{"id":2397,"date":"2023-02-20T08:28:13","date_gmt":"2023-02-20T08:28:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sicb.burkclients.com\/wp\/?page_id=2397"},"modified":"2023-04-26T16:33:16","modified_gmt":"2023-04-26T16:33:16","slug":"spring-2023-society-wide-newsletter","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sicb.burkclients.com\/wp\/?page_id=2397","title":{"rendered":"Spring 2023: Society-Wide Newsletter"},"content":{"rendered":"

Note: SICB Spring 2023 Elections are now open! Please vote HERE<\/strong> by June 1<\/a>.<\/em><\/h4>\n

Message from the President<\/h2>\n

L. Patricia Hernandez<\/strong>, president@sicb.org<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\"Patricia
Patricia Hernandez, President<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Greetings from Washington, DC\u2026.where Spring has blown in with enough pollen to choke a dinosaur.<\/span><\/p>\n

I am delighted to write my first newsletter as your new SICB President, especially after such a wonderful meeting in Austin. Indeed, at the meeting I was approached by a leading scientist (who doesn\u2019t usually attend SICB) who wanted to know <\/span>how<\/span><\/i> we have cultivated such an amazing culture among our members. She remarked that she had NEVER been to a more diverse and JOYFUL meeting, stating that all meetings should be like SICB. I couldn\u2019t agree more!!!<\/span><\/p>\n

After much consternation regarding if the meeting in Austin would be a success, I am happy to report that the meeting drew close to the number of registrants as pre-pandemic levels. With 2092 registrants and 1757 abstracts submitted it was wonderful to see the conference draw its usual number of attendees and amazing science. I want to thank the program committee and especially Thom Sanger for an excellent and diverse program. Two highlights of the meeting for me were talks from Tyrone Hayes and Beronda Montgomery. It was incredibly heartening to see how their experiences truly resonated with an incredibly wide audience (these talks also were the most viewed on SICB+). It really hit me that many in our community are simply unaware of what those of us in marginalized groups go through on a regular basis in pursuit of a scientific career. I can\u2019t remember the last time I was so hopeful about seeing real change in our academic communities. During my time as President I will continue our work to make SICB the most diverse and inclusive scientific society possible.<\/span><\/p>\n

I think that a big part of our success is our commitment to students and other early career researchers. To wit, in the last year alone SICB has supported our students with over $245,000<\/strong> (room and registration waivers, FGST, GIAR). To have a young vibrant society we need to invest in our future scientists. If we wish to continue this level of support for our students it will be essential to do some serious fundraising to build up the coffers of the Mangum Fund.<\/span><\/p>\n

With students in mind we also continue to work on making the practices and procedures for our Best Student Presentation awards as transparent and equitable as possible. Our Program Officer (Thom Sanger) and Secretary (Michele Johnson) as well as Program Officer-Elect (Janet Steven) and Secretary-Elect (Marianne Porter) have been hard at work streamlining and standardizing our protocol for the Best Student Presentation competitions across all divisions. We are confident that this will lead to ever more equitable evaluations of presentations throughout SICB. Thank you all for your continued hard work.<\/span><\/p>\n

Importantly, our meeting survey revealed that there were a significant number of registrants (28%) from PUIs (Primary Undergraduate Institutions). The PUI Action Group led by Jerry Husak continues to discuss new ways to engage with each other and students interested in pursuing careers at PUIs. If interested reach out to Jerry (see newsletter item below) or sign up to get on their<\/span> mailing list<\/a><\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Finally, your executive officers are already planning for our next meeting in Seattle. Several of us are especially keen on increasing the amount of vertebrate evolutionary developmental research presented at the meeting. We would like to make SICB THE place for all evodevo research, spanning from plants to invertebrates to vertebrates. Please feel free to reach out if you have any ideas of how we might go about getting the word out.<\/span><\/p>\n

