Dear
Colleagues:
President
Martin Feder suggested that I write to you about the ideas and goals that I
hope to pursue as I succeed him as President of our society. I’ve been a
member of SICB, and its predecessor, the American Society of Zoologists, for
most of my life--a realization that stunned me at first, then quickly
told me why I believe that the society is so important and why it deserves my
loyalty and any efforts I can give it. The society has brought to me, and to
my students, a profound appreciation for organismal biology,
sensu
lato,
and has given us all outstanding models of scientific integrity, innovation,
and dedication.
First
and foremost, I must place Martin Feder and Kim Smith in that pantheon of
excellent scientists who are dedicated citizens of the biological community. I
will thank them many times over the next two years for all that they have done
to situate the society in a new position of strength, efficiency, and
effectiveness, and I’m starting that with this letter. They have worked
daily
to build the society; their commitment is extraordinary and the time out of
their lives and careers that they have given us is enormous. They have set us
on a path that gives the society a new sense of its mission; the task now is to
keep us on that path while expanding our roles and our activities to develop
that mission. I remind Martin that Past Presidents play a major role in the
society...and Kim, you can’t get away either.
I
view our role during the next two years as one that encourages and fosters the
impetus that has been set, and at the same time, broadens our perspective and
our leadership in biology and the science of complexity generally--while
maintaining our focus on integrative and comparative biology, and all that
those terms mean. We must devote considerable time to consolidating our gains,
to make it clear that the Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology is
committed to serve its loyal constituency well, and then to extend that
constituency as is appropriate to the mission of the society. We must work to
make its voice on significant issues in biology, science more broadly, and
societal needs more apparent, sought after, respected and appreciated, because
it is based on our scientific expertise. We must communicate to our
constituency the role, position, and perspective of our new management group,
with whom I already enjoy working and seeing their expertise. More than
anything, I think, we must encourage broader participation in the immediate and
long-range activities of our society. We have a wonderful, stalwart group of
loyal colleagues who serve the society in so many ways; at the same time, it is
important that we enlist ever more participants --in the professorate and the
profession generally, and our colleagues-in-training (= students) -- so that we
have both a continuum of service and a constant infusion of new ideas and
perspectives. We will be seeking an ever-broader range of participation in all
society activities. I would also like to see the society expand its
perspective, but with a strong emphasis on its guiding principles of
organismal, integrative, and comparative biology. These principles are not
restricted to taxa or to geographic or political entities. I believe that we
can foster a broader emphasis on biology by encouraging the participation of
scientists whose taxa may not be zoological, or may be zoological
and
botanical
and
“microbial”, as well as colleagues from other nations who have
simultaneously “discovered” anew the importance of our fundamental
principles, to participate in our societal deliberations. We won’t lose
our appreciation for zoology and animals, in fact we can enhance it, but we can
better inform that appreciation by communicating similar perspectives from
colleagues in other fields and from other countries. We will benefit from a
broader input of perspectives and ideas, and we can form new collaborations
that support our teaching and research through involvement in SICB.
So,
I see four major goals for the next biennium--increased participation,
increased communication, increased input of perspective to and from the
“larger world”, and representation of the contribution of
integrative and comparative biology to science and society. The task is at
once formidable, but exhilarating in its potential, and our course is well
established. I welcome your commitment to these goals and to SICB, your
advice, and especially your involvement in any way that you chose--please let
me know directly what you would like to do. I look forward to working with you
all!
Cordially,
Marvalee
H. Wake