DCE: 1998 Spring Newsleter
This Newsletter by Section
- Message from the Chair
- Message from the Program Officer
- Message from the Past Chair
- Message from the Secretary
- Minutes of the 1998 DCE Business Meeting
- Best Student Paper and Poster Awards
- DCE Candidates for Election
Message from the Chair
Bob Dores
I wish to thank Mark Sheridan for all of his efforts in putting together the program for the 1998 SICB Annual Meeting in Boston, and his careful planning for the 1999 SICB Annual Meeting in Denver, Jan. 6-10, 1999. The Denver meeting will have a very strong program. In addition to two DCE symposia, there will be a special oral session in honor of Dick Jones.
At the Boston meeting, Anne McNabb and I had several conversations with the SICB Executive Committee on the meeting format and the division’s role in shaping the program. For DCE, the SICB Annual Meeting is our national meeting. We are expecting a large turnout for Denver, hence you can expect our presentations will be evenly spaced throughout the program. We would encourage students to take advantage of the poster sessions for presenting their data, and we would very much like to see faculty leading the way in the oral presentation sessions. As indicated in the recent issues of General and Comparative Endocrinology, our members have a number of exciting discoveries to present.
This is the time to begin planning for the Atlanta meeting in 2000, and the Chicago meeting in 2001. Thus far we have not received any symposium proposals for Atlanta. We would encourage members to consider symposia topics which focus on a hormone family; the evolution of a physiological process; hormones and physiological ecology; or recent breakthroughs in signal transduction mechanisms. Interdisciplinary themes are always welcome. Contact Mark Sheridan with your ideas for symposia topics or special oral presentation themes.
In November 1997, the XIIIth International Congress of Comparative Endocrinology was held in Yokohama, Japan. The meeting featured several exciting symposia, and there were several well-attended satellite symposia. The next international meeting will be held in Sorrento, Italy in 2001. The International Committee has targeted North America for the 2005 meeting, and there is a strong preference for the meeting to be in the United States. The international meeting is a superb opportunity to showcase the best aspects of our discipline.
It is not too early to begin planning for the International Congress of Comparative Biology 2005 meeting. The first issue is the selection of a site. I would request that groups interested in hosting this meeting in the United States submit a site proposal to me by July 1, 1998. We will have a panel of past division chairs review the proposals and select the site. At our business meeting in Denver, the local organizer for the 2005 meeting will present a preliminary overview of the plans. A meeting of this magnitude requires considerable preparation and the support of our entire membership. In addition, it is essential that funds are raised to support the efforts of the organizing committee. I am committed to directing any surplus in our divisional operating budget to a fund for the 2005 meeting. I hope that future chairs of the division will continue this policy.
Finally, in keeping with the bylaw changes approved at the Boston meeting (see meeting minutes), I will serve as chair for the Denver meeting, and turn things over to Dave Norris for the Atlanta meeting. In this way, we will have our chair and chair-elect positions coordinated with the changes in leadership of the SICB Executive Committee. The chair, chair-elect, and past chair positions are working very well, and allow several members to be actively involved in the management of our division. If you have any additional ideas to improve our society, please contact me at
rdores@du.edu.Message from the Program Officer
Mark Sheridan
The 1998 SICB Annual Meeting in Boston, was well-attended and offered a nice selection of endocrinological fare. There was a total of 63 contributed papers (40 oral and 23 poster); this was the largest number of endocrinological papers since the 1994 meeting in St. Louis. Papers related to endocrinology also were presented at two interdivisional contributed sessions: "Feeding and Foraging" and "Reproduction and Life Cycles." DCE also sponsored the symposium "The Evolution of the Steroid/Thyroid/Retinoic Acid Receptor Family," organized by Penny Hopkins and David Durica. In addition, there was the Public Affairs Committee panel discussion on endocrine disruptors.
I’d like to extend my sincere thanks to everyone who contributed to the program — authors, symposium organizers, session co-chairs and projectionists. At present, division program officers arrange papers within their sessions with no knowledge as to when the sessions will occur. My goal for next year is to play an expanded part in the programming process so as to minimize conflicts.
For the upcoming 1999 SICB Annual Meeting in Denver, Jan. 6-10, 1999, DCE is sponsoring two symposia: "Tribute to Erika Plisetskaya: New Insights on Enteropancreatic Hormones," organized by Mark Sheridan and Stacia Sower and "Endocrine Disrupting Contaminants: From Gene to Ecosystems," organized by Louis Guillette and Andrew Crain. There also will be our first mini-symposium in honor of Dick Jones on the occasion of his retirement, as well as contributed oral and poster presentations.
I also would like to solicit symposium proposals for the 2000 SICB Annual Meeting in Atlanta, Jan 4-8, 2000. Proposals are due April 15, 1998.
Message from the Past Chair
F.M. Anne McNabb
We would like to encourage all division members to recruit new members for our division and the society. As Bob pointed out in his message, for comparative and environmental endocrinologists, SICB serves two purposes: it is the main national meeting for those in our field, and it provides a setting for presenting integrative work with those in other disciplines. Other societies and meetings don’t offer both those attractions, and we hope that our division will gain strength in both contexts.
