SICB newsletter 11-2006


Home	Volume Fall 2006
Contents Professor George A. Bartholomew (1919-2006) William R. Dawson Experiences in Integrative and Comparative Biology Sally Woodin & John Pearse Message from the President Sarah A. Woodin Message from the President-Elect John Pearse Message from the Treasurer Ron Dimock Message from the Program Officer Linda Walters Message from the Secretary Lou Burnett News and Announcements Committee Reports Divisional Newsletters Animal Behavior (DAB) Comparative Biomechanics (DCB) 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 Comparative Endocrinology (DCE): 2006 Fall Newsletter In this newsletter: Message from the Chair Message from the Program Officer Message from the Secretary Message from the DCE Representative to the Student/Postdoctoral Affairs Committee Candidates for Elections Proposed Bylaw Changes Call for Symposia Proposals Message from the Chair Bob Denver (rdenver@umich.edu) We are looking forward to seeing many if not all of you in Phoenix this January. The meeting is shaping up very nicely and Michael Romero, our new DCE Program Officer, is busy planning the program. This year we are very pleased to announce that Nancy Sherwood of the University of Victoria, British Columbia will be presenting the Howard Bern Lectureship. The title of her presentation will be "The Endocrine System just before the Backbone: Genomics of the Spineless." There are many activities planned for graduate students at the annual meeting in Phoenix as well as a social for DCE members. Additionally, the scheduled presentations mentioned by Michael Romero below should highlight your experience. Please encourage all of your graduate students to attend as well as your colleagues. The DCE is very fortunate to have so many distinguished and active members. In the past year members of the DCE participated in several exciting scientific meetings. In March, Frank Moore hosted a very successful Western Regional Conference on Comparative Endocrinology (WRCCE) in Newport, Oregon. There were 88 registered participants, 46 oral presentations and 21 posters. Peter Thomas presented the annual Irving Geschwind Memorial Lecture; the title of his talk was "Novel steroid receptors in the plasma membrane coupled to G proteins." In August I attended a fantastic meeting of the Conference of European Comparative Endocrinologists held in Manchester, England and had the opportunity to interact with several DCE members who were in attendance. Mark your calendars for the next WRCCE to be held at Friday Harbor Laboratories in Washington and hosted by Lynn Riddiford (in March, 2007 - dates to be announced). Immediately after this meeting (March 26-28, 2007) the International Symposium on Amphibian and Reptile Endocrinology and Neurobiology (ISAREN) will be held in Berkeley, California. The ISAREN meeting in Berkeley and is being organized by Tyrone Hayes. I want to congratulate our new Program Officer Elect, Stephan Schoech. I also want to thank the nominating committee consisting of Mark Sheridan (chair), Erica Crespi and John Hatle for identifying excellent candidates for the Divisional Program Officer. You should also note that at the meeting in Orlando DCE members voted to approve several changes to our bylaws. Also, there was a change to our bylaws that was voted on recently by the DCE membership by electronic ballot. Each DCE member will now have a small annual assessment of $4 to allow our divisional support of regional meetings or international conferences for which we are official affiliates (e.g., International Federation of Comparative Endocrine Societies; IFCES). This was necessary because the Society's Finance Committee will no longer endorse divisional requests for such funds to be taken from the general funds. Please note that if you are planning a meeting for which you would like the DCE to provide funds you should contact the Chair of DCE well in advance, since these items need to be budgeted in advance. A link to the current version of the DCE bylaws can be found below in the Message from the Secretary. Finally, your elected representatives, Michael Romero and Kevin Kelley have been doing an outstanding job getting us ready for Phoenix and deserve a round of applause. I will see you at the DCE business meeting in Phoenix where I'm sure there will be some lively items for discussion. And, in the meantime, be sure to send me your thoughts and concerns about any aspect of DCE: rdenver@umich.edu. Message from the Program Officer L. Michael Romero (Michael.romero@tufts.edu) The 2007 meeting in Phoenix, Arizona The program for the upcoming meeting in Phoenix is almost set. A total of 1080 abstracts were submitted, which represents the second-most number of abstracts in SICB history. Of these, 463 requested oral presentations, 407 requested posters, and 62 requested either format (if you checked the "either" box make sure you check the format you've been assigned when the program becomes available). A total of 74 abstracts indicated DCE as their primary division. Finally, there were 155 abstracts affiliated with a symposium. Although DCE is not the primary sponsor for any of the symposia, several should be of interest, including "Recent developments in neurobiology" and "Ecology and evolution of disease dynamics." In addition to the scientific sessions, several other events have been set. This year's Howard Bern lecture will be given by Nancy Sherwood of the University of Victoria, British Columbia. Her lecture is scheduled for 6:30 on Friday evening. It will be preceded by the DCE business meeting and followed by the