PRESIDENT'S LETTER

Plant Biology 2003: A Wonderful Success!

The Hawaii meeting surely ranks as one of the best annual meetings we’ve ever had. In addition to a wonderful venue, the Program Committee (Roger Hangarter, Bill Lucas, Julia Bailey-Serres, Patty Springer, Mary Lou Guerinot, Steve Long, and David Christopher) did a fantastic job organizing the scientific agenda. I couldn’t keep count of the number of positive comments I heard about talks in both the minisymposia and plenary sessions. The quality of the science and presentations was extraordinary. There were, of course, many other memorable events at the meeting. For example, Dennis Gonsalves was the recipient of the 2003 Leadership in Science & Public Service award from the Public Affairs Committee. His talk about the impact of ringspot virus on papaya and his group’s success in using transgenic methods to save the Hawaiian papaya industry from certain devastation was an inspiring mix of basic and applied science. On top of the outstanding science, there was also ample opportunity to network and renew old friendships, an equally important activity at any successful meeting.

The Executive Committee met twice during the annual meeting to approve the budget for next year and to consider a variety of new initiatives. I am pleased to report that the Society is in solid financial condition and that we were able to balance the budget for next year without increasing membership fees or member subscriptions, no small miracle given recent economic conditions! The Executive Committee also approved expenditures on several good works projects. Three are of particular significance: (1) The SURF program. The Society awards several summer internships for undergraduate research with Society members. This program has been a very successful one that introduces the awardees to competitive research. The students have responded with great excitement and productivity, as several past recipients presented posters at the Hawaii meeting. (2) The committee approved funds to support the Education Committee’s continued presence at the National Science Teachers Association annual meeting and the National Association of Biology Teachers annual meeting. The committee staffs a booth promoting the use of plants as tools for teaching basic biological concepts in concert with Wisconsin Fast Plants or C-Fern. The feedback from teachers is overwhelming; they are starved for ideas about incorporating plants in their curriculum. (3) The third major project was funding for a 2004 symposium organized by Minority Affairs. The topic is “5,000 Years of Maize.” This symposium should be fascinating, covering maize biology from domestication to genome sequencing.

Another major outcome of the Executive Committee meeting this year was increasing the number of awards presented by the Society. An ad hoc committee was formed last spring to consider this issue and reported back in favor of increasing the awards in recognition of the amount of high-impact research in plant science. In response to this report, the Executive Committee approved the following recommendations: (1) Give both the Hales and Schull awards annually; (2) create a new “Early Career Award” for a member of the Society that is not more than five years past his or her Ph.D.; (3) appoint an ad hoc committee to establish a new prize for contributions benefiting agricultural policies or practices in developing economies; and (4) in light of the international composition of our Society, remove the North American restriction from the Hales, Schull, and Gude awards. I believe it is critically important that we recognize our colleagues for their contributions to our discipline and to society at large, and I am very happy to see these new awards.

As I near the end of my term as president, I’ll repeat my earlier comment that the Society’s business of publishing, meetings, and public outreach is in very good shape, largely because of the selfless contributions of a dedicated membership. However, in addition to our members, this Society owes a great deal to the dedication and professionalism of our staff. These are the folks who get the job done. They are the foundation of a healthy and vigorous Society, and I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge their contributions, well done! I also want to take a moment to thank John Lisack for his service as executive director over the past five years. John has accepted a new position as the executive director of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists and will be leaving us in November. Thanks, John, and good luck in your new job.

Daniel R. Bush
Colorado State University
dbush@lamar.colostate.edu