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Division of Comparative Physiology & Biochemistry (DCPB): 2003 Fall Newsletter

In this newsletter:




Message from the Chair

Nora B. Terwilliger

Congratulations to Dr. Jason Podrabsky, the 11th Bartholomew Award winner! Jason obtained his BS degree from Oregon State University, where he joined George Somero's lab as an undergraduate research assistant. As a doctoral student with Steve Hand at University of Colorado, he began his field studies and research on gene expression on Austrofundulus limnaeus, a killifish from Venezuela. He returned to the Somero lab at Hopkins Marine Station as a post-doctoral fellow and moved into the realm of DNA microarray technology. Jason is currently a new assistant professor at Portland State University, Oregon (and a new father). He is continuing his outstanding work on alterations in gene expression during ontogeny of this annual fish, including the effects of diurnal and seasonal changes in temperature experienced by the animal. You'll get to hear all about his research when you come to New Orleans for the SICB 2004 annual meeting and attend the Bartholomew Award lecture.

The SICB 2004 meeting promises to be a stimulating week of science with excellent symposia, posters, and contributed papers, as well as the festivities for which New Orleans is famous. DCPB members will want to be sure to put Tuesday's society-wide symposium honoring George Bartholomew on their meeting calendar. It features lectures by our outstanding group of past Bartholomew Awardees as well as Bart himself. Tuesday evening will feature the Bartholomew Award lecture by Jason Podrabsky, with a reception and DCPB Social immediately following the lecture. Two other symposia with special DCPB focus include Ontogeny of Physiological Regulatory Mechanisms: Fitting into the Environment as well as Selection Experiments as a Tool in Evolutionary and Comparative Physiology: Insights into Complex Traits. The fun doesn't stop there however; since the research interests of most members of our division are integrative and comparative, we'll be challenged with many intriguing choices during the entire meeting. This diversity of topics is one of the strengths of the SICB meeting, of course, which distinguishes it from some of the more specialized meetings we each attend. For more information on the program, see the comments of our DCPB Program Officer, Michael Dickinson. He and the other Program Officers have done a superb job in weaving together the program for this Louisiana meeting.

We encourage all members, including students and post-docs, to attend our DCPB Business Meeting, which will be held on Tuesday, January 7, 2003. Mary Chamberlin, our Secretary, spearheaded a committee that revised the DCPB Bylaws. Please review her portion of this newsletter, including the recommended revisions, so that you can vote knowledgably on the Bylaws at our Business Meeting. At the meeting you will also get a good preview of coming attractions in the area of comparative physiology and biochemistry.

Congratulations to Paul Yancey, who has been elected Secretary of DCPB. He will be assuming his new role at the New Orleans meeting.

Let the good times roll...





Message from the Program Officer

Michael Dickinson

Over 1100 Abstracts were submitted to SICB this year, a sizable increase over 2002. In reading through physiology and biochemistry entries at the recent program officer's meeting, I was impressed by the diversity of both topics and taxa. Comparative Physiology is alive and well!

This year's meeting in New Orleans is chock-o-block with events and symposia of interest to DCPB members. Tuesday is a big day. The symposium to honor George Bartholomew will run from 8:00am to 3:30pm. Special thanks to Ray Huey and Gretchen Hofmann for organizing this chance to pay tribute to a seminal figure in comparative physiology. In case you were thinking of slipping down to Bourbon street for a Hurricane from 5:30 to 6:30 (after the poster sessions ends), please save that time for the Divisional Business Meeting. The Bartholomew Award Lecture will start at 6:30, followed by a reception at 7:30.

A DCPB-sponsored symposium entitled, 'Selection experiments as a tool in evolutionary and comparative physiology: Insights into complex traits' will start on Wednesday morning. John Swallow and Ted Garland have organized an intriguing and comprehensive collection of talks, which includes research on over a dozen different model systems. A SICB-wide symposium entitled, 'In vino veritas: The comparative biology of ethanol consumption' will also start Wednesday morning. Talks in this collection will link the peculiar ethanol-tolerant physiology of fruit flies, fruit bats, and primates. Another DCPB-sponsored symposium entitled, 'Ontogeny of physiological regulatory mechanisms: fitting into the environment', will run on Thursday afternoon. This interdisciplinary collection of talks was organized by Carl Reiber.

Contributed oral presentations related to DCPB will run Wednesday through Friday. Given the expected interested in the Bartholomew Symposium, the program officers managed to keep Tuesday free. Relevant posters will be distributed throughout the meeting.