Message from the President-Elect<\/h2>\n

Michele Nishiguchi<\/strong>, president.elect@sicb.org<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\"Michele
Michele (Nish) Nishiguchi, President-Elect<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Greetings all! Since January I have been busy getting adjusted to being involved with SICB in my new position, which has been exciting to say the least. My fellow Executive Committee members have been busy evaluating our 2023 Austin meeting, and already are in the planning stages of events and the future of SICB for Seattle 2024. I hope to add more ideas and insight to some of the workshops for our next meeting, including many EJIE (Equality, Justice, and Inclusive Excellence) aspects that encompass our society.<\/span><\/p>\n

Also, as President-Elect, I am now in charge of getting everyone involved at some level with society activities. So if you are interested in helping out with our society\u2019s goals, please fill out\u00a0<\/span>our volunteer form<\/b><\/a> and let us know what interests you and how you would like to be included in our efforts. Please fill out your career stage, since we are hoping to increase representation across our society.<\/span><\/p>\n

Message from the Program Officer<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

Thom Sanger<\/em><\/strong>,\u00a0<\/em>programofficer@sicb.org<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

\"Thom
Thom Sanger, Program Officer<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The 2023 annual meeting returned to its pre-pandemic size. With nine symposia, over 1700 presentations, and over 2200 attendees, it was all incredibly exciting. SICB+, which ran from January 16th to March 31st, received great attention, most notably from the lectures of Drs. Beronda Montgomery (Science and Society Special Lecture) and Tyrone Hayes (Howard A. Bern Lecture). The officers are actively discussing what the future of SICB+ will look like. If you have strong feelings about whether SICB+ should remain in the fabric of SICB\u2019s annual meeting, please let us know.<\/p>\n

Over the past year, SICB invested time, effort, and money to modernize its programming and meeting software. We have streamlined the abstract submission and programming process using a new company, X-CD. This greatly reduced the number or errors introduced into the abstracts, in part by allowing our members to revise their abstracts for a short time after submission. This software also served as the singular destination for in-person and virtual meeting information. Although there were some growing pains, SICB officers feel strongly that X-CD could become our centralized meeting platform for the next several years. We are taking the feedback from the meeting survey into account as we begin preparations for the 2024 annual meeting. If you would like to share any further information about your experience with
\nthe meeting platform, please reach out to me at any time.<\/p>\n

Planning for the 2024 meeting has already commenced. The meeting will be held January 2\u20136, 2024, in the Seattle Convention Center.\u00a0The <\/span>deadline for abstract submission will be August 29, 2023. <\/span><\/strong>We have a strong lineup of 12 symposia for the 2024 meeting, spanning the complete range of interests of our membership. A special area of focus at the 2024 meeting will be Evo-devo and Developmental Biology. SICB established its Division of Evolutionary and Developmental Biology in 2000, the first professional organization to formalize Evo-Devo as a core discipline. At this meeting, SICB will highlight research on comparative and experimental development in invertebrates, vertebrates, and plants. More information about the meeting will be available in summer 2023.<\/p>\n

\"List<\/p>\n

Message from the Secretary<\/span><\/h2>\n

Michele Johnson<\/strong>, secretary@sicb.org<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\"Michele
Michele Johnson, Secretary<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As you’re reading this newsletter, the ballots are open<\/strong><\/a> for elections for new society and divisional officers! An incredible 39 of our colleagues have agreed to stand for election across 20 officer positions, and we are so grateful for their willingness to serve our society. You’ll find the candidate statements for each of these folks at the end of this and the divisional newsletters.<\/p>\n

We are also holding a series of elections to update our society and divisional bylaws. You’ll find the proposed amendments to the society bylaws here<\/strong><\/a>. You may notice that this version is slightly different than the proposal circulated to the membership earlier: The Executive Committee decided to postpone the proposed name change to the Broadening Participation Committee, and so that amendment is withdrawn in the amendments we will vote on this Spring.<\/p>\n

Along with our truly amazing Secretary-Elect Marianne Porter, I am continuing to work with society and divisional officers to streamline our Best Student Presentations policies and practices, to make participating in these flagship competitions as a student, judge, or administrator more equitable, impactful, and fun. And, we are continuing efforts to make officer transitions easier for the volunteers who keep our society running.<\/p>\n