DCE social. This should be an exciting meeting, and I hope to see everyone there! Message from the Secretary Kevin M. Kelley (kmkelley@csulb.edu) Keep reading folks! In addition to my comments here, please also take a look below at the comments provided by our DCE Representative to the Society's Student/Postdoctoral Affairs Committee (SPDAC), Darren Lerner. The students and postdoctoral members have many social and professional opportunities at the Annual Meeting and through the SICB, thanks largely to the efforts of SPDAC. Since the Spring 2006 Newsletter, the DCE has approved by electronic vote an additional By-Law, "Article XIX. Assessment for Regional or International Comparative Endocrinology Meetings". This was designed to assist financially in supporting conferences and symposia through our Division, in the absence of available SICB funds. The newly refurbished DCE By-Laws, including Article XIX, can be viewed at www.sicb.org/handbook/bylaws.php3#dcebylaws. The election for the DCE Program Officer Elect brought forth Stephan Schoech, who will take this position at the end of the upcoming 2007 Annual Meeting. As always, thanks to all candidates who show the willingness to step forth to serve and support the DCE and SICB. From Bob Denver's comments above, I would like to add to his highlighting of the success of the Western Regional Conference on Comparative Endocrinology (WRCCE) in Newport, Oregon, this past spring. Frank Moore organized a superb conference, and re-energized the tradition, and it was one of the better small conferences that my students and I have attended in a long time. Next spring's WRCCE should also be fantastic, to be held at Friday Harbor Laboratories, hosted by Lynn Riddiford. These kinds of meetings, held by DCE members during the "off season", are great opportunities to more closely connect with our colleagues, and for our students and postdocs to do the same. For me, this year's Annual Meeting completes seven years of continuous service to SICB, two as DCE Secretary and five before that as Chair of the SPDAC. It's been a pleasure to have participated in this way for such a superb professional society as SICB. I look forward to enjoying the upcoming and future SICB meetings, bringing more students and postdocs, and always supporting this society. Cathy Propper will take over the DCE Secretary at the end of the 2007 Annual Meeting. The DCE is in very capable hands! Message from the DCE Representative to the Student/Postdoctoral Affairs Committee Darren T. Lerner (dlerner@forwild.umass.edu) Hello to all DCE graduate students and postdocs! I am looking forward to seeing you at our 2007 Annual Meeting in Phoenix (January 3-7^th). There are a number of events that you should be sure to attend, some of which are specifically designed for students. These include the Student "First Timer" Orientation, immediately following the Welcome to Phoenix Reception, a student/postdoc/mentor lunch (pending funding), and the student/postdoc workshop tentatively entitled: "What editors want: Paving the way to publication". For this workshop, a panel of editors-in-chief and associate editors will discuss and field questions on various topics ranging from how to choose the appropriate journal and how to write a cover letter to review mechanics and publication ethics. Don't miss out! The workshop will be immediately followed by the Society-Wide Social in Honor of Students and Postdocs. I also encourage you to attend the SICB and DCE business meetings. Please look at the meeting website for details (http://www.sicb.org/meetings/2007/index.php3) DCE offers two Best Student Paper awards at the Annual Meeting, one for the best oral presentation and one for the best poster presentation. Undergraduate students and graduate students who have not yet been awarded a 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. In any one year, a student can enter either the oral or the poster competition. SICB and a number of other organizations offer student grants and fellowships. DCE students may want to consider the following funding opportunities: SICB Grants in Aid of Research, due Nov. 19^th. http://sicb.org/grants/researchgrant.php3 SICB Fellowship of Graduate Student Travel, due Nov. 19^th, which provides funds for travel and other expenses at distant research laboratories, museums or field sites. http://sicb.org/grants/fgst/ SICB Libbie H. Hyman Memorial Scholarship, which provides assistance for students to take courses or to carry on research on invertebrates at a marine, freshwater, or terrestrial field station. Generally due in March. http://sicb.org/grants/hyman/ Fall 2007 EPA Science to Achieve Results (STAR) Fellowships, which funds research grants and graduate fellowships in numerous environmental science and engineering disciplines. Closing date Nov 28th. http://es.epa.gov/ncer/rfa/2007/2007_star_fellow.html Sigma Xi Grants-in-Aid of Research Program provides funding for the purchase of specific equipment necessary to undertake the proposed research project and travel to and from a research site. Proposals are due October 15th and March 15th. http://www.sigmaxi.org The National Science Foundation offers fellowships for new students (Graduate Research Fellowship http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=6201&org=DGE&from=home , due early-November) and for doctoral candidates (Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grants, Directorate for Biological Sciences http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2006/nsf05607/nsf05607.htm, due mid- November). Link to officer list on DCE page

