SICB newsletter 04-2005


Home	Volume Spring 2005
Contents Message from the President Sarah A. Woodin Message from the Treasurer Ron Dimock Message from the Program Officer Catherine Loudon Message from the Secretary and Business Meeting Minutes Sunny K. Boyd Elections News and Announcements Committee Reports Divisional Newsletters Animal Behavior (DAB) Comparative Endocrinology (DCE) Comparative Physiology and Biochemistry (DCPB) Evolutionary Developmental Biology (DEDB) Ecology and Evolution (DEE) Invertebrate Zoology (DIZ) Neurobiology (DNB) Systematic and Evolutionary Biology (DSEB) Vertebrate Morphology (DVM)	View/Download this newsletter in PDF format Division of Evolutionary Developmental Biology (DEDB) and Division of Developmental and Cell Biology (DDCB): 2005 Spring Newsletter In this newsletter: Message from the Chair Message from the Program Officer Message from the Secretary Message from the Student/Postdoc Representative Candidates for Elections Message from the Chair Brian K. Hall Dear Member of DEDB and DDCB, I hope that those of you who attended the 2005 meeting in San Diego have fond memories of another highly successfully meeting, despite the cool and rainy weather and the scramble for places in some of the smaller rooms. Developmental, cell biology and evo-devo all were well represented in symposia, platform talks and posters. Our collective thanks to Frietson Galis for organizing such an enjoyable and successful divisional social. Details of matters discussed at the divisional business meeting may be found in Frietson's report below. An outline of divisional symposia for the 2006 meeting in Orlando Florida, January 4-8 may be found in the report from the program officer, Eduardo Rosa-Molinar. DEDB and DDCB formed an association at the January 2004 meeting. The details of the document of association may be found in Frietson's report in the Spring 2004 Newsletter. Two clauses from the document are reproduced below: "With this memorandum the Division of Developmental and Cell Biology, hereafter called DDCB, and the Division of Evolutionary Developmental Biology, hereafter called DEDB, of the Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology, hereafter called SICB, confirm their decision to form an Association to perform the business and scientific program functions of a Division of SICB as detailed below. The Association shall continue as long as it is perceived by the membership in the interest of the participating parties, DDCB, DEDB and SICB. The Association may be dissolved unilaterally by a vote of one of the participating Divisions. The vote has to be a simple majority of those members of the Division participating in the vote." I draw your attention to the second clause. Unless we hear to the contrary, the officers of the combined division will assume that members wish to continue to operate the business of the two divisions in concert. Any concerns, opinions, ideas, comments, critiques or suggestions on the association should be communicated to one the officers. It is important to note that this is an association and not an amalgamation of the two divisions. The difference is critical. We want to foster cell, developmental and evolutionary developmental biology, not subordinate cell or developmental to evo-devo. Consequently, presentations, symposia and other activities that further the three sub-fields are encouraged vigorously. We retain our association with the two journals Evolution & Development and the Journal of Experimental Zoology Part B. Molecular and Development Evolution and encourage you to subscribe and to submit papers. Three positions will be open to be filled from the end of the 2006 meeting in January - Chair, Secretary-elect, and Program Officer-elect. The chair will serve for the two years 2006 and 2007. Secretary-elect and Program Officer-elect are new positions, approved at the business meeting in San Diego. The intent is to provide a mechanism by which individuals can be introduced to their roles for one year (2006) as Sec- or PO-elect and then serve a two-year term (2007, 2008) as Sec. or PO. Nominations for these three positions should be sent to the chair of the nominations committee, Patricia Hernandez Department of Biological Sciences, The George Washington University, Lisner Hall 340, 2023 G Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20052 (phernand@gwu.edu) by 15 May 2005. For information required of each nominee, see under "Candidates for Elections" in the Spring 2004 divisional newsletter. Message from the Program Officer Eduardo Rosa-Molinar !Saludos de Puerto Rico! I hope that all of you are doing well. Below you will find a summary of my report to the membership of the Division of Evolutionary Developmental Biology (DEDB)/Division of Development Cell Biology at the Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB) 2005 Annual Meeting held at the Town and Country Resort and Convention Center in San Diego, California as well as other news and announcements. By January 4, 2005 we had over 1,550 registrants in attendance with over 600 students. The symposia sponsored by DEDB/DDCB in 2005 were: "Terminal Addition, Segmentation, and the Evolution of Metazoan Body Plan Regionalization" Organizer(s): Nigel Hughes (U. of California/Riverside) and David K. Jacobs (UCLA) Sponsoring Division(s): DEDB and DDCB (primary), DSEB, DIZ, DVM, and the Paleontological Society (additional) "The New Microscopy: Toward a Phylogenetic Synthesis" Organizer(s): Ruth Ann Dewel (Appalachian State University), Kathy Coates (Bermuda Biological Station), Mary Beth Thomas, Clay Cook (Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution), Julian Smith (Winthrop University) Sponsoring Affiliate Society: American Microscopical Society (primary) Sponsoring Division(s): DEE, DNB, DIZ, DEDB and DDCB, and DSEB (additional) "WormNet: Recent Advances in Annelid Systematics, Development, and Evolution" Organizer(s): Kenneth M. Halanych (Auburn University) Sponsoring Division(s): DIZ, DSEB, DEDB and DDCB (primary) "Evolution and Development of the Vertebrate Dentition" Organizer(s): Moya Smith (King's College London Dental Institute) Sponsoring Division(s): DEDB, DVM, DDCB, and DSEB (primary) I want to thank all of the organizers for their hard work and effort in getting together outstanding symposia put together. This is the “glue” of the meeting. The symposia approved to be sponsored by DEDB/DDCB in 2006 are: "Movers and Shakers: The Evolution and Development of Mesoderm" Organizer(s): Brad Davidson and John Gerhart Sponsoring Division(s): DEDB and DDCB (primary) "Zebrafish in Comparative Context" Organizer(s): Jackie Webb and Thomas Schilling Sponsoring Division(s): DEDB and DDCB, and DVM (primary) Sponsoring Affiliate Society: American Microscopical Society (additional) DAB - Division of Animal Behavior; DCE - Division of Comparative Endocrinology; DCPB - Division of Comparative Physiology & Biochemistry; DDCB - Division of Developmental & Cell Biology; DEDB - Division of Evolutionary; Developmental Biology; DEE - Division of Ecology & Evolution; DIZ - Division of Invertebrate Zoology; DNB - Division of Neurobiology; DSEB - Division of Systematic & Evolutionary Biology; DVM - Division of Vertebrate Morphology I have requested a significant increase in DEDB/DDCB divisional budget this year (and