If you have any questions or suggestions about the governance of our society, please reach out to me or Marianne!<\/p>\n

Message from the Treasurer<\/h2>\n

Miriam Ashley-Ross<\/strong>,<\/em>\u00a0treasurer@sicb.org<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

\"Miriam
Miriam Ashley-Ross, Treasurer<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Weeeeeee\u2019rrrrrre BAAAAAAAAACK! In a fairly shocking turn of events from my last few reports, I have nothing but good news this time! The Austin meeting was a great success, with in-person attendance and abstract numbers nearly back to pre-pandemic levels. Yes, we\u2019re still down a bit in comparison to Austin 2020, but with double the attendance of the Phoenix 2022 meeting, I think it\u2019s safe to say that SICB is on the right track. Some numbers for the data-minded among you:<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Year<\/strong><\/td>\nMeeting location<\/strong><\/td>\nAttendees<\/strong><\/td>\nAbstracts<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2019<\/td>\nTampa, FL<\/td>\n2139<\/td>\n1858<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2020<\/td>\nAustin, TX<\/td>\n2278<\/td>\n1895<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2021<\/td>\nVirtual<\/td>\n2581<\/td>\n1723<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2022<\/td>\nPhoenix, AZ<\/td>\n1014<\/td>\n1653<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2023<\/td>\nAustin, TX<\/td>\n2092<\/td>\n1757<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

One of the numbers in that table that I find particularly satisfying is the attendance for the 2023 meeting \u2013 back in the Fall when the Finance Committee was working on the model for the meeting, we noted that, based on the number of abstracts submitted, historical data suggested that we\u2019d be looking at ~2100 attendees, and we hit that number almost perfectly. I cite that number not to try to convince you how clever the Finance Committee is, but rather because following the historical, pre-COVID trend argues that SICB members are, indeed, embracing the annual meeting with the same enthusiasm as before. And in my mind that, more than anything, means that SICB is Back. We don\u2019t have the final numbers in yet for the finances associated with the Austin meeting, but I am confident that we are comfortably in the black.<\/p>\n

I would be remiss in my duties as Treasurer if I didn\u2019t highlight some areas of ongoing need. One of the areas near and dear to our Society President\u2019s heart is student support. I won\u2019t steal Patricia\u2019s thunder, but will simply note here that SICB has several vehicles to assist students (mostly graduate, but some undergraduate as well) financially to attend the annual meeting to present their work, and (through the GIAR\/FGST) their research. Each year, SICB awards approximately $40,000 total to dozens of students for research endeavors. This year we allocated $90,000 to the Mangum program, which defrays much of the cost of housing for students at the annual meeting. We have a dedicated Mangum Fund that is part of SICB\u2019s investment portfolio, and we can draw some of the gains from that fund to pay part of the cost of the program each year, but it is currently only ~$12,000 \u2013 obviously nowhere near the total Mangum outlay. The rest has to come from the operating funds. Take that mismatch as my plea, if you are inclined to donate to SICB<\/a><\/strong>, to direct your support to the Mangum Fund, as it is most in need of any of our named funds!<\/p>\n

Update from the Communications Editor<\/span><\/h2>\n

Molly Jacobs<\/i><\/b>,\u00a0comm.editor@sicb.org<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n