SICB has always been very nurturing to graduate students and postdoctorals —"in-training" student members were half of the attendance at the Boston meeting. Our student membership is growing, and we need to encourage growth in our regular membership as well, to keep the right balance. Student members need and want the contact with established faculty in their fields. Regular members provide the financial support which allows the society to discount membership and meeting registration for student members. It’s obvious that we need balance in our types of membership for the division and the society to succeed. So, please recruit a new member or convince a lost member to return to the society. Your abstract issue of American Zoologist is a good recruiting tool for illustrating the integrative nature of a recent meeting. If you are a student member, please don’t be shy about telling the faculty how much their presence is needed and wanted in the society.
Message from the Secretary
Nathan Collie
Boston was indeed something special. There were great talks, excellent posters, and the excitement that comes only from unexpected insights and interactions at big meetings. Each year new ideas emerge at the Annual Meeting, develop across regional meetings, and challenge us in new forms at the next national meeting. Come to Denver in 1999 and see what I mean. Our division is working hard to ensure that the cycle of fresh ideas renews itself. Opportunities in our field — collaborations, training, funding and employment — are ascending. Come find them in Denver, look forward to Atlanta and beyond. Drop your guard, put your data on the line, and create some excitement of your own. That’s why we are in science.
Minutes of the 1998 DCE Business Meeting
DCE Chair Anne McNabb opened the meeting with introductions of newly elected officers for this year: Dave Norris, chair-elect and Nathan Collie, secretary.
General and Comparative Endocrinology
McNabb introduced Chuck Crumley from Academic Press (publisher of General and Comparative Endocrinology, GCE), who described meetings held at the XIIIth International Congress of Comparative Endocrinol-ogy in Yokohama, Japan, designed to strengthen ties with our Asian colleagues. Crumley hopes to inaugurate an Asian editorial office for GCE. He said the journal plans to add new editorial board members and reminded members that color figures in manuscripts submitted to GCE are free of additional page charges and are also actively solicited for the journal cover. He invited members to visit the Academic Press web site (www.idea.library.com ) where GCE full-text articles can be accessed.Awards Committee
Mary Wright, chair of the Best Student Paper and Poster Awards Committee, thanked the other judges serving with her: Cunming Duan, Jane Kaltenbach, Steve McCormick, Michael Romero, Carl Schreck and Jennifer Specker.Grants-in-Aid
Mike Greenberg, chair, SICB Development Committee encouraged divisional members to contribute to the SICB Grants-in-Aid of Research program (recently increased to $6,000 each year). Currently, 22 percent of the $125,000 needed to permanently endow the awards has been achieved, despite the participation by only 10 percent of the SICB membership. This program is especially worthwhile because SICB serves an unparalleled diverse student research population, offers an essential societal return in science education, and supports an organization lacking a huge membership or corporate backing. Fundraising participation is another valuable way to contribute to this program. A workshop to guide such efforts will be forthcoming and those interested should contact Mike Greenberg. SICB treasurer Mary Beth Saffo underscored the need to raise additional funds for maintaining the quality of future meetings and achieving endowment goals.1998 SICB Annual Meeting
The Boston meeting in general boasted 730 abstracts, a 42 percent increase over last year (74 percent increase in electronic submissions, saving significant costs). Total attendance reached more than 1,200. For DCE, submitted papers reflected this increase (40 oral presentations, 23 posters) compared to last year (respectively, 31 and 16).International Congress
Internationally, participation was excellent at the XIIIth International Congress on Comparative Endocrinol-ogy, Yokohama, Japan, with 600 attendees. A two-volume publication of the proceedings is available for $100 including shipping; containing brief papers of over 60 percent of all papers presented. Howard Bern, Bob Dores, Frank Moore, Lynn Riddiford, Lou Guillette and John Wingfield co-organized five satellite symposia. Many others co-chaired sessions and presented papers. Future international meetings are slated for Sorrento, Italy (2001) and the United States (2005, site pending). Regarding the U.S. meeting, Bob Dores has volunteered to host the meeting in Denver, but other sites such as New England also are under consideration. DCE needs to make a formal proposal to the Council a year from now. Lynn Riddiford is the new president-elect of the Council; members from DCE are Bob Dores (DCE chair), Walt Dickhoff (elected DCE member), and Frank Moore and Anne McNabb (elected members-at-large).DCE Bylaws Changes
Summary of changes voted upon and adopted (all, unanimously):
- New positions of secretary-elect and program officer-elect (one year term) were added so that DCE has both current and officers elect.
- The procedure for changing bylaws was made more efficient by allowing for mail ballots if needed.
- Division officers will now assume their positions January 1 before the Annual Meeting instead of at the end of the Annual Meeting.
- The DCE Best Student Paper Awards guidelines, which were approved several years ago, were formally incorporated into the division bylaws.
Note that formal wording of the bylaw changes can be found in the Fall 1997 SICB Newsletter.