beyond), primarily because the National Science Foundation (NSF) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding for symposia will be significantly less this year and next year than it was in the past. My fund raising efforts have increased, and to make access to funds easier and enhance fund raising efforts, I recommended that we centralize the effort in Burk and Associates, with their taking responsibility for holding and distributing these funds when requested. The Divisional Program Officers (DPO's) unanimously agreed that the Best Student Paper (BSP) award programs administered by most of the SICB divisions would benefit from standardizing some (but not all) of the procedures and requirements of those programs. Our specific recommendations to the Executive Committee and membership are as follows: (1) eliminate division affiliation requirements for the BSP programs (currently division affiliation is a requirement by DCPB, DEE, and DIZ, but not DAB, DCE, DDCB, DEDB, DSEB, or DVM) Rationale for Change: This change acknowledges the scientific overlap among the divisions and promotes interaction among them. In addition, the requirement recommended for elimination is fairly minor, as students can change divisional affiliation with a single click on their SICB member information page. This latter point means that enforcement of the current requirement is difficult, at best. (2) an individual awarded the first place BSP (oral) from any division will be ineligible to compete for the BSP (oral) in that same division or any other division in the future. Similarly, an individual awarded the first place BSP (poster) from any division will be ineligible to compete for the BSP (poster) in that same division or any other division in the future. An individual could compete for a poster award after winning an oral award, and vice versa (currently there are divisional restrictions in the number of awards that any individual can win in DCPB, DDCB, DEE, and DEDB, but not in DAB, DCE, DIZ, DSEB, or DVM). Rationale for Change: This change would give the society an increased opportunity to acknowledge a larger number of students making outstanding presentations. With elimination of division affiliation requirements (#1), it seemed important to enforce this rule at the society level rather than just at the divisional level. The DPO's are not recommending standardizing the other differences in divisional programs (such as number of individual awards, amount of awards, criteria used [i.e. standardize the oral and poster evaluation forms.]) We will need to vote on the proposed changes. I have asked Frietson to put recommended changes on the divisional electronic bulletin board for discussion before we vote on it. Check the electronic bulletin board and provide your input on this important issue. This year's Best Student Paper winners were: Handrigan, G.R. The Case of the Anuran Backbone: Missing Vertebrae and Genetic Culprits.* (Faculty Collaborator: R.J. Wassersug). Matus, D.Q. The Role of COE Genes on the Evolution of the Metazoan Nervous System. (Faculty Collaborator: M. Q. Martindale). In addition to receiving a check ($100.00), each student will receive a signed copy of Sean Carrol's 2^nd edition of "From DNA to Diversity." I'm sure DDEB/DDCB joins me in congratulating our winners, collaborators, and faculty collaborators for their outstanding work and presentations. I would also like to thank Blackwell, specifically Nancy Whilton, for continued support. I proposed that the membership of DEDB/DDCB contemplate amending the divisional bylaws to elect a DPO-elect so that this person could begin training for the position when my term comes to an end. This discussion will also be put on the electronic bulletin board for discussion. I requested and am reminding the membership of DEDB/DDCB to review the list of "keywords." Keywords will make programming easier and provide better linkages with symposia and contributed papers and poster. I will get this list and post it on the electronic bulletin board for your review and comment. I really need membership input on this now! Our new Society-wide Program Officer is Linda Walters. I'm sure DDEB/DDCB joins me in congratulating Linda in her new role. The 2005 program planning meeting to finalize the January 4-8 2006 SICB meeting will be held October 8^th and 9^thin Orlando, Florida, site of the 2006 meeting. Keep checking the SICB website (http://www.sicb.org) and reading the DEDB/DCDB newsletter and electronic bulletin board for updates and issues regarding the 2006 meeting in Orlando, Florida The deadline for submitting materials for symposia for the 2007 meeting in Tucson, Arizona is August 19, 2005. If you have ideas drop me an email (ed@hpcf.upr.edu). The topic "Evo-Devo" has been targeted by the Digital Library. Those of you interested in working on this project should talk with Trish Morse. Another issue discussed extensively in the meeting are the radial changes in store for our society journal Integrative Comparative Biology (ICB), including: electronic editing the Washington Consortium will be passing the baton when the opportunity arises. changing our current publisher (Allen Press). Publishers that are in the competion are: Elsevier, Oxford, Blackwell, Karger, and others. Stay tuned. Finally (a lot of stuff) keep sending your original research papers and/or symposia to Evolution and Development (Blackwell Publishing), Molecular and Developmental Evolution (Wiley), American Naturalist, and Biosciences (AIBS). Hasta pronto amigos! Message from the Secretary Frietson Galis Dear members of the DEDB and DCDB, The high quality of the talks and discussions in our sessions and the high attendance are a sign of the livelihood and well-being of our division. I would like to thank Ed Rosa-Molinar and the other program officers for making such a good program. I would like to thank Brian Hall for energetically and insightfully leading our division. Here are the minutes of our well-attended business meeting at the conference: Business meeting DEDB, Thursday, 6 January 2005 Opening of the meeting by the Chair, Brian Hall. Approval of the minutes of the January 2004 meeting. The proposal at the 2004 meeting to reduce the duration of a contributed talk from 20 minutes to 15 minutes is still being considered as an option. There is no support for this proposal among our members. It is strongly felt that in particular for talks that address integrative issues 15 minutes is not sufficient. Report of the program officer, Eduardo Rosa-Molinar (see his report in this newsletter). Report of the secretary - On-line fora: SICB Webmaster Ruediger Birenheide has created the possibility for members of SICB to participate in on-line fora. We would like to determine whether any members of the DEDB/DDCB are interested in organizing a forum that would deal with matters relating to evolutionary developmental, developmental or cell biology. If so, please contact me: galis@rulsfb.leidenuniv.nl. Please also contact me if you have views for or against such an on-line forum. - Improved attractiveness of our web pages: We kindly ask all our members to provide a paragraph on their research and to illustrate this with an image in Jpg-format (galis@rulsfb.leidenuniv.nl). For inspiration you can check the web pages of the DEE: http://sicb.org/divisions/dee.php3 