Dear SMBE Members:

At this time, we are still planning to hold our annual meeting this summer in beautiful Québec City. Accordingly, we recommend that you register for the meeting and book your hotel room. Registration and hotel room deposits will be refunded in the event the meeting were cancelled by SMBE. However, if you have not already booked your flights or ground transportation, you may consider purchasing trip insurance or fares that allow for refunds, if available. Note that many airlines are introducing incentives to book tickets; this is a dynamic situation and offers vary by carrier, so investigate carefully.

We look forward to seeing you this summer in Canada!

Yours,
Marta L. Wayne
President, SMBE

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The abstract submission deadline for posters only has been extended to 30th March 2020 23:59 GMT. Please be aware that this deadline will not be extended and that applications for SMBE awards 2020 can now no longer be considered. Abstracts should be no longer than 2500 characters (~250 words), with a title no longer than 300 characters. Full details on abstract topics, guidance and the submission portal can be found here.

A range of sponsorship opportunities have been developed for the meeting, if interested please contact SMBE2020@mci-group.com.

For any queries over abstracts or registration, please contact SMBE2020@mci-group.com.

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SMBE is calling for nominations for Best Graduate Student Papers of 2019. These awards provide recognition for outstanding papers in both our SMBE journals,  Molecular Biology & Evolution (MBE) and Genome Biology & Evolution (GBE). There will be one Best Graduate Student Paper award for each journal.

All articles published in the calendar year 2019 are eligible for nomination. This corresponds to papers published in the printed volume 36 in MBE and volume 11 in GBE. Please see below for additional information on eligibility.

Winners will be given a certificate, a prize of $2,000 and a travel award to either the 2020 or 2021 SMBE meeting.

Eligibility & Nomination

1. All articles published in the two SMBE journals, Molecular Biology & Evolution and Genome Biology & Evolution (one prize for each journal), in the calendar year 2019 are automatically eligible if the final publication date of the nominated paper is not more than two years later than the date of the nominee's Ph.D.
2. The nominated graduate student must be the first author or joint first-author of the nominated paper.
3. An article and its first author can be nominated by anyone; self-nominations are acceptable.
4. A signed letter from the Ph.D. advisor, MSc advisor, or equivalent, confirming that the paper was part of the nominee’s thesis or graduate work is required.
5. The deadline for submitting nominations is March 11, 2020.

How to Enter

Please send the name of the nominee, a scan of the signed advisor letter, and the name of the paper for which the award is to be considered as a SINGLE PDF to smbe@allenpress.com. Please use the email subject line "MBE/GBE Best Student Paper Nomination", deleting journal name as appropriate.

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We are delighted to announce that registration for SMBE 2020 is now live. SMBE 2020 is taking place in Québec city, QC, Canada on June 28th-July 2nd 2020 at the Québec Convention Center. Full details on the symposia programme and confirmed keynote speakers can be viewed here.

Information on the registration fees can be viewed here. Register before the early bird deadline on April 1st, 2020 in order to secure discounted registration rates.

Please note that in order to receive a discounted member-rate registration you will be asked to provide your SMBE member number. Active members were sent an email that includes their member number.

You can book your accommodation from a range of city centre properties from inside the registration system.

As always SMBE are keen to ensure good international representation. Support will be provided to all delegates that may require additional documentation in order to secure a visa to Canada. Please click here to check if you require a visa for Canada. You can request support for your Visa application within the registration portal. Select the Visa application support letter and submit the required details. You will then receive a covering letter confirming your attendance at SMBE 2020.

Childcare facility will be provided on-site for SMBE 2020 delegates. During the registration process please advise whether you would like to make use of the facility and add details on the age of your child. Further details will be shared on the facility nearer the time.

Attendees can apply for Carer Awards as part of conference registration rather than abstract submission, or by email to smbe.contact@gmail.com if an earlier response is needed. SMBE will make available up to $2000 to SMBE members with children or dependent adults (including adult children with a disability or elderly relatives) to spend as they wish to facilitate the member’s attendance at the annual SMBE meeting. Examples of eligible expenses include (but are not limited to) providing airfare for your child or for your caregiver to accompany you, flying a relative out to help with care at your home while you’re at the meeting, or extra help paying for on-site daycare. All other awards can be applied for during the Abstract submission portal.

Abstract and Award submission deadline.

The abstract submission deadline is fast approaching. The deadline for abstracts is 20th January 2020 23:59 GMT. Please be aware that the deadline will not be extended. Abstracts should be no longer than 2500 characters (~250 words), with a title no longer than 300 characters. Full details on abstract topics, guidance and the submission portal can be found here.

A range of

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SMBE is now calling for nominations to award the Prizes for Early-Career, Mid-Career, Lifetime Research Achievements, and for Service to the SMBE Community. Please consider nominating those of your colleagues you believe deserve to be rewarded for their extraordinary achievements and dedication to the field.

Briefly, the Junior Award for Independent Research is intended for nominees in tenure-track positions at the Assistant Professor level or equivalent; the Mid-Career Award is for the research contributions of faculty nearing promotion to Full Professor or in the early stages as a Full Professor; the Lifetime Contribution Award is for exceptional contributions to the published literature in the field of molecular biology and evolution; and the Community Service Award recognizes outstanding efforts on behalf of the Society and the broader scientific community. Awardees will receive a cash prize and a trip to the upcoming SMBE Annual Meeting in Québec City, Canada (June 28 to July 2, 2020).

Nominations require a nomination letter, which should clearly indicate the award under consideration and also serve as a recommendation letter; a separate one-page summary of the nominee’s qualifications for the award; a CV of the nominee; and an additional letter of recommendation. Self-nomination is not allowed. The nominator need not be an SMBE member, but the nominee must be a member of SMBE to be considered for the award.

The materials should be compiled into a single PDF file, and should be emailed to smbe@allenpress.com before 19 January 2020.

For more information on each award and the specific application details please see the links below:

Allan Wilson Junior Award for Independent Research
http://www.smbe.org/smbe/AWARDS/FacultyAwards/AllanWilsonJuniorAwardforIndependentResearch.aspx

Margaret Dayhoff Mid-Career Award
http://www.smbe.org/smbe/AWARDS/FacultyAwards/MargaretDayhoffMidCareerAward.aspx

Community Service Award
http://www.smbe.org/smbe/AWARDS/FacultyAwards/CommunityServiceAward.aspx

Motoo K

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