DCE Expenditures
- Western/Southwestern Conference on Comparative Endocrinology, hosted by Bob Dores at the University of Denver
- Satellite symposium at the XIIIth International Congress of Comparative Endocrinology in Yokohama, Japan, "Molecular Ancestry of Vertebrate Polypeptide Hormones and Neuropeptides," co-organized by Kawauchi and Dores
- Two Boston Annual Meeting symposia on "The Evolution of the Steroid/Thyroid/Retinoic Acid Receptor Family," organized by Penny Hopkins and David Durica and "The Compleat Crustacean Biologist: A Symposium Recognizing the Achievements of Dorothy M. Skinner," organized by Donald Mykles and Linda Mantel.
Upcoming Meetings
The Western/Southwestern Conference on Comparative Endocrinology will be held this spring at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, graciously organized by Cathy Propper.Steve McCormick reported on the program officers’ meeting, at which the symposia abstract submission requirements for SICB Annual Meetings were formalized. Steve noted that applications for symposia are available from the SICB Business Office. Successful applications feature high-quality, interdisciplinary topics which appeal to broader audiences and typically include 10-12 speakers.
Bob Dores assumed the position of DCE chair and thanked outgoing officers Anne McNabb, chair and Henry John-Alder, secretary, for their exceptional contributions to our division over the past two years. The meeting was adjourned.
We thank James Sanders for taking notes during the business meeting.
Best Student Paper and Poster Awards
Student Papers
Best: (Aubrey Gorbman Prize): Bryan Reinert, Kansas State University, "Thyroxine (T4) and Triiodothyronine (T3) Program Separate Components of Seasonality in Thyroidectomized (THX) Male American Tree Sparrows (Spizella arborea)." B.D. Reinert and F.E. Wilson (#658).Honorable Mention: Sarah Woodly, Arizona State University, "Gonadal Hormones Influence Female Aggression." S.K. Woodley and M.C. Moore (#420).
Honorable Mention: Katherine Flynn, Brooklyn College, City University of New York, "A Developmental Study of the NMDA Receptor." K.M. Flynn and M.P. Schreibman (#410).
Student Posters
Best: Keith Sockman, Washington State University, "Profile of Fecal Estradiol and Progesterone in Laying Canaries." K.W. Sockman and H. Schwabl (#656).Honorable Mention: Shelly Miller, Brooklyn College, City University of New York, "Sexually Dimorphic Effects of MK-801 on Puberty." S.A. Miller, K.M. Flynn, M.M. Appah, and M.P. Schreibman (#569).
Honorable Mention: Courtney Casey, Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island, "Mouthbrooding and Steroids in Tilapia." C.S. Casey, M. Kishida, and J.L. Specker (#575).
Special thanks goes to the judges: Cunming Duan, Jane Kaltenbach, Steve McCormick, Michael Romero, Carl Schreck, Jennifer Specker and Mary Wright, chair.
DCE Candidates for Election
Candidates for Chair Officer-Elect
Sunny Boyd
Current Position: Associate Professor of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Ind. 1987-present.
Education: A.B., Princeton University, 1981; M.S., Ph.D., Oregon State University, 1984, 1987.
Professional Experience: Co-chair of Scientific Review Board for the American Heart Association (Indiana and Midwest Consortium), 1997-99; AHA Review Board panel member, 1995-97; Co-organizer of Western Regional Conference on Comparative Endocrinology, Corvallis, Ore., 1985; and Midwestern Regional Conference on Comparative Endocrinology, Notre Dame, Ind., 1994.
SICB Activities: Nominating Committee (present).
Other Memberships: Society for Neuroscience; Society for Behavioral Neuroendocrinology; J.B. Johnston Comparative Neuroanatomy Club.
Research Interests: Neuroendocrine control of vertebrate reproductive behaviors; neuropeptide mechanisms of action; reproductive endocrinology of amphibians; and design and function of vertebrate neural networks.
Marcia Loeb
Current Position: United States Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, Md., Insect Biocontrol Laboratory.
Education: Ph.D., University of Maryland, 1970.
Professional Experience: Member of the Board of Governors and Editor of the Proceedings, International Conference for Invertebrate Neurobiology and Neurochemistry, 1993; President of the Invertebrate Section, Society for In Vitro Biology (national), 1994-96; Co-organizer, Chair and Editor of the Proceedings of the IX International Conference on Invertebrate Cell Culture, June 1996; Vice President and Program Officer, National Capitol Area Chapter of the Society for In Vitro Biology (retiring June 1998); Co-organizer, International Conference on Invertebrate Reproduction symposium on Male Reproductive Control in Invertebrates, 1995.
SICB Activities: SICB member, 20 years; co-chaired numerous sessions; co-organized symposium on "Hormonal Control of Growth and Reproduction in Arthropods," 1991; DCE Best Student Paper Awards Committee, 1995.
Other Memberships: National Capitol Area Chapter of the Society for In Vitro Biology; Society for Invertebrate Reproduction and Development; Entomological Society of America.
Research Interests: Reproductive control in male moths; regulation of midgut stem cell differentiation. Goals Statement: To ensure a balanced, intellectually interesting program of symposia, posters and contributed papers for the Division of Comparative Endocrinology.
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