Joe Thompson notifies our members of the digital library, a faculty resource that is contributed by members and that can be used for teaching. The resource can include lecture ideas, lab excercises and background information for particular concepts. It will be posted on the website of SICB and the NSF Biology educations networks. Currently there are two modules, biomechanics and environmental endocrinology. It is proposed that evo-devo could become the third topic area. Our members are asked for comments (galis@rulsfb.leidenuniv.nl). Proposal for By-law changes, attendees approved the proposal to vote online on amendments and the proposal to introduce a secretary-elect and a program officer-elect. With respect to the introduction of the secretary-elect and program officer-elect we would like to propose a change in the duration of the terms of the secretary and program officer, such that the total duration of the term of officer-elect and subsequently of officer will be three years, see below for the complete proposal of Bylaw changes. Report of the student/post-doc representative, Brad Davidson Symposium in 2006 "Movers and Shakers, The evolution of mesoderm", organized by Brad Davidson and John Gerhart, see report of the program officer. As noted in the minutes, we would be very pleased if you would contribute to embellish our web pages, please contact me (galis@rulsfb.leidenuniv.nl). We would like our web pages to radiate the enthusiasm that we all feel for our discipline. Message from the Student/Postdoc Representative Nathan Bird Greetings fellow graduate students and post-docs. Even all of the rain could not damper another great meeting in San Diego, and I hope you all enjoyed the meeting as much as I did. Another great showing for DEDB, with a rich amount of great evo-devo talks and posters. I was also glad to see so many of you at the grad student lunch, and if you missed out on that or the workshops, I hope everyone can attend at the next meeting. I also hope to see more student involvement at the DEDB business meeting; it is the best way to keep informed of issues faced by DEDB as well as the whole society. Next, I would like to thank Brad Davidson for his wonderful work over the past few years as our representative, and I hope to keep the tradition going. Feel free to contact me at nbird@gwu.edu with any comments, questions, or concerns regarding any society, division, or SPDAC issues. Good luck on your research in the upcoming year. Best wishes, Nathan Bird DEDB Candidates for Elections Proposal for changes in the bylaws of DEDB and DCDB: DEDB Bylaw changes. a) We would like to create the possibility for our divisions to use electronic ballots when voting about decision. To this end we need to change the bylaws. We, therefore, propose to change article XVII, see below. b) We would like to create the position of secretary-elect, so that a secretary elect can learn what to do from the current secretary before having to fulfill the position. The secretary elect would serve for one year and then serve a two-year term as secretary of the division. See below for proposed article V, X and Xa. c) We would like to propose that the term for secretary and program-officer becomes two years, like the term for the chair, instead of three years. Together with the year as elect there will be a three year term, see below for proposed article VIII and Xa. Proposed Article XVII. The passage of regular business at the annual business meeting of the Division shall be by a majority vote of those in attendance. Regular business may also be carried out by a mailed or e-mailed ballot, with passage dependent upon a majority vote of those votes received, either by mail or by e-mail. Current version: Article XVII. The passage of regular business at the annual business meeting of the Division shall be by a majority vote of those in attendance. Regular business may also be carried out by a mailed ballot with passage dependent upon a majority vote of those received in return. Proposed Article V. Officers The Officers of the Division shall be a Chair, a Past Chair, a Chair-Elect, a Program Officer, a Program Officer-Elect a Secretary and a Secretary elect. All Officers except the Chair, Past Chair, Program Officer and secretary shall be elected by majority vote of all those members responding to a ballot submitted to the entire membership of the division, as required by the bylaws of the Society, at least sixty days before the expiration of the current officers' terms. The post of Chair will be filled automatically every two years by elevation of the previous year's Chair-Elect. In addition, the office of Past Chair shall be occupied by the individual whose term of office as Chair has most recently ended. The post of Program Officer shall be filled automatically by the elevation of the Program Officer-Elect, who will be elected one year prior to the expiration of the Program Officer's term. The post of Program Officer-Elect shall be limited to one year, the year prior to his/her elevation to the office of Program Officer. The post of Secretary shall be filled automatically by the elevation of the Secretary-Elect, who will be elected one year prior to the expiration of the Secretary's term. The post of Secretary-Elect shall be limited to one year, the year prior to his/her elevation to the office of Secretary. The terms of all officers shall be filled on the basis of the calendar year, beginning January 1. Graduate and postdoctoral representatives are appointed by the Chair. Current version of Article V. Officers The Officers of the Division shall be a Chair, a Past Chair, a Chair-Elect, a Program Officer, a Program Officer-Elect and a Secretary. All Officers except the Chair, Past Chair and Program Officer shall be elected by majority vote of all those members responding to a ballot submitted to the entire membership, as required by the bylaws of the Society, at least sixty days before the expiration of the current officers' terms. The post of Chair will be filled automatically every two years by elevation of the previous year's Chair-Elect. In addition, the office of Past Chair shall be occupied by the individual whose term of office as Chair has most recently ended. The post of Program Officer shall be filled automatically by the elevation of the Program Officer-Elect, who will be elected one year prior to the expiration of the Program Officer's term. The post of Program Officer-Elect shall be limited to one year, the year prior to his/her elevation to the office of Program Officer. The terms of all officers shall be filled on the basis of the calendar year, beginning January 1. Graduate and postdoctoral representatives are to be appointed by the Chair. Proposed Article VIII. Program Officer The Program Officer shall be responsible for the arrangement of programs at the meetings of the Division. He/She shall serve for a term of two years and shall be eligible for re-election through the office of Program Officer-Elect. The Program Officer shall chair the Program Planning Committee, a standing committee composed of the members of the Divisional Committee plus the Program Officer-Elect as stipulated in Article IX. Current Article VIII. Program Officer The Program Officer shall be responsible for the arrangement of programs at the meetings of the Division. He/She shall