Now the all important Program Officer's culinary tips:

  • Best Muffuletta Sandwich: Napolean House

  • Best Beignet: Cafe du Monde

  • Best (relatively cheap) Cajun: Gumbo Shop

  • Best (expensive) Cajun: Bon Ton Cafe

  • Best Oyster: Acme Oyster House (it is worth the wait)

  • Best Bar: Molly's at the Market (try to act like a local)

Laissez les bons temps roulez!

P.S. It is never too soon to start planning for the 2006 meeting. Please email me (flyman@caltech.edu) to discuss your ideas.






Message from the Secretary

Mary E. Chamberlin

Below you will find the revised DCPB Bylaws. Many thanks to the members of an ad hoc Bylaws committee (Nora Terwilliger, Donna Wolcott, Lou Burnett, Steve Hand, Michael Dickinson, Jennifer Head) for their input on this matter. The Bylaws that are currently on the web (http://sicb.org/handbook/bylaws.php3#dcpbbylaws) are incorrect in that they are missing a section on the Best Student Paper Award, which had been approved by the members of DCPB in the 1990's. Fortunately, Lou Burnett had a copy of the original wording:

"Article XII. Awards
A. Monetary first-, second-, and third-place awards and other recognition may be given to graduate student members of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology for superior papers and for superior poster presentations at annual scientific meetings of the Division. The research must be original and conducted exclusively by the student. Ordinarily the paper should be single-authored, but joint authorship with the adviser will be allowed if a letter from the adviser certifies that the student worked independently. Postdoctoral fellows may participate in the competition when they present results of studies used in the preparation of the dissertation. In case of a tie, duplicate awards may be given. The Chairperson of the Division shall appoint annually a sufficient number of divisional members to serve as judges. A minimum of two judges will evaluate each paper or presentation. The formal title for these awards is: "DCPB Best Student Paper Award, named in honor of distinguished comparative physiologists and biochemists." Immediately following this title will be a list of the names (plus year dates of birth and death) of those (deceased) distinguished persons who have been members of the Division or otherwise significantly involved with it who have been formally designated by the Divisional Executive as worthy of inclusion. The Division will recognize each year's winners by award to them of cash prizes and certificates signed by all current Divisional officers. These certificates will be presented to them at the next subsequent Divisional business meeting."

We have modified this description and included it in the revised Bylaws. Another major change to the Bylaws is a new Article X regarding the Graduate Student Representative. Other revisions are minor amendments and corrections. All proposed deletions are crossed out and all proposed additions appear in bold italics. Amendments to the Bylaws will be voted on at the DCBP Business Meeting (Tuesday, January 7, 2003). Please read these revised bylaws and come to the divisional Business Meeting to participate in the discussion and cast your vote!



SOCIETY FOR INTEGRATIVE AND COMPARATIVE BIOLOGY
DIVISION OF COMPARATIVE PHYSIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY BYLAWS


(As amended December 1983; December 28, 1986; December 1988; September 1990; December 1993; March 1995; December 1995; January 2002)

Article I. Organization

The name of this division shall be the Division of Comparative Physiology and Biochemistry of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology. It shall be governed in accordance with the Constitution and Bylaws of the Society.

Article II. Membership

Any member of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology may register with the Executive Director of the Society as a member of the Division of Comparative Physiology and Biochemistry, and may withdraw from the roll of the Division at any time on notice to the Executive Director.

Article III. Purpose

The purpose of the Division shall be to facilitate communication among comparative physiologists and biochemists.

Article IV. Officers

Officers of the Division shall be a Chair, a Chair-Elect, a Past Chair, a Program Officer and a Secretary. They shall be elected by a majority vote of the members conducted by a mail ballot prior to the annual meeting by a procedure consonant with the Bylaws of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology. In the case when a divisional office is unexpectedly vacated, the current Nominating Committee will recommend to the Chair an interim officer who will be appointed to serve the remainder of the term. The Officers plus the graduate student representative shall constitute an Executive Committee responsible for divisional affairs. The business year of the Division shall run January 1 through December 31.

Article V. Chair

The Chair shall preside at business meetings of the Division, and shall represent the Division on the Executive Committee of the Society. Each year the Chair shall appoint a Nominating Committee of three divisional members and such other committees or representatives to committees as may be desirable to promote affairs of the Division in the Society. All proposals submitted on behalf of the Division to granting agencies shall be signed by the Chair or be delegated by the Chair for approval by the Chair-elect. The Chair shall serve a term of two years and shall not be eligible for reelection within three years.

Article VI. Chair-Elect

The Chair-Elect shall assume the duties of the Chair whenever that person is unable to act, and shall succeed the Chair. Election shall be for a term of one year, beginning with the second year of the Chair term.

