This coming year (2013) the Caribbean Primate Research Center (CPRC) will celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the founding of the Cayo Santiago colony of rhesus macaques. In honor of this historic event, the American Society of Primatologists (ASP) has agreed to host its annual meeting in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on June 19-22 and will offer a special symposium on Cayo Santiago and the CPRC. The symposium will feature an historical pictorial review of the early history of the colony and key individuals who contributed to its science and success over the years. The remainder of the symposium will feature ongoing work being done at Cayo Santiago and the CPRC with its derived colonies. Topics will include behavior, genetics, population biology, morphometrics, biomedicine, and more.
The specific aims of this symposium are: 1) to exchange and disseminate knowledge about the contributions of research and ongoing studies carried out on Cayo Santiago and at its derived colony;2) to enhance the visibility and profile of research using CPRC resources, and 3) to foster cross-disciplinary discussions and collaborations by promoting dialogue and networking among attendees.
For the past 75 years the Cayo Santiago colony of free-ranging rhesus macaques has enabled a multitude of studies ranging from social and reproductive behavior to biomedical and translational research. Using Cayo Santiago as a platform we expect to attract, promote and encourage a new generation of students of nonhuman primates to biomedical and behavioral science careers.