\"Molly
Molly Jacobs, Communications Editor<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It\u2019s already been a busy year for SICB Communications!\u00a0 This year for the first time, we\u2019ve been individually profiling our BSP winners on the SICB website.\u00a0 I hope that many of you got the chance to catch these features – each student was featured on the main page for at least one week, and we also mentioned them in the February and March member updates and posted about them on the SICB twitter account. If you missed it, you can read about all of them <\/span>HERE<\/a><\/strong> – it\u2019s not too late to reach out and congratulate our amazing students on their achievements!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We\u2019ve also updated the format of the monthly member updates to make them more inviting, and to better highlight the great work of our journals. Member updates are short, one page bulletins that are a great resource for SICB news and deadlines – check out the April update HERE<\/strong><\/a>. If you have an item that might be appropriate to include in a member update, please reach out to <\/span>comm.editor@sicb.org<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the coming months, keep your eye on SICB communications and the website for features from our student journalists, information about SICB elections, planning updates for SICB 2024, and more!\u00a0 If you have any questions or suggestions for SICB communications and the website, reach out to <\/span>comm.editor@sicb.org<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Update from the Editor, Integrative and Comparative Biology<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

Ulrike M\u00fcller<\/b>,\u00a0editor.icb@sicb.org<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\"Ulrike
Ulrike Muller, ICB Editor<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Global Change in a Material World. <\/strong>A call for contributions. ICB is collaborating with Nick Burnett and Talia Yuki Moore on organizing an ICB journal paper bundle on the mechanical properties of biological materials in response to human influence. Topics could include (but are not limited to) climate change, urbanization, domestication. We are open to any kingdom of life! If you have a project in the works that fits this topic, DM Nick and Talia.<\/span><\/p>\n

Thank you for your excellent contributions.<\/strong> ICB would like to thank all of our authors, peer reviewers, editorial reviewers, and editors for helping us to continue to grow as a journal.\u00a0 In 2022, ICB reached its highest impact factor yet at 3.392, and ICB continues to publish well above 100 articles per volume.<\/span><\/p>\n

Upcoming workshops for authors and reviewers.<\/strong> ICB is continuing to collaborate with SICB to offer virtual workshops for SICB members. In the last year, ICB has facilitated several workshops on equity in scholarly publishing for its editors, on \u201chow to perform peer reviews\u201d for its editorial reviewers, and facilitated several incubators on integrative biology for its authors. ICB wants to offer more professional development and collaborative opportunities for its authors. We plan to offer workshops on writing for scholarly journals, performing peer reviews, replying to peer reviews, and on equity in scholarly publishing. I encourage all to reach out to me or to SICB\u2019s program officer Thom Sanger with ideas and requests for workshops.<\/span><\/p>\n

Update from the Editor, Integrative Organismal Biology<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

Adam Summers<\/em><\/strong>,\u00a0editor.IOB@sicb.org<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\"Adam
Adam Summers, IOB Editor<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We are off to a great start in 2023, no doubt propelled by the in-person meeting in Austin. Our articles are continuing to attract media attention. Most recently Bruce Jayne and colleagues were featured in Scientific American with their research on gape in snakes (https:\/\/tinyurl.com\/2ejlnbax<\/a>). Our Associate Editors are planning on attending other scientific meetings this year to spread the word about publishing in IOB.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

With personalized covers for each paper that allow authors to showcase their artistic side, no page limits, color figures, and top notch reviewing, IOB is an excellent choice for your Open Access publications\u2026and you are supporting the society!<\/span><\/p>\n

Report from Broadening Participation Committee<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Nicholas Burnett<\/strong>, Chair,\u00a0chair.BPC@sicb.org<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\"Nicholas
Nicholas Burnett, BPC Chair<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Broadening Participation Committee is enthusiastically looking forward to a new year.\u00a0 We recently administered a follow-up survey to the 104 pairs of mentor-mentees involved in our BP Mentorship Program at SICB 2023.\u00a0 We received responses from approximately 25% of our participants and will use this feedback to improve the program for SICB 2024.<\/span><\/p>\n

We are excited to continue our Broadening Participation Service\u00a0 Award for a third year.\u00a0 The previous award cycle (given at SICB 2023) acknowledged the accomplishments and service of Amani Webber-Schultz (a PhD student from the New Jersey Institute of Technology), Researchers for Diverse Scientists (a student group from CSU Long Beach), and Christofer Brothers (a PhD student from UC Davis).\u00a0 <\/span>We are now accepting nominations for the 2024 Broadening Participation Service Award, which are due May 12, 2023<\/b> (Please see<\/span> https:\/\/sicb.org\/bpc-service-award\/<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0for more information).<\/span><\/p>\n