Article VII. Past Chair

The Past Chair shall assist the Chair and other members of the divisional Executive Committee in handling divisional affairs. The Past Chair assumes this position upon completion of a term as chair and shall serve for two years. The Past Chair shall serve as a member of the Nominating Committee.

Article VIII. Program Officer

The Program Officer shall arrange programs for meetings of the Division, which shall include coordination of joint or special programs with the Program Officer of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology and with the program officers or secretaries of other divisions or societies when desirable. Election shall be for a term of two years. The Program Officer shall not be eligible for reelection within two years.

Article IX. Secretary

The Secretary shall keep divisional records, coordinate the production of the biannual Divisional newsletter, and conduct business affairs in consultation with the Executive Director, the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology. The term of elective office shall be two years and alternate with the term of the Program Officer. The Secretary shall not be eligible for reelection within two years.

Article X. Graduate Student Representative

The Division Chair shall appoint a Graduate Student Representative for a term concurrent with the Division Chair. The Graduate Student Representative will contribute to the biannual Divisional newsletter and represent DCPB at the graduate student/postdoc lunch at the annual Society meeting. The Graduate Student Representative will serve on the Divisional Executive Committee as a non-voting member.

Article XI. Finances

Necessary expenditures of the Division shall be paid from the treasury of the Society within the limits set by the Executive Committee of the Society in the annual budget. The Chair shall authorize all disbursements, and coordinate financial procedures with the Executive Officer of the Society.

Article XII. Meetings

A business meeting of the Division shall be held annually, normally concurrent with meetings of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology. Notice of this and other meetings shall be sent at least sixty (60) days in advance to all members of the Division.

Article XIII. Awards

A. Best Student Paper Awards

Two awards will be given in the Best Student Paper competition at the Annual Meeting, one for the best oral presentation and one for the best poster presentation. Each year the award will be titled in honor of a distinguished comparative physiologist or biochemist. The name of the honored person will be selected by the DCPB Executive Committee. Each award will include a certificate and monetary prize. Undergraduate students and graduate students who have not yet been awarded the PhD are eligible for the award, as are new PhD's who have received the degree no more than 12 months prior to the meeting. The work must be original and must be carried out principally by the student presenting the paper or poster. A student who applies must be a member of the Division of Comparative Physiology and Biochemistry. In any one year, a student can enter either the oral or poster competition. A student awarded either the top DCPB poster or talk prize is not eligible for future DCPB student presentation contests. The DCPB Chair will appoint a DCPB member to chair the student competition and, in consultation with that member, will select the other judges.

B. Bartholomew Award

An annual prize may be given to a young investigator for distinguished contributions to comparative physiology and biochemistry or to related fields of functional and integrative biology. The formal title for this award is "The George A. Bartholomew Award." Eligible candidates are those who have completed their doctorate within the past seven years. The Chair of the Division shall appoint an Award Committee consisting of at least three divisional members with diverse interests to serve as judges. The Chair of the Division will designate one of the members as the chair of the Award Committee. Committee members will normally serve for no more than three years, with at least one member being replaced each year. Candidates may apply directly or be nominated, but both types of candidates will be evaluated equivalently. Applicants shall submit to the Chair of the Award Committee a short description of their work, selected reprints, and a curriculum vitae; and also request three letters of recommendation. Nominators must arrange for these same materials (except that only two additional letters of recommendation are required) to be submitted to the Committee. The Committee may recommend for approval one candidate to the Chair of the Division. Each year's winner will be invited to present a special address at the annual meeting. The Chair of the Division may authorize reimbursement of appropriate expenses incurred by the winner in attending the meeting. The Chair may also authorize a cash prize. The awardee will be presented with a certificate signed by all current Divisional officers.

Article XIVII. Publications

The Division (DCPB) sponsors two research journals: a) Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology (CBP) ; and b) Physiological and Biochemical Zoology (PBZ) . The terms of the relationships between DCPB and these journals are:

a) This section recognizes that the DCPB of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology is one of several societies that sponsor the journal Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology (CBP).

i) CBP will have up to nine Associate Editors, which will expand to 12 in the future, and 36 Editorial Board Members. The terms of service of the Associate Editors will be three years, non-renewable until at least three additional years have passed. The Editors, however, following a timely third year review of the performance of the Associate Editors carried out in consultation with the DCPB Executive, may renew the appointment of the an Associate Editor if the Editors determine that this is in the best interests of CBP. Such a reappointment will be for only one additional three year term. The terms of service of the Editorial Board Members will be three years, non-renewable until at least three additional years have passed. The eEditors, however, following timely third year reviews of the performance of the an Editorial Board member carried out in consultation with the DCPB Executive, may renew the appointments of Editorial Board for one additional three year term if the Editors determine this is in the best interest of CBP. No individual will be appointed for more than two consecutive terms. In the event that either the an Associate Editor or one or more of the Editorial Board members resigns or is otherwise unable to complete his/her term, the Editors will follow the regular nomination and appointment processes to find replacements. These replacements will then serve regular three-year terms.