serve for a term of three years and shall be eligible for re-election through the office of Program Officer-Elect. The Program Officer shall chair the Program Planning Committee, a standing committee composed of the members of the Divisional Committee plus the Program Officer-Elect as stipulated in Article IX. Proposed Article Xa. Secretary-Elect The Secretary-Elect shall assume the duties of the Secretary whenever that person is unable to act. He/She shall serve for a term of one year after which he/she shall automatically assume the position of Secretary for a two-year term. Proposal: Article X. Secretary The Secretary shall keep the records of the Division and handle the business affairs and shall perform such other duties as may from time to time be assigned to him/her. He/She shall serve for a term of two years and shall be eligible for re-election through the office of Secretary-Elect. Current version: Article X. Secretary The Secretary shall keep the records of the Division and handle the business affairs and shall perform such other duties as may from time to time be assigned to him/her. He/She shall serve for a term of three years and shall be eligible for re-election. Article V. Officers The Officers of the Division shall be a Chair, a Past Chair, a Chair-Elect, a Program Officer, a Program Officer-Elect and a Secretary. All Officers except the Chair, Past Chair, Program Officer and secretary shall be elected by majority vote of all those members responding to a ballot submitted to the entire membership, as required by the bylaws of the Society, at least sixty days before the expiration of the current officers' terms. The post of Chair will be filled automatically every two years by elevation of the previous year's Chair-Elect. In addition, the office of Past Chair shall be occupied by the individual whose term of office as Chair has most recently ended. The post of Program Officer shall be filled automatically by the elevation of the Program Officer-Elect, who will be elected one year prior to the expiration of the Program Officer's term. The post of Program Officer-Elect shall be limited to one year, the year prior to his/her elevation to the office of Program Officer. The post of Secretary shall be filled automatically by the elevation of the Secretary-Elect, who will be elected one year prior to the expiration of the Secratary's term. The post of Secretary-Elect shall be limited to one year, the year prior to his/her elevation to the office of Secretary. The terms of all officers shall be filled on the basis of the calendar year, beginning January 1. Graduate and postdoctoral representatives are to be appointed by the Chair. Current version of Article V. Officers The Officers of the Division shall be a Chair, a Past Chair, a Chair-Elect, a Program Officer, a Program Officer-Elect and a Secretary. All Officers except the Chair, Past Chair and Program Officer shall be elected by majority vote of all those members responding to a ballot submitted to the entire membership, as required by the bylaws of the Society, at least sixty days before the expiration of the current officers' terms. The post of Chair will be filled automatically every two years by elevation of the previous year's Chair-Elect. In addition, the office of Past Chair shall be occupied by the individual whose term of office as Chair has most recently ended. The post of Program Officer shall be filled automatically by the elevation of the Program Officer-Elect, who will be elected one year prior to the expiration of the Program Officer's term. The post of Program Officer-Elect shall be limited to one year, the year prior to his/her elevation to the office of Program Officer. The terms of all officers shall be filled on the basis of the calendar year, beginning January 1. Graduate and postdoctoral representatives are to be appointed by the Chair. DDCB bylaw changes We propose to make it possible to vote using electronic ballots and not only mail ballots, see proposals for articles XVI, XVII. We propose to make it possible to elect officers using electronic ballots and not only mail ballots, see proposal for article V. Article XVI. Amendments These Bylaws may be amended in response to a ballot by two-thirds vote of those ballots received, provided that notice has been given to all members sixty days in advance. Article XVII. The passage of regular business at the annual business meeting of the Division shall be by a majority vote of those in attendance. Regular business may also be carried out by a ballot with passage dependent upon a majority vote of those received in return. Current version of Article XVI. Amendments These Bylaws may be amended in response to a mailed ballot by two-thirds vote of those ballots received, provided that notice has been given to all members sixty days in advance. Current version of Article XVII. The passage of regular business at the annual business meeting of the Division shall be by a majority vote of those in attendance. Regular business may also be carried out by a mailed ballot with passage dependent upon a majority vote of those received in return. Article V. Officers The Officers of the Division shall be a Chair, a Past Chair, a Chair-Elect, a Program Officer, a Program Officer-Elect and a Secretary. All Officers except the Chair, Past Chair and Program Officer shall be elected by majority vote of all those members responding to a ballot submitted to the entire membership, as required by the bylaws of the Society at least sixty days before the expiration of the current officers terms. The post of Chair will be filled automatically every two years by elevation of the previous year's Chair-Elect. In addition, the office of Past Chair shall be occupied by the individual whose term of office as Chair has most recently ended. The post of Program Officer shall be filled automatically by the elevation of the Program Officer-Elect, who will be elected one year prior to the expiration of the Program Officers term. The post of Program Officer-Elect shall be limited to one year, the year prior to his/her elevation to the office of Program Officer. The terms of all officers shall be filled on the basis of the calendar year, beginning January 1. Current version of Article V. Officers The Officers of the Division shall be a Chair, a Past Chair, a Chair-Elect, a Program Officer, a Program Officer-Elect and a Secretary. All Officers except the Chair, Past Chair and Program Officer shall be elected by majority vote of all those members responding to a mail ballot submitted to the entire membership at least sixty days before the expiration of the current officers terms. The post of Chair will be filled automatically every two years by elevation of the previous year's Chair-Elect. In addition, the office of Past Chair shall be occupied by the individual whose term of office as Chair has most recently ended. The post of Program Officer shall be filled automatically by the elevation of the Program Officer-Elect, who will be elected one year prior to the expiration of the Program Officers term. The post of Program Officer-Elect shall be limited to one year, the year prior to his/her elevation to the office of Program Officer. The terms of all officers shall be filled on the basis of the calendar year, beginning January 1. Link to officer list on DEDB page

