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Division of Comparative Physiology & Biochemistry (DCPB): 2006 Fall Newsletter

In this newsletter:




Message from the Chair

Patrick J. Walsh

As I sit in my new digs at the University of Ottawa and watch the Fall leaves in the Gatineau Hills turn brilliant shades of red, orange and yellow, I am clearly in a proper frame of mind for a Fall DCPB Newsletter. I hope that you all had productive and enjoyable summers and that you are now settled into the routines of Fall term.

Election Results

In the first bit of news, we have elected new DCPB officers to the posts of Chair-Elect and Program Officer, Joseph Williams and Donald Mykles, respectively. Congrats to Joe and Don, and also my thanks to John Lighton and Martin Grosell for standing for election for these slots (again, respectively). Joe will take over the reins as Division Chair from me following the Jan 2008 meeting, and Don takes over as PO from Kim Hammond following the upcoming Jan 2007 meeting.

I am also pleased to announce that the self-tax Special Assessment by-law change passed, and as a result, we will be tithing an additional $5 to the DCPB kitty to support international meetings. As we go to press, we are still working out with the SICB business office exactly when this will occur, but we hope to conveniently make it at time of annual dues renewal. This fund will help us to support international meetings like the upcoming ICCPB meeting in Brazil, Aug 2007 (see Lou Burnett's report).

Bartholomew Award Winner

Dr. Douglas Altshuler of the University of California, Riverside was chosen by the Bartholomew Award Committee (Drs. Gilmour, Gordon, Riddiford, Wainwright, Wikelski and Huey, ex officio) to be the 2007 Bartholomew Awardee "for distinguished contributions to comparative physiology and biochemistry, and to related fields of functional and integrative biology" for his research on animal flight. Congrats to Douglas and my thanks to the committee members. While program details are still being worked out at press time, if past years are indicative of the upcoming schedule, Douglas' lecture and reception should be the evening of Jan 4, just after our DCPB business meeting. Please check the program for details and plan on attending! Sponsors of the award will again be Sable Systems, so be sure to drop by their booth in Phoenix and give them a 'thank you'.

Editorship of Physiological and Biochemical Zoology

I am pleased to announce that, following the recommendation of the DCPB Executive Committee, the University of Chicago Press has reappointed Dr. Jim Hicks as Editor of Physiological and Biochemical Zoology for another 5 year term. Join me in both congratulating Jim and thanking him for the hard work he and his staff and editorial board have put into continuing the strong tradition at PBZ!

Phoenix 2007!

With an average January high of 66F(19C) and an average low of 41F(5C), Phoenix in January should be downright tropical for folks like me and others residing north of the Mason-Dixon. So, at the very least, please plan on attending SICB for a pleasant mid-winter thaw! But, more importantly, take advantage of the time and place to catch up with your colleagues on all the developments in their research and at their respective institutions. I am guessing too that for those of you with Spring teaching assignments, your students will see the gleam in your eyes as you begin a new semester charged with new ideas and enthusiasm. See Kim Hammond's program notes below for the great lineup of symposia sponsored by DCPB and other SICB Divisions. All we need is your attendance to make this a bangup meeting. Please also let your students know that the Best Student Awards for Papers and Posters this year will be named the 'Peter Hochachka Award'. Looking forward to seeing you all on Jan 3!






Message from the Program Officer

Kimberly Hammond

Phoenix:

Another year with almost 1100 submitted abstracts for the Society in general, with roughly 169 submitted with DCPB as a primary affiliation. Of these there were about 90 talks. We definitely represent one of the largest memberships in SICB.

There are many wonderful symposia this year. Please check the web pages to see them all. Of note is the Vogel symposium. There are many members that have submitted papers in honor of Steve Vogel. This should be a great meeting for really seeing his legacy!


Event Planner:

With so many cross-disciplinary symposia and bewildering array of parallel sessions, many members find it difficult to navigate through the meeting. To help, SICB implemented an automated meeting planner which was very successful in past years, so feel free to use it.

Travel Tips:

When arriving in Phoenix. Here is information for transportation to/from the airport to the hotel:

AIRPORT TRANSPORTATION:
SUPER SHUTTLE is available from the airport at a cost of $9.00 per person. Guests may proceed directly to the hotel pickup area outside the baggage claim. The Super Shuttle is available 24hrs a day, runs constantly, on demand. Phone: 602-244-9000

Transportation from the Airport to the hotel is available through ARRIVE at a cost of $9.00 per person for a shuttle or $18 per town car (up to 4 people). This service is available 24 hrs a day. Use the courtesy phone in the baggage claim area.
 
Shuttle service from the Hotel to the Airport is available through ARRIVE between the hours of 6am-2pm, departing every 30 minutes at a cost of $9.00 per person or $18.00 per vehicle.
Phone: 1-888-604-6552
Fax : 1-602-286-6164

Town cars are readily available 24 hours a day from the hotel front entrance.

TAXI one way - $12-$16


Future Meetings:

The Symposia for the San Antonio Meetings have been chosen, I will provide more details in the Spring Newsletter. Thanks to the individuals who submitted excellent proposals, DCPB will be well represented next year. It is never too early to plan for future meetings. Please email me (khammond@ucr.edu) discuss ideas and get started.

