AQUACULTURE CRSP ABSTRACT REPORT
USAID Grant No. LAG-G-00-96-90015-00
11.5ATE9 - Special Sessions, Travel and Poster Awards at 2005 and 2006 World Aquaculture Conferences and Aquaculture America-2006
Name of person completing form: Kevin FITZSIMMONS
ABSTRACT
Aquaculture CRSP sessions were organized and conducted at the US Aquaculture meetings in Las Vegas NV in February 2006, and at the World Aquaculture Meetings in Bali, Indonesia and Florence, Italy in May 2005 and May 2006, respectively. These sessions were well attended and included a full compliment of presentations of A CRSP sponsored research. In conjunction with these sessions, travel awards were provided to at least three scientists involved in the research who were not able to otherwise attend the conference on project funds. The travel awards were determined on merit; depending on contribution to the research, quality of the abstract, participation in earlier A CRSP sponsored research and quality of the Power Point presentation developed for the conference.
A second aspect of this project was a series of awards for student posters presented at the same above mentioned conferences, as well as the US Aquaculture Meetings in New Orleans in 2005. Three awards, cash plus certificates, were presented to the top three student posters. The posters were judged on scientific quality, contribution to the core A CRSP principle of sustainable aquaculture practices, and appearance and use of graphics. Publicity of the awards was wide spread with photos appearing in newsletters, aquaculture industry magazines and various websites.
The project has been successful by improving recognition of the quantity and quality of research supported by the A CRSP. Much of the industry recognized and appreciated work done by many leading aquaculture scientists but had been unaware that the A CRSP was a primary sponsor. By organizing these specific sessions and awards, the contributions of the A CRSP and US-AID sponsorship have been much more widely recognized.