Home

Volume Spring 2005

Contents

Message from the President
Sarah A. Woodin

Message from the Treasurer
Ron Dimock

Message from the Program Officer
Catherine Loudon

Message from the Secretary and Business Meeting Minutes
Sunny K. Boyd

Elections

News and Announcements

Committee Reports

Divisional Newsletters

Animal Behavior (DAB)

Comparative Endocrinology (DCE)

Comparative Physiology and Biochemistry (DCPB)

Evolutionary Developmental Biology (DEDB)

Ecology and Evolution (DEE)

Invertebrate Zoology (DIZ)

Neurobiology (DNB)

Systematic and Evolutionary Biology (DSEB)

Vertebrate Morphology (DVM)

View/Download this newsletter in PDF format

Division of Evolutionary Developmental Biology (DEDB) and Division of Developmental and Cell Biology (DDCB): 2005 Spring Newsletter
In this newsletter:

Message from the Chair

Message from the Program Officer

Message from the Secretary

Message from the Student/Postdoc Representative

Candidates for Elections

Message from the Chair

Brian K. Hall

Dear Member of DEDB and DDCB,

I hope that those of you who attended the 2005 meeting in San Diego have fond memories of another highly successfully meeting, despite the cool and rainy weather and the scramble for places in some of the smaller rooms. Developmental, cell biology and evo-devo all were well represented in symposia, platform talks and posters. Our collective thanks to Frietson Galis for organizing such an enjoyable and successful divisional social. Details of matters discussed at the divisional business meeting may be found in Frietson's report below. An outline of divisional symposia for the 2006 meeting in Orlando Florida, January 4-8 may be found in the report from the program officer, Eduardo Rosa-Molinar.

DEDB and DDCB formed an association at the January 2004 meeting. The details of the document of association may be found in Frietson's report in the Spring 2004 Newsletter. Two clauses from the document are reproduced below:

"With this memorandum the Division of Developmental and Cell Biology, hereafter called DDCB, and the Division of Evolutionary Developmental Biology, hereafter called DEDB, of the Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology, hereafter called SICB, confirm their decision to form an Association to perform the business and scientific program functions of a Division of SICB as detailed below.

The Association shall continue as long as it is perceived by the membership in the interest of the participating parties, DDCB, DEDB and SICB. The Association may be dissolved unilaterally by a vote of one of the participating Divisions. The vote has to be a simple majority of those members of the Division participating in the vote."

I draw your attention to the second clause. Unless we hear to the contrary, the officers of the combined division will assume that members wish to continue to operate the business of the two divisions in concert. Any concerns, opinions, ideas, comments, critiques or suggestions on the association should be communicated to one the officers.

It is important to note that this is an association and not an amalgamation of the two divisions. The difference is critical. We want to foster cell, developmental and evolutionary developmental biology, not subordinate cell or developmental to evo-devo. Consequently, presentations, symposia and other activities that further the three sub-fields are encouraged vigorously.

We retain our association with the two journals Evolution & Development and the Journal of Experimental Zoology Part B. Molecular and Development Evolution and encourage you to subscribe and to submit papers.

Three positions will be open to be filled from the end of the 2006 meeting in January - Chair, Secretary-elect, and Program Officer-elect.

The chair will serve for the two years 2006 and 2007.

Secretary-elect and Program Officer-elect are new positions, approved at the business meeting in San Diego. The intent is to provide a mechanism by which individuals can be introduced to their roles for one year (2006) as Sec- or PO-elect and then serve a two-year term (2007, 2008) as Sec. or PO. Nominations for these three positions should be sent to the chair of the nominations committee, Patricia Hernandez Department of Biological Sciences, The George Washington University, Lisner Hall 340, 2023 G Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20052 (phernand@gwu.edu) by 15 May 2005. For information required of each nominee, see under "Candidates for Elections" in the Spring 2004 divisional newsletter.

Message from the Program Officer

Eduardo Rosa-Molinar

!Saludos de Puerto Rico!

I hope that all of you are doing well. Below you will find a summary of my report to the membership of the Division of Evolutionary Developmental Biology (DEDB)/Division of Development Cell Biology at the Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB) 2005 Annual Meeting held at the Town and Country Resort and Convention Center in San Diego, California as well as other news and announcements.

By January 4, 2005 we had over 1,550 registrants in attendance with over 600 students. The symposia sponsored by DEDB/DDCB in 2005 were:

"Terminal Addition, Segmentation, and the Evolution of Metazoan Body Plan Regionalization"

Organizer(s): Nigel Hughes (U. of California/Riverside) and David K. Jacobs (UCLA)

Sponsoring Division(s): DEDB and DDCB (primary), DSEB, DIZ, DVM, and the Paleontological Society (additional)

"The New Microscopy: Toward a Phylogenetic Synthesis"

Organizer(s): Ruth Ann Dewel (Appalachian State University), Kathy Coates (Bermuda Biological Station), Mary Beth Thomas, Clay Cook (Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution), Julian Smith (Winthrop University)

Sponsoring Affiliate Society: American Microscopical Society (primary)
Sponsoring Division(s): DEE, DNB, DIZ, DEDB and DDCB, and DSEB (additional)

"WormNet: Recent Advances in Annelid Systematics, Development, and Evolution"

Organizer(s): Kenneth M. Halanych (Auburn University)

Sponsoring Division(s): DIZ, DSEB, DEDB and DDCB (primary)

"Evolution and Development of the Vertebrate Dentition"

Organizer(s): Moya Smith (King's College London Dental Institute)

Sponsoring Division(s): DEDB, DVM, DDCB, and DSEB (primary)

I want to thank all of the organizers for their hard work and effort in getting together outstanding symposia put together. This is the “glue” of the meeting.

