and Database Interoperability (dhobern(a)gbif.org): - Curriculum vitae - Description of how you fulfil the requirements listed above - Description of the strengths you can bring to the project - Indication of whether you would be able to relocate to take up the position - Benefits and salary expectation The closing date for applications is 18 June 2005. Interviews will take place in late June or early July. --------------------------------------------------------------- Donald Hobern (dhobern(a)gbif.org) Programme Officer for Data Access and Database Interoperability Global Biodiversity Information Facility Secretariat Universitetsparken 15, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark Tel: +45-35321483 Mobile: +45-28751483 Fax: +45-35321480 ---------------------------------------------------------------

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Taxonomic Databases Working Group Meeting 2005 - book your hotel!
by Adrian Rissone 24 May '05

24 May '05

TDWG 2005 - St. Petersburg, Russia, 11-18 September 2005 Dear Colleague, Book your hotel! I have received notice from our colleagues in St Petersburg that hotels (including the ones we are recommending close to the Zoological Institute) are filling up rapidly. They recommend you book as soon as possible to avoid having to make a long daily journey to the meeting venue. You are also reminded that you will require an "invitation" from the hotel in order to obtain a visa to enter Russia and that the subsequent visa application process can take several weeks in some cases. We look forward to seeing you in St. Petersburg! Regards, Adrian Rissone Secretary and Meeting Coordinator Taxonomic Databases Working Group http://www.tdwg.org/2005meet/TDWG_2005_Intro.htm E-mail: A.Rissone(a)nhm.ac.uk with Subject line "TDWG 2005" (please do NOT reply to this listserv, which is for distribution only)

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