ii) In the appointment of the Associate Editors and the Editorial Board, the Editors will attempt to achieve a balance of international and regional representation. There will normally be two Associate Editors representing DCPB. These appointments are made by the Editors from a list of candidates nominated by the DCPB Executive. All candidates on these lists must be mutually acceptable to both sides. Associate Editors must be active members of DCPB. The DCPB will be represented by six (6) appointments to the Editorial Board.

iii) One of the Associate Editors or his/her designated representative will present annual oral and written reports on the activities of the journal at the Business Meetings of DCPB.

iv) The overall intent of this section is that all aspects of the relationship between DCPB and CBP will be carried out on the basis of full and open consultation, shared responsibility and collegiality.

b) The Editor of PBZ is appointed by the Board of University Publications, University of Chicago (BUPUC) based on the recommendation of the DCPB Executive. The Editor shall serve for a term of five years, with reappointment for only one additional term permissible. The Editor may request the appointment of an associate editor(s). The appointment(s) of aAssociate eEditor(s) will be made by the BUPUC with the approval of the DCPB Executive. The Editorial Board of Physiological and Biochemical Zoology shall be appointed by the eEditor, following consultation with the DCPB Executive. Early in the fifth year, the DCPB Executive will review the performance of the eEditor and recommend to BUPUC whether or not the eEditor should be appointed to a second five-year term. In the event that the editor resigns early or is otherwise unable to complete his/her term, the BUPUC will consult with the DCPB Executive and appoint a mutually agreeable replacement, who will then serve a five-year term and be eligible for an additional term. The term of office of the aAssociate eEditor(s) will be coterminous with that of the editor.

The aAssociate eEditor(s) shall serve for a term of five years, with reappointment for one additional term permissible; members of the Editorial Board shall serve for terms of three years, with reappointment for one additional term permissible. No individual will be appointed for more than two consecutive terms.

The Editor or his/her designated representative will present annual oral and written reports on the activities of the journal at the Business Meetings of DCPB.

The overall intent of this section, excluding the business aspects of journal operations that are the purview of BUPUC, and the day-to-day editorial matters that are the purview of the editorial staff, is that all aspects of the relationship between BUPUC, the editorial staff and DCPB will be carried out on the basis of equal authority, shared responsibility and collegiality.

Article XIV. Annual Report

The Division shall report in writing to the Secretary, the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology, in advance of the annual meeting of the Society. Its official notices and voted actions shall be included in the records of the Society.

Article XVI. Amendments

The Bylaws may be amended at any annual meeting by a two-thirds vote of those present provided that notice has been given to all members at least sixty (60) days in advance or by at least two-thirds vote of the members responding to a mail ballot. In either case, it is the responsibility of the divisional executive to assure that opportunities for discussion, either verbal or written, occur before a ballot is taken.






Message from the Graduate Student/Postdoc Representative

Jennifer Head

Greetings DCBP student members! As we prepare for the upcoming SICB meeting in New Orleans there are a few deadlines to be aware of. By this time, I am sure everyone is aware that the dates of the 2004 meeting have been changed to January 5-9. The last day to register with the SICB business office is Thursday, December 4, 2003. Keep in mind that generous student support is available via the SICB Student Support Program (http://www.sicb.org/meetings/2004/studentsupport.php3). Although the deadline for the 2004 meeting will have passed by the time you read this newsletter, be sure to keep this program in mind for the 2005 meeting in San Diego.

Speaking of funding opportunities, several scientific organizations offer grants called GIAR (Grants-in-AID of Research). These are generally awarded to students in support of scientific investigation in any field and usually fund costs such as the purchase of special equipment and travel to and from a research site. The maximum award is generally $1000.00. Sigma Xi (75% of funds are awarded to Sigma Xi members or students whose primary advisors are members) offers a GIAR. Deadlines are October 15 and March 15 annually. SICB also offers a GIAR program. The SICB GIAR deadline is November 24, 2003. The Student Support Committee encourages all graduate student members of SICB to apply. SICB also offers the Fellowship for Graduate Student Travel ($2000.00). Students may apply to one award per program year. Check out these web pages for more information:

Good luck with all that you have going on. As usual, feel free to write (jhead@oimb.uoregon.edu) with questions and comments. Hope to see you all at the meeting in New Orleans!






Link to officer list on DCPB page