Home

Volume Fall 2006

Contents

Professor George A. Bartholomew (1919-2006)
William R. Dawson

Experiences in Integrative and Comparative Biology
Sally Woodin & John Pearse

Message from the President
Sarah A. Woodin

Message from the President-Elect
John Pearse

Message from the Treasurer
Ron Dimock

Message from the Program Officer
Linda Walters

Message from the Secretary
Lou Burnett

News and Announcements

Committee Reports

Divisional Newsletters

Animal Behavior (DAB)

Comparative Biomechanics (DCB)

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 Comparative Endocrinology (DCE): 2006 Fall Newsletter
In this newsletter:

Message from the Chair

Message from the Program Officer

Message from the Secretary

Message from the DCE Representative to the Student/Postdoctoral Affairs Committee
Candidates for Elections

Proposed Bylaw Changes

Call for Symposia Proposals

Message from the Chair

Bob Denver (rdenver@umich.edu)

We are looking forward to seeing many if not all of you in Phoenix this January.

The meeting is shaping up very nicely and Michael Romero, our new DCE Program Officer, is busy planning the program. This year we are very pleased to announce that Nancy Sherwood of the University of Victoria, British Columbia will be presenting the Howard Bern Lectureship. The title of her presentation will be "The Endocrine System just before the Backbone: Genomics of the Spineless."

There are many activities planned for graduate students at the annual meeting in Phoenix as well as a social for DCE members. Additionally, the scheduled presentations mentioned by Michael Romero below should highlight your experience. Please encourage all of your graduate students to attend as well as your colleagues.

The DCE is very fortunate to have so many distinguished and active members. In the past year members of the DCE participated in several exciting scientific meetings. In March, Frank Moore hosted a very successful Western Regional Conference on Comparative Endocrinology (WRCCE) in Newport, Oregon. There were 88 registered participants, 46 oral presentations and 21 posters. Peter Thomas presented the annual Irving Geschwind Memorial Lecture; the title of his talk was "Novel steroid receptors in the plasma membrane coupled to G proteins." In August I attended a fantastic meeting of the Conference of European Comparative Endocrinologists held in Manchester, England and had the opportunity to interact with several DCE members who were in attendance.

Mark your calendars for the next WRCCE to be held at Friday Harbor Laboratories in Washington and hosted by Lynn Riddiford (in March, 2007 - dates to be announced). Immediately after this meeting (March 26-28, 2007) the International Symposium on Amphibian and Reptile Endocrinology and Neurobiology (ISAREN) will be held in Berkeley, California. The ISAREN meeting in Berkeley and is being organized by Tyrone Hayes.

I want to congratulate our new Program Officer Elect, Stephan Schoech. I also want to thank the nominating committee consisting of Mark Sheridan (chair), Erica Crespi and John Hatle for identifying excellent candidates for the Divisional Program Officer. You should also note that at the meeting in Orlando DCE members voted to approve several changes to our bylaws. Also, there was a change to our bylaws that was voted on recently by the DCE membership by electronic ballot. Each DCE member will now have a small annual assessment of $4 to allow our divisional support of regional meetings or international conferences for which we are official affiliates (e.g., International Federation of Comparative Endocrine Societies; IFCES). This was necessary because the Society's Finance Committee will no longer endorse divisional requests for such funds to be taken from the general funds. Please note that if you are planning a meeting for which you would like the DCE to provide funds you should contact the Chair of DCE well in advance, since these items need to be budgeted in advance. A link to the current version of the DCE bylaws can be found below in the Message from the Secretary.

Finally, your elected representatives, Michael Romero and Kevin Kelley have been doing an outstanding job getting us ready for Phoenix and deserve a round of applause. I will see you at the DCE business meeting in Phoenix where I'm sure there will be some lively items for discussion. And, in the meantime, be sure to send me your thoughts and concerns about any aspect of DCE: rdenver@umich.edu.

Message from the Program Officer

L. Michael Romero (Michael.romero@tufts.edu)

The 2007 meeting in Phoenix, Arizona

The program for the upcoming meeting in Phoenix is almost set. A total of 1080 abstracts were submitted, which represents the second-most number of abstracts in SICB history. Of these, 463 requested oral presentations, 407 requested posters, and 62 requested either format (if you checked the "either" box make sure you check the format you've been assigned when the program becomes available). A total of 74 abstracts indicated DCE as their primary division. Finally, there were 155 abstracts affiliated with a symposium. Although DCE is not the primary sponsor for any of the symposia, several should be of interest, including "Recent developments in neurobiology" and "Ecology and evolution of disease dynamics."

In addition to the scientific sessions, several other events have been set. This year's Howard Bern lecture will be given by Nancy Sherwood of the University of Victoria, British Columbia. Her lecture is scheduled for 6:30 on Friday evening. It will be preceded by the DCE business meeting and followed by the DCE social.

