Conservation Biology, a relatively new scientific discipline, applies principles of ecology, genetics, biogeography, and the social sciences to the conservation of biological diversity. Since its creation eight years ago, the Society for Conservation Biology has been the fastest growing scientific society, with more than 4,000 members worldwide. In 1990, students at the School established the first national chapter of the society and developed the bylaws that are now used in the formation of other chapters. The Yale chapter of the Society for Conservation Biology brings together students and faculty from many different disciplines that share a common interest in the conservation of biological diversity. The role of the Society is to complement the academic program with student-initiated activities and thus strengthen the conservation biology community at Yale. Activities of the Yale chapter for the Conservation of Biology are diverse. Weekend workshops train students in wildlife management techniques such as radio telemetry, prescribed burns, and mark-recapture survey methods. Each semester the Society organizes outings such as birding trips, whale watching, and mushroom walks. Learning from the research and the experiences of fellow classmates is an invaluable opportunity, and the Society encourages this dialogue by sponsoring student research presentations on a bi-weekly basis. Leaders in the discipline are brought in to speak on issues ranging from the current status of the Endangered Species Act to methods in biodiversity monitoring. Periodic meetings enable students and alumni to share information on work and projects relating to conservation biology. The Society also maintains an e-mail list reporting job openings in conservation biology and related fields.