The symposia approved to be sponsored by DEDB/DDCB in 2006 are:

"Movers and Shakers: The Evolution and Development of Mesoderm"

Organizer(s): Brad Davidson and John Gerhart

Sponsoring Division(s): DEDB and DDCB (primary)

"Zebrafish in Comparative Context"

Organizer(s): Jackie Webb and Thomas Schilling

Sponsoring Division(s): DEDB and DDCB, and DVM (primary)

Sponsoring Affiliate Society: American Microscopical Society (additional)

*DAB - Division of Animal Behavior; DCE - Division of Comparative Endocrinology; DCPB - Division of Comparative Physiology & Biochemistry; DDCB - Division of Developmental & Cell Biology; DEDB - Division of Evolutionary; Developmental Biology; DEE - Division of Ecology & Evolution; DIZ - Division of Invertebrate Zoology; DNB - Division of Neurobiology; DSEB - Division of Systematic & Evolutionary Biology; DVM - Division of Vertebrate Morphology

I have requested a significant increase in DEDB/DDCB divisional budget this year (and beyond), primarily because the National Science Foundation (NSF) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding for symposia will be significantly less this year and next year than it was in the past. My fund raising efforts have increased, and to make access to funds easier and enhance fund raising efforts, I recommended that we centralize the effort in Burk and Associates, with their taking responsibility for holding and distributing these funds when requested.

The Divisional Program Officers (DPO's) unanimously agreed that the Best Student Paper (BSP) award programs administered by most of the SICB divisions would benefit from standardizing some (but not all) of the procedures and requirements of those programs. Our specific recommendations to the Executive Committee and membership are as follows:

(1) eliminate division affiliation requirements for the BSP programs (currently division affiliation is a requirement by DCPB, DEE, and DIZ, but not DAB, DCE, DDCB, DEDB, DSEB, or DVM)

Rationale for Change: This change acknowledges the scientific overlap among the divisions and promotes interaction among them. In addition, the requirement recommended for elimination is fairly minor, as students can change divisional affiliation with a single click on their SICB member information page. This latter point means that enforcement of the current requirement is difficult, at best.

(2) an individual awarded the first place BSP (oral) from any division will be ineligible to compete for the BSP (oral) in that same division or any other division in the future. Similarly, an individual awarded the first place BSP (poster) from any division will be ineligible to compete for the BSP (poster) in that same division or any other division in the future. An individual could compete for a poster award after winning an oral award, and vice versa (currently there are divisional restrictions in the number of awards that any individual can win in DCPB, DDCB, DEE, and DEDB, but not in DAB, DCE, DIZ, DSEB, or DVM).

Rationale for Change: This change would give the society an increased opportunity to acknowledge a larger number of students making outstanding presentations. With elimination of division affiliation requirements (#1), it seemed important to enforce this rule at the society level rather than just at the divisional level.

The DPO's are not recommending standardizing the other differences in divisional programs (such as number of individual awards, amount of awards, criteria used [i.e. standardize the oral and poster evaluation forms.]) We will need to vote on the proposed changes. I have asked Frietson to put recommended changes on the divisional electronic bulletin board for discussion before we vote on it. Check the electronic bulletin board and provide your input on this important issue.

This year's Best Student Paper winners were:

Handrigan, G.R. The Case of the Anuran Backbone: Missing Vertebrae and Genetic Culprits.

(Faculty Collaborator: R.J. Wassersug).

Matus, D.Q. The Role of COE Genes on the Evolution of the Metazoan Nervous System.

(Faculty Collaborator: M. Q. Martindale).

In addition to receiving a check ($100.00), each student will receive a signed copy of Sean Carrol's 2^nd edition of "From DNA to Diversity." I'm sure DDEB/DDCB joins me in congratulating our winners, collaborators, and faculty collaborators for their outstanding work and presentations. I would also like to thank Blackwell, specifically Nancy Whilton, for continued support.

I proposed that the membership of DEDB/DDCB contemplate amending the divisional bylaws to elect a DPO-elect so that this person could begin training for the position when my term comes to an end. This discussion will also be put on the electronic bulletin board for discussion.

I requested and am reminding the membership of DEDB/DDCB to review the list of "keywords." Keywords will make programming easier and provide better linkages with symposia and contributed papers and poster. I will get this list and post it on the electronic bulletin board for your review and comment. I really need membership input on this now!

Our new Society-wide Program Officer is Linda Walters. I'm sure DDEB/DDCB joins me in congratulating Linda in her new role.

The 2005 program planning meeting to finalize the January 4-8 2006 SICB meeting will be held October 8^th and 9^thin Orlando, Florida, site of the 2006 meeting. Keep checking the SICB website (http://www.sicb.org) and reading the DEDB/DCDB newsletter and electronic bulletin board for updates and issues regarding the 2006 meeting in Orlando, Florida

The deadline for submitting materials for symposia for the 2007 meeting in Tucson, Arizona is August 19, 2005. If you have ideas drop me an email (ed@hpcf.upr.edu).

The topic "Evo-Devo" has been targeted by the Digital Library. Those of you interested in working on this project should talk with Trish Morse.

Another issue discussed extensively in the meeting are the radial changes in store for our society journal Integrative Comparative Biology (ICB), including:

electronic editing

the Washington Consortium will be passing the baton when the opportunity arises.

changing our current publisher (Allen Press). Publishers that are in the competion are: Elsevier, Oxford, Blackwell, Karger, and others. Stay tuned.

Finally (a lot of stuff) keep sending your original research papers and/or symposia to Evolution and Development (Blackwell Publishing), Molecular and Developmental Evolution (Wiley), American Naturalist, and Biosciences (AIBS).

Hasta pronto amigos!

Message from the Secretary

Frietson Galis

Dear members of the DEDB and DCDB,

The high quality of the talks and discussions in our sessions and the high attendance are a sign of the livelihood and well-being of our division. I would like to thank Ed Rosa-Molinar and the other program officers for making such a good program. I would like to thank Brian Hall for energetically and insightfully leading our division.

Here are the minutes of our well-attended business meeting at the conference:

Business meeting DEDB, Thursday, 6 January 2005

Opening of the meeting by the Chair, Brian Hall.

Approval of the minutes of the January 2004 meeting.

The proposal at the 2004 meeting to reduce the duration of a contributed talk from 20 minutes to 15 minutes is still being considered as an option. There is no support for this proposal among our members. It is strongly felt that in particular for talks that address integrative issues 15 minutes is not sufficient.

Report of the program officer, Eduardo Rosa-Molinar (see his report in this newsletter).

Report of the secretary

- On-line fora:

SICB Webmaster Ruediger Birenheide has created the possibility for members of SICB to participate in on-line fora. We would like to determine whether any members of the DEDB/DDCB are interested in organizing a forum that would deal with matters relating to evolutionary developmental, developmental or cell biology.

