Message from the Chair

Bob Dores

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mark Sheridan for the superb job that he has done as our program officer. Mark has worked diligently to provide us with a balanced and exciting program. He has been a strong voice for our division in the discussions with the Executive Committee on the format, scope and focus of our national meeting. Mark and Stacia Sower have been prime movers in organizing the symposium to honor Erika Plisetskaya at the 1999 SICB Annual Meeting in Denver, Jan. 6-10. Sunny Boyd will take over for Mark as divisional program officer and will handle the meetings planned for Atlanta (Jan. 4-8, 2000) and Chicago (Jan. 3-7, 2001).

There are two additional announcements for the meeting in Denver. First, Aubrey Gorbman has received the National Science Foundation 1998 Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering. On January 7, the division will host a reception for Dr. Gorbman honoring his many accomplishments. Please check the message board at the meeting for announcements regarding time and location. Second, there will be a dinner to honor Richard Jones on January 9. The cost of the dinner will be $25. Reservations are required. Please look for an announcement about this dinner on the registration form. Be sure to mark the box for the Dick Jones dinner and include your payment with the registration fee.

It is never too soon to be planning ahead for future meetings. It would be desirable to formulate plans for symposia and special interest oral presentation sessions for the Chicago meeting in the next few months. Please convey your ideas to Sunny Boyd.

In the year 2000, the division can look forward to the 4th International Fish Endocrinology symposium that will be organized by Walt Dickhoff and Penny Swanson and held in Denver. In addition, the International Congress on Comparative Endocrinology will be held in Sorrento, Italy in 2001.

With regard to future meetings of the International Congress on Comparative Endocrinology, the Executive Committee has selected North America as the site for the 2005 meeting. In the spring newsletter, I put out a call for proposals. Boston and Denver have emerged as two potential sites. Ian Callard and colleagues put together a very complete proposal for having the meeting in Boston. A "Blue Ribbon Panel" (Howard Bern, Paul Licht and Walt Dickhoff) unanimously recommended Boston. I also agree that the Boston team has an excellent set of plans for the 2005 meeting. Ian Callard is moving ahead with an application to the International Executive Committee, and he will provide us with a report on the Boston 2005 meeting at our Jan. 9 business meeting at the 1999 SICB Annual Meeting in Denver.

Finally, at the close of the Denver meeting, Dave Norris will take over as chair of DCE. Many thanks to everyone for making my term as chair very enjoyable.

Message from the Program Officer

Mark Sheridan

The comparative endocrinology program at the 1999 SICB Annual Meeting in Denver promises to be an exciting one. Look for contributed papers in both divisional and interdivisional sessions. Also look for our inaugural "Trends in Endocrinology" mini-symposium, "Comparative Vertebrate Reproduction" (in honor of Dick Jones), organized by Dave Norris and Cathy Propper. In addition, our division is sponsoring two symposia this year: "Endocrine Disrupting Contaminants: From Genes to Ecosystems," organized by Lou Guillette and Andrew Crain, and "A Tribute to Erika Plisetskaya: New Insights on the Function and Evolution of Gastroenteropancreatic Hormones," organized by Mark Sheridan and Stacia Sower. Socials for Dick and Erika also are planned.

In other business, the SICB Ad Hoc Program Advisory Committee (PAC) has recommended a society-wide topics-based approach to the programming of contributed papers. PAC feels that this change will make the program of the Annual Meeting more integrated. This recommendation is a significant departure from our current divisional-based program. I will highlight details of the PAC recommendation at our divisional business meeting in Denver and look forward to your input. See you in Denver!

Message from the Secretary