Committee Reports
Educational Council
John Pilger, Chair
The
Educational Council will co-sponsor two special events at the annual meeting in
Chicago. The first, organized by Ali Whitmer, will focus on science education
reform. Titled "Developing and Restructuring Science Curricula: A "How to"
Symposium", it will feature sections on funding opportunities, university and
educational resources and presentations by individuals whose programs represent
outstanding examples of curriculum reform.
The
second symposium is "Science, Entertainment and Teaching: Bringing Cutting Edge
Biology to the Public and Teaching Community." Stuart Sumida and Elizabeth Rega
have organized this unique daylong program. The two primary sessions are
provocatively titled "Toys and Teaching: Lessons from Scientists" and
"Entertainment Tools: Lessons for Scientists." A roundtable and panel
discussion will follow.
As
we step forward to begin the implementation of out strategic agenda two notable
actions have begun. First, in an effort to accomplish the ambitious program we
asked SICB members to allow the Educational Council to increase its membership
from six to up to ten individuals. This request was passed by majority vote in
the elections held earlier this year. We are now recruiting these members.
An
important part of our strategic agenda is to consider ways we can build on the
popular and important "Science as a Way of Knowing" symposium held about a
decade ago. We are attempting to assemble a steering committee that will
provide a vision for this venture by assessing potential target audiences,
funding avenues and the manner in which it could be effectively disseminated.
The
members of the Educational Council are always interested in hearing from others
who value excellence in science education. Please feel free to contact any
member with your thoughts and ideas. You are also welcome to attend the
Council's business meeting.
Program Advisory Committee
Robert Dores, Chair
The
Program Advisory Committee (PAC)
has the following membership for 2000/2001: Albert Bennett (University of
California, Irvine), David Carrier (University of Utah), Robert Dores
(University of Denver; chair), John Edwards (University of Washington), David
Epel (Stanford University), Theodore Garland (University of Wisconsin), Sue
Herring (University of Washington), Gretchen Hofmann (Arizona State
University), Fredric Janzen (Iowa State University), Elizabeth Jockusch
(University of Connecticut), Jon Norenburg (National Museum of Natural History,
Smithsonian Institute), and John Pearse (University of California, Santa Cruz).
PAC
members are appointed by the president of SICB.
The
charge of the committee is to evaluate proposals and initiatives that will
facilitate the execution of the SICB strategic plan. Currently,
PAC
is evaluating proposals for the Innovative Programming Fund. The president has
set aside $25,000 for the current fiscal year to support proposals that will
"expand the membership of SICB." In the first round we have been seeking
proposals that will introduce new interest groups to SICB or improve divisional
programming efforts.
The
committee will meet in Chicago at the annual meeting to set the criteria for
the next round of "Innovative Programming" proposals. These criteria will be
sent to the division program officers and posted on the SICB WEB site. The next
proposal deadline is April 1, 2001.
Public
Affairs Committee
Miriam
Ashley-Ross, Chair
The
Public Affairs Committee is completing another successful year of
facilitating
communication between SICB and the public. For the Media
Workshop
at the upcoming SICB Annual Meeting in Chicago, our committee
has
selected the theme of Science Documentaries: Behind the Scenes. We
will
bring together several individuals who straddle the worlds of
academia
and film production to present their views on the process of
making
effective documentaries, how topics and scientists are chosen,
and
what it takes to bring the finished product to the audience.
Participants
currently include Geoff Haines-Stiles, Project Director of
the
"Passport to Knowledge" and "Live FromΣ" series, and Tierney Thys,
Science
Editor of the upcoming "Shape of Life" documentary series. The
workshop
will be held on Thursday, January 4, from 1-3 pm.
The
committee would also like to encourage members to attend several
other
events at the Annual Meeting dealing with communicating science to
the
public. Stuart Sumida and Elizabeth Rega have organized a symposium
entitled:
"Science, entertainment, and teaching: Bringing cutting edge
biology
to the public and teaching community." Several of the presenters
have
worked with film (including Disney) animators, so it promises to be
very
interesting. This symposium is scheduled for Friday, January 5. Ali
Whitmer
has organized "Developing and restructuring science curricula: A
"how
to" symposium," which will center on bringing the excitement of
doing
science into the classroom. This symposium will take place on
Saturday,
January 6. Finally, during the lunch break on Saturday,
January
6, SICB will hold an "evolution town meeting," featuring Eugenie
Scott
as an invited speaker, where strategies for countering the
creationist
onslaught will be discussed. All meeting attendees are
invited.
The
Public Affairs Committee will also be hosting a media reception on
the
opening night of the meeting to provide information to attending
media
representatives and allow symposium organizers to present the
contents
of their symposia first hand. We encourage all symposium
organizers
to plan to attend this reception.
Student
Support Committee (SSC)
David W. Borst, Chair
Grants-in-Aid
of Research:
Last
year, the SSC reviewed 96 applications for research grants and made 18 awards
(total awards = $12,000) to graduate students from 8 different divisions of
the SICB. We anticipate a similar level of support this year. The maximum
award is $1,000; the average award for the past few years has been $700.
Applicants
should be aware of the following rules
for receiving an award:
1) The
applicant must be a graduate student currently enrolled in a degree program;
2) Applicants must be active members of SICB (they may join when submitting the
application);
3) The
award must be spent in direct support of the proposed study (no stipends or
equipment purchases);
4) The
applicant may receive only one GIAR award;
5) Awards
are made payable to the individual recipients or to his/her department or
university;
6) No
part of an award may be used for the payment of indirect costs to the
recipient’s institution
.
Deadlines: The deadline this year for receipt of applications AND letters of
recommendation is November 15. LATE APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE REVIEWED.
Application
process:
All applications AND letters of recommendation must be submitted
electronically
this year using the forms located on the SICB website. For more information,
please visit:
http://www.sicb.org/grants/researchgrant.php3
Travel
Awards:
This
program provides partial support to students attending the annual meeting.
Last year in Atlanta, the SICB provided support for more than 170 students.
Nearly every eligible applicant was supported. These awards typically cover
either the meeting registration (worth $70) or a free hotel room with other
students (worth about $150-200 depending on the location). Applications are
due on November 17, 2000. Only students who are SICB members and who are
presenting
authors
of a paper or poster may apply for a SICB travel award. If you are granted
support of any type through the SICB Student Support Program you are
obligated
to provide assistance during the meeting; failure to fulfill your obligation
will cause immediate cancellation of your support.
For complete details of this program, visit the website
(
http://www.sicb.org/meetings/2001/studentsupport.php3).