Report from Educational Council<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Veronica Martinez Acosta<\/strong>, Chair,\u00a0chair.EdCouncil@sicb.org<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\"Veronica
Veronica Martinez Acosta, Ed Council Chair<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

At SICB 2023, the Educational Council was honored to welcome Dr. Kimberly Tanner as the plenary speaker for the John A. Moore Lecture. Dr. Tanner\u2019s interactive presentation guided the audience through a discussion of non-content classroom language and the importance of using this \u2018Instructor Talk\u2019 to mediate student inclusion, engagement, and learning so that we make science accessible for everyone. Dara N. Orbach (Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi) and Katie Doyle (Flour Bluffs Intermediate School) organized and led the TAL-X workshop on \u2018Bridging Collaborations Between University and K-12 Classrooms: Cross-Generational Active Teaching Approaches.\u2019 This interactive workshop provided a model for approaches in which university classrooms can interact with K-12 classrooms to empower students and facilitate cross-generational active learning to better prepare K-12 students for the university classroom. Finally, we were pleased to award this year\u2019s M. Patricia Morse Award for Excellence and Innovation in Science Education to Dr. Robert Podolsky (College of Charleston). You can find a profile of Dr. Podolsky as well as his essay on \u201cExperiences in Science Education\u201d in this newsletter.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s not too early to nominate folks for the <\/span>2024 Moore Lecturer and Morse Award<\/b>! You can find information for both of these awards on the SICB website<\/a><\/strong>, under Resources (Awards).\u00a0 Please also note that you can self-nominate for the Morse Award! Nominations and supporting materials are due on <\/span>July 31, 2023<\/b>. This earlier deadline allows the Ed Council more time to review and discuss applications, as well as to move the deadline away from the start of fall semesters.<\/span><\/p>\n

Do you have a great idea for an education-related workshop that you\u2019d like to lead? Proposals for the TAL-X workshops are due <\/span>June 1, 2023<\/b> to the Ed Council chair via email. If you have questions or want to run ideas past us before submitting a proposal, please email Veronica Martinez Acosta (<\/span>chair.edcouncil@sicb.org<\/span><\/a>).<\/span><\/p>\n

If you are considering submitting a proposal for an education-based symposium, please reach out to us! We are able to partner with you or even just talk through your ideas with you.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ed Council would like to reintroduce the Research and Education Resources (RER) library as the BEARR (Biology Education, Assessment, & Research Resources) library. BEARR will offer peer reviewed resources that are open and available to SICB members. We are finalizing documents which will accompany submissions to BEARR as well as guidelines for peer review of materials. Stay tuned for updated information on the new submission process.\u00a0 As we move to this new organizational structure for BEARR, the databases for<\/span> resources for online biology instruction<\/span><\/a> and<\/span> online guest lecturers<\/span><\/a> are still available.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ed Council is looking for new members of the Educational Council who are members of the following divisions: <\/span>DCPB, DEDE, <\/b>or<\/span> DPCB<\/b>. If you\u2019re interested in serving on the Educational Council, please contact President-Elect Michele Nishiguchi (<\/span>president.elect@sicb.org<\/span><\/a>).<\/span><\/p>\n

Finally, we would like to thank Lisa Whitenack as she rotates off as Ed Council Chair.\u00a0 She joined the council as a member in 2015 and served as chair 2020-2023. During Lisa\u2019s tenure as Chair, we have seen growth of the council and, at one of the more unprecedented time periods in teaching history, she helped to coordinate Pandemic Teaching Support to the larger SICB community. Thank you, Lisa!<\/span><\/p>\n