If so, please contact me: galis@rulsfb.leidenuniv.nl. Please also contact me if you have views for or against such an on-line forum.

- Improved attractiveness of our web pages:

We kindly ask all our members to provide a paragraph on their research and to illustrate this with an image in Jpg-format (galis@rulsfb.leidenuniv.nl). For inspiration you can check the web pages of the DEE: http://sicb.org/divisions/dee.php3

Joe Thompson notifies our members of the digital library, a faculty resource that is contributed by members and that can be used for teaching. The resource can include lecture ideas, lab excercises and background information for particular concepts. It will be posted on the website of SICB and the NSF Biology educations networks. Currently there are two modules, biomechanics and environmental endocrinology. It is proposed that evo-devo could become the third topic area. Our members are asked for comments (galis@rulsfb.leidenuniv.nl).

Proposal for By-law changes, attendees approved the proposal to vote online on amendments and the proposal to introduce a secretary-elect and a program officer-elect. With respect to the introduction of the secretary-elect and program officer-elect we would like to propose a change in the duration of the terms of the secretary and program officer, such that the total duration of the term of officer-elect and subsequently of officer will be three years, see below for the complete proposal of Bylaw changes.

Report of the student/post-doc representative, Brad Davidson

Symposium in 2006 "Movers and Shakers, The evolution of mesoderm", organized by Brad Davidson and John Gerhart, see report of the program officer.

As noted in the minutes, we would be very pleased if you would contribute to embellish our web pages, please contact me (galis@rulsfb.leidenuniv.nl). We would like our web pages to radiate the enthusiasm that we all feel for our discipline.

Message from the Student/Postdoc Representative

Nathan Bird

Greetings fellow graduate students and post-docs. Even all of the rain could not damper another great meeting in San Diego, and I hope you all enjoyed the meeting as much as I did. Another great showing for DEDB, with a rich amount of great evo-devo talks and posters. I was also glad to see so many of you at the grad student lunch, and if you missed out on that or the workshops, I hope everyone can attend at the next meeting. I also hope to see more student involvement at the DEDB business meeting; it is the best way to keep informed of issues faced by DEDB as well as the whole society.

Next, I would like to thank Brad Davidson for his wonderful work over the past few years as our representative, and I hope to keep the tradition going. Feel free to contact me at nbird@gwu.edu with any comments, questions, or concerns regarding any society, division, or SPDAC issues. Good luck on your research in the upcoming year.

Best wishes,

Nathan Bird

DEDB Candidates for Elections

Proposal for changes in the bylaws of DEDB and DCDB:

*DEDB Bylaw changes.*

a) We would like to create the possibility for our divisions to use electronic ballots when voting about decision. To this end we need to change the bylaws. We, therefore, propose to change article XVII, see below.

b) We would like to create the position of secretary-elect, so that a secretary elect can learn what to do from the current secretary before having to fulfill the position. The secretary elect would serve for one year and then serve a two-year term as secretary of the division. See below for proposed article V, X and Xa.

c) We would like to propose that the term for secretary and program-officer becomes two years, like the term for the chair, instead of three years. Together with the year as elect there will be a three year term, see below for proposed article VIII and Xa.

Proposed *Article XVII. *

The passage of regular business at the annual business meeting of the Division shall be by a majority vote of those in attendance. Regular business may also be carried out by a mailed or e-mailed ballot, with passage dependent upon a majority vote of those votes received, either by mail or by e-mail.

*Current version: Article XVII. *

The passage of regular business at the annual business meeting of the Division shall be by a majority vote of those in attendance. Regular business may also be carried out by a mailed ballot with passage dependent upon a majority vote of those received in return.

Proposed *Article V. Officers*

The Officers of the Division shall be a Chair, a Past Chair, a

Chair-Elect, a Program Officer, a Program Officer-Elect a Secretary and a Secretary elect. All Officers except the Chair, Past Chair, Program Officer and secretary shall be elected by majority vote of all those members responding to a ballot submitted to the entire membership of the division, as required by the bylaws of the Society, at least sixty days before the expiration of the current officers' terms. The post of Chair will be filled automatically every two years by elevation of the previous year's Chair-Elect. In addition, the office of Past Chair shall be occupied by the individual whose term of office as Chair has most recently ended. The post of Program Officer shall be filled automatically by the elevation of the Program Officer-Elect, who will be elected one year prior to the expiration of the Program Officer's term. The post of Program Officer-Elect shall be limited to one year, the year prior to his/her elevation to the office of Program Officer. The post of Secretary shall be filled automatically by the elevation of the Secretary-Elect, who will be elected one year prior to the expiration of the Secretary's term. The post of Secretary-Elect shall be limited to one year, the year prior to his/her elevation to the office of Secretary. The terms of all officers shall be filled on the basis of the calendar year, beginning January 1. Graduate and postdoctoral representatives are appointed by the Chair.

*Current version of Article V. Officers*

The Officers of the Division shall be a Chair, a Past Chair, a Chair-Elect, a Program Officer, a Program Officer-Elect and a Secretary. All Officers except the Chair, Past Chair and Program Officer shall be elected by majority vote of all those members responding to a ballot submitted to the entire membership, as required by the bylaws of the Society, at least sixty days before the expiration of the current officers' terms. The post of Chair will be filled automatically every two years by elevation of the previous year's Chair-Elect. In addition, the office of Past Chair shall be occupied by the individual whose term of office as Chair has most recently ended. The post of Program Officer shall be filled automatically by the elevation of the Program Officer-Elect, who will be elected one year prior to the expiration of the Program Officer's term. The post of Program Officer-Elect shall be limited to one year, the year prior to his/her elevation to the office of Program Officer. The terms of all officers shall be filled on the basis of the calendar year, beginning January 1. Graduate and postdoctoral representatives are to be appointed by the Chair.

Proposed *Article VIII. Program Officer*

The Program Officer shall be responsible for the arrangement of programs at the meetings of the Division. He/She shall serve for a term of two years and shall be eligible for re-election through the office of Program Officer-Elect. The Program Officer shall chair the Program Planning Committee, a standing committee composed of the members of the Divisional Committee plus the Program Officer-Elect as stipulated in Article IX.