New program officer:

Note that as of the end of the meeting this year, I will be stepping down as program officer and will be being replaced by the very able Don Mykles. Between now and then, however feel free to send ideas for symposia, or ask for small divisional monetary endorsements for your upcoming symposia and I will forward all requests.






Message from the Secretary

Jonathon H. Stillman

The Chair's message has summed up about everything I could report on, so I'll just paraphrase from his message here:

Elections

DCPB members elected new DCPB officers to the posts of Chair-Elect and Program Officer, Joseph Williams and Donald Mykles, respectively. Many thanks to John Lighton and Martin Grosell for standing for election for these slots (again, respectively).

The self-tax Special Assessment by-law change passed, thus each DCPB member will contribute an additional $5 to the DCPB kitty to support international meetings. We hope to conveniently make it at time of annual dues renewal.

Each of the above ballots were voted on by n=86 DCPB members. Notably, this is the highest voter turnout for any of the SICB divisional ballots of this year (the next highest being n=20 fewer voters). I'm not certain if this reflects greater DCPB participation or just the fact that DCPB may have a larger membership.

Jim Hicks was elected to another 5-year term as editor of the SICB DCPB-sponsored journal Physiological and Biochemical Zoology. Thanks for your service, Jim.

Bartholomew Award Winner

Dr. Douglas Altshuler of the University of California, Riverside was chosen to be the 2007 Bartholomew Awardee, and will be presenting the Bartholomew Award Lecture at the annual meeting in Phoenix. Congratulations to Dr. Altshuler.

Finally, I am passing along the request that if any of you happen to take notable photos (digital, preferably) at the annual meeting, please pass them along to me (stillmaj@sfsu.edu) and I can work to have them included in the newsletter or on the DCPB webpage. Thanks!






Message from the Graduate Student/Postdoc Representative

Joanna Joyner Matos

Hello DCPB graduate students and postdocs!

The Student/ Postdoctoral Affairs Committee (SPDAC) has planned several activities during the Phoenix meeting. I hope you will attend:

  • The Grad Student/Postdoc Welcome and Meeting Orientation on Wednesday evening at 5:30 p.m. is entitled, "How to get the most out of your SICB meeting." We will discuss topics ranging from how to find relevant talks/posters, enter or leave a room, and approach a "big guy or gal."

  • Saturday evening (6:00-7:00 p.m.) we are hosting a workshop entitled, "What Editors Want." Speakers at this workshop will be editors and staff from journals specific to the divisions of SICB. The speakers will address a variety of topics including manuscript preparation, how to use online submission systems, how to select an appropriate journal, etc. The session is aimed at students, postdocs, and early-career researchers, but attendance is open to all.

  • Saturday evening concludes with a society-wide social for students and postdocs from 8:00-9:30 p.m.


DCPB also has several events during the meeting, including a business meeting, DCPB social, and the Bartholomew Award Lecture. I hope to see you at these events!

One more note, the deadline for applying for student support, either in the form of housing assistance or registration fees, is October 27th. You can apply for support if you are a presenting author and you are required to complete one half-day of assistance during the meeting.

I also want to give you a heads-up of some graduate student funding opportunities, many of which have deadlines during fall semester:

SICB - Grants in Aid of Research and Fellowship for Graduate Student Travel. www.sicb.org

Sigma Xi - Grant in Aid of Research (2 applications/year). www.sigmaxi.org

National Science Foundation - Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant. www.nsf.gov

Environmental Protection Agency - STAR Fellowships and others. http://es.epa.gov/ncer/fellow/

General search for government-sponsored grants, may have student grants. www.grants.gov

If you have questions or ideas regarding SPDAC's plans for the Phoenix meeting, or other questions for me, please feel free to contact me at jjoyner@zoo.ufl.edu. Good luck with the semester!






Integrative Physiology Meets Diversity - This Summer, In Brazil!
Lou Burnett, SICB - DCPB Representative to the ICCPB

7th International Congress for Comparative Physiology and Biochemistry (ICCPB) in Brazil, August 12 -16, 2007, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.

For details, see: http://www.ib.usp.br/iccpb-brazil/index.html. Program includes approximately 40 symposia and 5 plenary lectures. The approved symposia include those sponsored by SICB and others:
  1. Nitrogen Metabolism and Excretion in the Face of Environmental Nitrogen Loading (sponsored by SICB & CSZ), Organizers: Patrick J. Walsh and Chris M. Wood
  2. Aromatases (SICB), Organizer: Alan Conley
  3. New Models of Ammonium Transport (SICB), Organizer: David Towle
  4. Behavioral and digestive modulation of environmental physiology of aquatic animals (SICB), Organizers: Iain McGaw and Steve Morris
  5. Hypoxia as a selective force in populations (SICB & ESCPB), Organizers: Karen Burnett, Kim Hammond and Guido Van den Thillart
Plenary speakers are:
Chris Wood (Knut Schmidt-Nielsen plenary lecture) (Canada)
Nora Terwilliger (USA)
Francisco Bozinovic (Chile)
Steven Chown (South Africa)
Tristram Wyatt (UK)

Rooms for the meeting are expected to cost $50 to $60 per night. Registration is expected to be less than $300 with substantial reductions for students. Details on travel and accommodations can be found on the web site. Plan now to attend!




Link to officer list on DCPB page