A partnership between the USGS-Cooperative Research Units and the USFWS.

The USFWS and USGS Cooperative Research Units (CRU) have developed a web conferencing program to increase communication and transfer of technical information between USFWS and CRU on topics for which CRU has expertise.  This program is being facilitated by the USFWS's National Conservation Training Center (NCTC).  A key to the success of the program is matching the expertise of CRU scientists with the information needs of USFWS managers.

Web conferencing is a way to hold group meetings or live presentations over the Internet.  It minimizes travel, reduces costs, facilitates collaboration, and is real time.  At a web conference, participants sit at their personal computer and share information with each other through the Internet.  Visual communication on the computer is usually accompanied by voice communication through a telephone conference call.  Typical features of web conferences include a slide presentation, application sharing such as spreadsheet manipulation, whiteboards, Internet co-browsing, chat, file sharing, and polls.

The web conferences are similar to a graduate seminar, last about 1 hour, and feature an interactive question-and-answer session. Topics are related to the expertise of CRU scientists as applied to issues of regional or national importance to USFWS managers.  The conferences are targeted at a technical level equivalent to that of a graduate seminar and assume that the participants already have some knowledge of and background with the topic.  Pre-conference materials are made available by NCTC as appropriate to the topics.  Students are encouraged to have questions prepared to ask the CRU scientist during the conference.

The web conferences use the Microsoft Live Meeting software program.  Conference advertisement and registration is through DOI LEARN.  Each conference is limited to no more than 20 people.  All conferences, including questions and answers, are recorded and available in NCTC’s web library.

Archived Seminars

You can view previous Seminar readings, Instructor materials and the Seminar by clicking on the dates below.

Conservation Communication, October 24, 2007

Species Distribution Models Part 1, November 7, 2007

Species Distribution Models in Conservation #2: Validation – The Key to Utility and Application, March 20, 2008

Seabird Conservation: What Matters Most?, May 15, 2008

Fundamentals of Endocrine Disruption, June 19, 2008

King Rail Ecology and Management, July 17, 2008 - Postponed

Conservation Reliant Species: Our New Relationship with Nature - August 21, 2008