Current *Article VIII. Program Officer*

The Program Officer shall be responsible for the arrangement of programs at the meetings of the Division. He/She shall serve for a term of three years and shall be eligible for re-election through the office of Program Officer-Elect. The Program Officer shall chair the Program Planning Committee, a standing committee composed of the members of the Divisional Committee plus the Program Officer-Elect as stipulated in Article IX.

Proposed *Article Xa. Secretary-Elect *

The Secretary-Elect shall assume the duties of the Secretary whenever that person is unable to act. He/She shall serve for a term of one year after which he/she shall automatically assume the position of Secretary for a two-year term.

*Proposal: Article X. Secretary*

The Secretary shall keep the records of the Division and handle the business affairs and shall perform such other duties as may from time to time be assigned to him/her. He/She shall serve for a term of two years and shall be eligible for re-election through the office of Secretary-Elect.

Current version:

*Article X. Secretary*

The Secretary shall keep the records of the Division and handle the business affairs and shall perform such other duties as may from time to time be assigned to him/her. He/She shall serve for a term of three years and shall be eligible for re-election.

*Article V. Officers*

The Officers of the Division shall be a Chair, a Past Chair, a Chair-Elect, a Program Officer, a Program Officer-Elect and a Secretary. All Officers except the Chair, Past Chair, Program Officer and secretary shall be elected by majority vote of all those members responding to a ballot submitted to the entire membership, as required by the bylaws of the Society, at least sixty days before the expiration of the current officers' terms. The post of Chair will be filled automatically every two years by elevation of the previous year's Chair-Elect. In addition, the office of Past Chair shall be occupied by the individual whose term of office as Chair has most recently ended. The post of Program Officer shall be filled automatically by the elevation of the Program Officer-Elect, who will be elected one year prior to the expiration of the Program Officer's term. The post of Program Officer-Elect shall be limited to one year, the year prior to his/her elevation to the office of Program Officer. The post of Secretary shall be filled automatically by the elevation of the Secretary-Elect, who will be elected one year prior to the expiration of the Secratary's term. The post of Secretary-Elect shall be limited to one year, the year prior to his/her elevation to the office of Secretary. The terms of all officers shall be filled on the basis of the calendar year, beginning January 1. Graduate and postdoctoral representatives are to be appointed by the Chair.

*Current version of Article V. Officers*

The Officers of the Division shall be a Chair, a Past Chair, a Chair-Elect, a Program Officer, a Program Officer-Elect and a Secretary. All Officers except the Chair, Past Chair and Program Officer shall be elected by majority vote of all those members responding to a ballot submitted to the entire membership, as required by the bylaws of the Society, at least sixty days before the expiration of the current officers' terms. The post of Chair will be filled automatically every two years by elevation of the previous year's Chair-Elect. In addition, the office of Past Chair shall be occupied by the individual whose term of office as Chair has most recently ended. The post of Program Officer shall be filled automatically by the elevation of the Program Officer-Elect, who will be elected one year prior to the expiration of the Program Officer's term. The post of Program Officer-Elect shall be limited to one year, the year prior to his/her elevation to the office of Program Officer. The terms of all officers shall be filled on the basis of the calendar year, beginning January 1. Graduate and postdoctoral representatives are to be appointed by the Chair.

*DDCB bylaw changes*

We propose to make it possible to vote using electronic ballots and not only mail ballots, see proposals for articles XVI, XVII.

We propose to make it possible to elect officers using electronic ballots and not only mail ballots, see proposal for article V.

*Article XVI. Amendments*

These Bylaws may be amended in response to a ballot by two-thirds vote of those ballots received, provided that notice has been given to all members sixty days in advance.

*Article XVII. *

The passage of regular business at the annual business meeting of the Division shall be by a majority vote of those in attendance. Regular business may also be carried out by a ballot with passage dependent upon a majority vote of those received in return.

*Current version of Article XVI. Amendments*

These Bylaws may be amended in response to a mailed ballot by two-thirds vote of those ballots received, provided that notice has been given to all members sixty days in advance.

*Current version of Article XVII. *

The passage of regular business at the annual business meeting of the Division shall be by a majority vote of those in attendance. Regular business may also be carried out by a mailed ballot with passage dependent upon a majority vote of those received in return.

*Article V. Officers*

The Officers of the Division shall be a Chair, a Past Chair, a Chair-Elect, a Program Officer, a Program Officer-Elect and a Secretary. All Officers except the Chair, Past Chair and Program Officer shall be elected by majority vote of all those members responding to a ballot submitted to the entire membership, as required by the bylaws of the Society at least sixty days before the expiration of the current officers terms. The post of Chair will be filled automatically every two years by elevation of the previous year's Chair-Elect. In addition, the office of Past Chair shall be occupied by the individual whose term of office as Chair has most recently ended. The post of Program Officer shall be filled automatically by the elevation of the Program Officer-Elect, who will be elected one year prior to the expiration of the Program Officers term. The post of Program Officer-Elect shall be limited to one year, the year prior to his/her elevation to the office of Program Officer. The terms of all officers shall be filled on the basis of the calendar year, beginning January 1.

*Current version of Article V. Officers*

The Officers of the Division shall be a Chair, a Past Chair, a Chair-Elect, a Program Officer, a Program Officer-Elect and a Secretary. All Officers except the Chair, Past Chair and Program Officer shall be elected by majority vote of all those members responding to a mail ballot submitted to the entire membership at least sixty days before the expiration of the current officers terms. The post of Chair will be filled automatically every two years by elevation of the previous year's Chair-Elect. In addition, the office of Past Chair shall be occupied by the individual whose term of office as Chair has most recently ended. The post of Program Officer shall be filled automatically by the elevation of the Program Officer-Elect, who will be elected one year prior to the expiration of the Program Officers term. The post of Program Officer-Elect shall be limited to one year, the year prior to his/her elevation to the office of Program Officer. The terms of all officers shall be filled on the basis of the calendar year, beginning January 1.

Link to officer list on DEDB page