Profile of Robert Podolsky<\/b>, 2023 Morse Award Winner<\/b><\/h4>\n
\"Bob
Bob Podolsky<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Dr. Robert Podolsky is the winner of the <\/span>2023 M. Patricia Morse Award for Excellence and Innovation in Science Education<\/b>. Dr. Podolsky is an Associate Professor of Biology at the College of Charleston, a longtime SICB member, and former Chair of the Education Council. His contributions to SICB have most notably been through his work with the Ed Council \u2013 re-envisioning the annual education award as the M. Patricia Morse award, in honor of Trish Morse; developing the Teaching and Learning-X workshop as an annual meeting event; and reinvigorating the Moore Lecture. Dr. Podolsky\u2019s nominators state that he is known for \u201chis personal commitment to the students above and beyond,\u201d from his teaching style in the classroom to his mentorship of undergraduates and the many he mentors as a part of the NSF REU program he directs at the College of Charleston.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dr. Podolsky has been committed to the development of communities that are genuinely inclusive of those who are underrepresented in STEM. Notably, his nominators describe that he was one of the \u201ccritical driving forces in the development of the DISTEM (Diversity and Inclusion in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) program at Fort Johnson. As constant efforts to increase diversity in the sciences are appropriated, efforts need to be focused on ensuring the environment is accommodating to different perspectives. Bob had the foresight to recognize this piece of the puzzle and acted to co-found and promote this important program.\u201d\u00a0 There is no doubt about the positive impact Dr. Podolsky has had on our current and future generations of scientists. Congratulations, Bob!<\/span><\/p>\n

Why Are Students Struggling?<\/h4>\n

Robert D. Podolsky<\/strong>, College of Charleston, 2023 Morse Award Winner<\/em><\/p>\n

About 10 years ago I began to notice a decline in student performance, initially as a year-by-year drop in exam scores.\u00a0 At the same time I was adding classroom practices that, if anything, should have improved understanding and retention\u2014response systems and knowledge checks, idea sharing, concept mapping, and mastery grading, along with removing material, slowing down, and updating graphics. \u00a0Over this time, standard admissions metrics (e.g., selectivity, test scores) at my institution dipped initially but rose again without a corresponding recovery in performance, suggesting that a simple demographic change was not sufficient to explain the decline.\u00a0 Conversations I have had with faculty across disciplines and institutions echo similar concerns about students struggling to meet expectations, as reflected not only in lower scores, but also poorer attention to detail, shallower comprehension, greater difficulty achieving synthesis, weaker rhetoric, greater math anxiety, increased accommodations, missed deadlines, greater rates of assignment and course incompletion, and higher levels of stress when challenged.\u00a0 These common observations over a similar time frame suggest that the causes are broadly systemic.<\/p>\n

As the downward trend became apparent, I began to have informal conversations with students to gain their insights into likely causes and possible remedies.\u00a0 I also began to read about and pay greater attention to societal trends that could impact student learning.\u00a0 It seems possible that a faculty member from any generation after teaching for 30 years could feel motivated to pen an essay about how student standards had slipped.\u00a0 I believe, though, that over the last decade students have faced a unique set of circumstances that are changing how effectively they learn and engage with their educations.\u00a0 The students I have spoken with seemed aware of and genuinely troubled by these changes.\u00a0 I chose to devote this essay to a synthesis of those conversations and observations, with the hope of better understanding the challenges to learning that college students (and we) face now and into the future.<\/p>\n

To read more of this essay, click here<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Report from Public Affairs Committee<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Tonia Hsieh<\/strong>, Chair, chair.PAC@sicb.org<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\"Tonia
Tonia Hsieh, PAC Chair<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The SICB Public Affairs Committee (PAC) enjoyed an exciting annual meeting in Austin, hosting our annual workshop, meeting our student journalists in-person, and just generally mingling and wallowing in the greatness that is SICB.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Leading up to the annual meeting, we are grateful to this year\u2019s team of talented press release authors (Kate Hunter, Mateo Rull Garza, Jacey Van Wert, and Sam Zlotnik) who highlighted several upcoming talks at the annual meeting. Their stories were extremely diverse, including: using comic books and visual narratives for communicating ecological concepts, the interactive effects of social environments on offspring care and aggressiveness, poison dart frog toxin avoidance, aerial acrobatics of dragonflies during prey pursuit, and how a common roadside weed can be a key player in heavy metal remediation. All of our press release authors are selected from previous PAC student journalists. If you are a Student Journalism Program alum and would like to be considered for authoring a press release for SICB 2024, please reach out to the PAC Chair!<\/span><\/p>\n