This should be an exciting meeting, and I hope to see everyone there!

Message from the Secretary

Kevin M. Kelley (kmkelley@csulb.edu)

Keep reading folks! In addition to my comments here, please also take a look below at the comments provided by our DCE Representative to the Society's Student/Postdoctoral Affairs Committee (SPDAC), Darren Lerner. The students and postdoctoral members have many social and professional opportunities at the Annual Meeting and through the SICB, thanks largely to the efforts of SPDAC.

Since the Spring 2006 Newsletter, the DCE has approved by electronic vote an additional By-Law, "Article XIX. Assessment for Regional or International Comparative Endocrinology Meetings". This was designed to assist financially in supporting conferences and symposia through our Division, in the absence of available SICB funds. The newly refurbished DCE By-Laws, including Article XIX, can be viewed at www.sicb.org/handbook/bylaws.php3#dcebylaws.

The election for the DCE Program Officer Elect brought forth Stephan Schoech, who will take this position at the end of the upcoming 2007 Annual Meeting. As always, thanks to all candidates who show the willingness to step forth to serve and support the DCE and SICB.

From Bob Denver's comments above, I would like to add to his highlighting of the success of the Western Regional Conference on Comparative Endocrinology (WRCCE) in Newport, Oregon, this past spring. Frank Moore organized a superb conference, and re-energized the tradition, and it was one of the better small conferences that my students and I have attended in a long time. Next spring's WRCCE should also be fantastic, to be held at Friday Harbor Laboratories, hosted by Lynn Riddiford. These kinds of meetings, held by DCE members during the "off season", are great opportunities to more closely connect with our colleagues, and for our students and postdocs to do the same.

For me, this year's Annual Meeting completes seven years of continuous service to SICB, two as DCE Secretary and five before that as Chair of the SPDAC. It's been a pleasure to have participated in this way for such a superb professional society as SICB. I look forward to enjoying the upcoming and future SICB meetings, bringing more students and postdocs, and always supporting this society. Cathy Propper will take over the DCE Secretary at the end of the 2007 Annual Meeting. The DCE is in very capable hands!

Message from the DCE Representative to the Student/Postdoctoral Affairs Committee

Darren T. Lerner (dlerner@forwild.umass.edu)

Hello to all DCE graduate students and postdocs! I am looking forward to seeing you at our 2007 Annual Meeting in Phoenix (January 3-7^th).

There are a number of events that you should be sure to attend, some of which are specifically designed for students. These include the Student "First Timer" Orientation, immediately following the Welcome to Phoenix Reception, a student/postdoc/mentor lunch (pending funding), and the student/postdoc workshop tentatively entitled: "What editors want: Paving the way to publication". For this workshop, a panel of editors-in-chief and associate editors will discuss and field questions on various topics ranging from how to choose the appropriate journal and how to write a cover letter to review mechanics and publication ethics. Don't miss out! The workshop will be immediately followed by the Society-Wide Social in Honor of Students and Postdocs. I also encourage you to attend the SICB and DCE business meetings. Please look at the meeting website for details (http://www.sicb.org/meetings/2007/index.php3)

DCE offers two Best Student Paper awards at the Annual Meeting, one for the best oral presentation and one for the best poster presentation. Undergraduate students and graduate students who have not yet been awarded a 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. In any one year, a student can enter either the oral or the poster competition.

SICB and a number of other organizations offer student grants and fellowships. DCE students may want to consider the following funding opportunities:

SICB Grants in Aid of Research, due Nov. 19^th. http://sicb.org/grants/researchgrant.php3

SICB Fellowship of Graduate Student Travel, due Nov. 19^th, which provides funds for travel and other expenses at distant research laboratories, museums or field sites. http://sicb.org/grants/fgst/

SICB Libbie H. Hyman Memorial Scholarship, which provides assistance for students to take courses or to carry on research on invertebrates at a marine, freshwater, or terrestrial field station. Generally due in March. http://sicb.org/grants/hyman/

Fall 2007 EPA Science to Achieve Results (STAR) Fellowships, which funds research grants and graduate fellowships in numerous environmental science and engineering disciplines. Closing date Nov 28th. http://es.epa.gov/ncer/rfa/2007/2007_star_fellow.html

Sigma Xi Grants-in-Aid of Research Program provides funding for the purchase of specific equipment necessary to undertake the proposed research project and travel to and from a research site. Proposals are due October 15th and March 15th. http://www.sigmaxi.org

The National Science Foundation offers fellowships for new students (Graduate Research Fellowship http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=6201&org=DGE&from=home , due early-November) and for doctoral candidates (Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grants, Directorate for Biological Sciences http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2006/nsf05607/nsf05607.htm, due mid- November).

Link to officer list on DCE page