PAC committee members Phoebe Edwards and Noah Bressman organized \u201cCommunicating science across the ideological spectrum\u201d for our very well-attended conference workshop. Panelists shared personal experiences, challenges, and lessons learned from engaging and communicating science with a public who may not always be receptive to science. Using audience role playing and reflection, panelists discussed and demonstrated strategies for working and communicating with individuals who may have different ideological views, come from different backgrounds, and\/or harbor a distrust or disbelief in science. Panelists included Nic Bennett (Science Communication Researcher), Dr. Noah Bressman (Assistant Professor at Salisbury University and science communicator), Dr. Sarah McAnulty (Founder of Skype a Scientist and squid biologist), and Dr. Natalia Taft (Associate Professor at U Wisconsin-Parkside and Racine City Council Member).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As a part of our continued efforts to enrich SICB\u2019s communication efforts, our Social Media Ambassadors Program continues under the bold leadership of PAC committee member Noah Bressman. Thank you to Anna Jirik and Emily Ray for continuing with us this year, and we are excited to welcome new Social Media Ambassador Etti Cooper to the team! Be sure to follow us on Twitter (@_SICB) and TikTok (@SICB_) to stay in the know!<\/span><\/p>\n

We are also excited to welcome this year\u2019s slate of PAC Student Journalists: Bushra Moussaoui (New Mexico State University), Jacquline Rich (Texas A&M), Johnny Davila-Sandoval (Clark University), Julia LaValley (University of Massachusetts, Amherst), Kyle Moxley (University of Texas, Austin), Robert Hall (University of Wisconsin, Madison), Samantha Trail (Florida Atlantic University), and Saraswathy Vaidyanathan (University of Massachusetts, Lowell). Their pieces will be posted on the SICB website in the coming months, so keep an eye out on social media for announcements as they go live!<\/span><\/p>\n

Last but definitely not least, we would like to thank Jim Murray (CSU East Bay) for his fearless PAC leadership, guiding the committee to successfully pull off three workshops in 2022 (including a fall workshop in November to continue the January conversations about decolonizing the sciences). He has left some big shoes for the new PAC Chair, Tonia Hsieh (Temple University) to fill.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What’s Up with the Student-Postdoctoral Affairs Committee?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Jason Macrander<\/strong>, Chair,\u00a0chair.spdac@sicb.org<\/a>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Jason
Jason Macrander, SPDAC Chair<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The SPDAC SciComm workshop was a big hit this past SICB meeting in Austin, Texas! We recruited several SciComm experts for our roundtable\/workshop event. A special thanks to our experts! (Molly Jacobs, Jenn Houtz, Anna Klompen, Connor Philson, Pedro Marquez-Zacarias, Rowan Marshall, Anusha Shankar, Sara ElShafie, and Kat Munley). Overall, participants really enjoyed this event and it marked our second year in a row with running a workshop like this. Our interactive poster was also a big hit! Featuring \u201cQuestions you didn’t know you had – The graduate student and postdoc edition.\u201d Lots of excellent questions were posted by SICB attendees, all of which are going to be shared via the revamped SPDAC website. The meeting wrapped up with saying goodbye to some of our committee representatives. The SPDAC committee would like to recognize our outgoing members: Armita Manafzadeh (DCB), Ryan Hulett (DEDB), Anusha Shankar (DEE), Rebecca Varney (DIZ), and Emily Lessner (DPCB). Thank you so much for your dedication and hard work you have put into this committee over the years! Wild to think about how much has changed in just three years!<\/span><\/p>\n

As we plan for SPDAC representation in SICB 2024 there are some upcoming changes and events to be on the lookout for:<\/span><\/p>\n