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ASM News
2001-2002 Election Results
National Officers, 2001-2002
Abigail A. Salyers, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Department of Microbiology, Urbana, Ill., is the new president of ASM for a 1-year term beginning 1 July 2001.
Ronald Atlas, Department of Biology, University of Louisville, Louisville, Ky., is the new president-elect of ASM for a 1-year term beginning 1 July 2001.
Judy A. Daly, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, has been elected as secretary of ASM for her fourth term beginning 1 July 2001.
Ronald Luftig, Louisiana State University Medical Center, New Orleans, has been elected as treasurer of ASM for his third term beginning 1 July 2001.Proposed Amendments to the ASM Constitution and Bylaws
All proposed amendments passed. For the most updated version of the Constitution and Bylaws, please see the ASM website at www.asmusa.org.
Divisional Group Representatives, 2001-2003
Two of the four divisional groups elected group representatives for 2-year terms beginning 1 July 2001.
Divisional Group I - Diagnostic Microbiology and Epidemiology): J. Michael Miller, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Hospital Infection Program, Atlanta, Ga.
Divisional Group IV (Molecular Biology, Physiology and Virology): Caroline Harwood, Department of Microbiology, University of Iowa, Iowa City
Divisional Officers, 2001
The members of ASM's 26 divisions elected officers for terms beginning 1 July 2001. Chairs and chairs-elect serve a one-year term, and alternate councilors serve a two-year term. The results of the election are listed on p. 99-100.
Honorary Members
Rita Colwell, John Matsen, and Nathon Sharon were elected as Honorary Members of ASM. This is the highest honor that ASM bestows.ASM Educational Website Wins Gold Circle Award
An educational website developed by the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) has received a Gold Circle award from the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE). These awards have been given by the ASAE annually for over 20 years to recognize excellence in communications programs by nonprofit organizations.
The website, Microbe.org, was selected from 49 other submissions for a certificate of achievement, the second highest award, in the website category. Microbe.org provides the single most comprehensive resource of microbial information on the Internet specifically tailored to children in the sixth grade and up. Visitors to the site will can find a wealth of microbiological information, read up on science news, try do-at-home microbiology activities, test their handwashing know-how, and get career information. The text is casual, explanations are simple, and pronunciations of tongue-twisting scientific names are sprinkled throughout. Colorful electron micrographs and illustrations bring the invisible microbial world into vivid clarity.
"This website rocks!" says Jennifer Lerson, a student who visited microbe.org. "I was doing a project on microbes, and this site helped so much. I'm 12 years old and I understood everything you said! Thank you very much."
"If I had written up a request of what I would like to see in a website for this topic, you guys couldn't have done any better. The information is complete, written well, and with great graphics. In addition, there is an excellent list of activities and the career section is outstanding! I am very grateful that your organization took the time to put together a first-rate resource that uses the power of the Internet to its advantage," says Matthew Anticole, a physics teacher at Norwin High School in North Huntingdon, Pa.
This latest achievement is just one of many awards and accolades ASM educational websites have received. Last year the portal site for ASM online educational resources, MicrobeWorld, was awarded first place in the Association Trends annual design competition. It is also a USA Today Hotsite, a Netscape Cool Site, an Education Planet Top Site, and a recipient of the Copernicus Award for excellence in quality, content and design.
A relative newcomer to ASM onsite educational offerings, MicrobeLibrary.org, is also receiving its share of kudos. Since its launch earlier this year, the Library has won more citations and media accolades than any other life science resource for undergraduate microbiology education on the Web.
"Professors seeking photos to spice up their lectures can troll a new American Society for Microbiology Web site," said Science magazine less than one month after the site's official lauch. The magazine review encouraged scientists to "check out everything from hot spring-loving algal mats to bacteria lurking in septic systems."
MicrobeLibrary has also been featured in The Scout Report for Science and Engineering, a report that highlights new and noteworthy websites, and was given a 5-star rating from Bio-Merlot, an online resource center for biology education materials. Microbe.org, Microbe Library and other ASM educational resources can all be accessed through the MicrobeWorld portal site.
2001 General Meeting Awardees
The Committee on Awards is pleased to announce that the 2001 General Meeting Awardees have been selected. Each Award Selection Committee faced challenging decisions in considering so many distinguished scientists. The Committee on Awards thanks those who participated in the nomination and selection process and helped to ensure the continued success of the Awards Program. Biographical sketches highlighting the accomplishments of the awardees will be published in the next three issues of ASM News.
The ABMM/ABMLI Professional Recognition Award
Folds The 2001 ABMM/ABMLI Professional Recognition Award, sponsored by Pfizer, Inc., will be awarded to James D. Folds, Ph.D., Director of the William McLendon Clinical Laboratories. Folds is Vice Chair and Professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Folds is honored for 25 years of tireless efforts toward the promotion and enhancement of the professional status of clinical immunology and microbiology and becomes the first immunologist to receive the ABMM/ABMLI Award.
A Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology, Folds was among the first scientists certified by the American Board of Medical Laboratory Immunology (ABMLI) and first earned that credential in 1979. He began his training with a B.S. from the University of Georgia, Athens, and received his doctoral degree in Medical Microbiology at the Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, before training as a postdoctoral fellow at Case Western Reserve University.
His outstanding career at the University of North Carolina began in 1969, and he advanced there to become Director of Laboratories in 1997. His Clinical Immunology Laboratory offers a training program accredited by the American College of Microbiology's Committee on Postdoctoral Educational Programs (CPEP), one of just two such programs in North America. The highly successful program, also approved by the American Board of Pathology (ABP), has trained 21 doctoral-level scientists, among them 10 Diplomates of the ABMLI and 3 physicians certified by the ABP. In an era where training funds for clinical scientists are difficult to secure, Folds has been a dedicated advocate working to demonstrate the tangible value of such programs to hospital administrators and the wider medical community.
His consistent efforts to support training have been important to the clinical immunologists in the program, many of whom have gone on to successful careers in the field. Folds often continues in a professional and mentoring role. Linda Cook, Ph.D., current vice chair of the ABMLI, wrote, "He has continued to be an excellent source of technical as well as professional knowledge for me…He is a wonderful, giving individual genuinely interested in doing all he can to help others be successful…"
Throughout his professional life, Folds has contributed to the advancement of clinical immunology and microbiology through professional service. Within ASM, he was chair of the American Board of Medical Laboratory Immunology from 1985-1988 and again from 1994-1997. He has been a member of both the Board of Education and Training and the Public and Scientific Affairs Board Committee on Laboratory Practices for Microbiology, and has also been an ASM Foundation Lecturer. He has served as Alternate Councilor and Councilor of Division V, and as President of the North Carolina ASM Branch.
Extensive service to his institution and other scientific organizations further demonstrates Folds' commitment to the field. He is active in a variety of committee and board activities at the University of North Carolina, including the Joint Clinical Planning Committee Task Force, the Institutional Affiliations Task Force, the Health Sciences Advisory Committee on Appointments and Promotions, and the Clinical Operations Group. He has been a member of the Council on Immunopathology of the American Society of Clinical Pathologists. From 1994-1996 he was President of the Association of Medical Laboratory Immunologists, having previously served as Councilor of that organization. He is currently Councilor of the Clinical Immunology Society.
A leading laboratory investigator in the field of clinical and diagnostic immunology, Folds has authored well over 100 peer-reviewed publications, books, and book chapters and more than 100 abstracts. He is an editor of Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology and has held that post since he spearheaded the effort toward development of the new journal in 1993. Other editorial board service includes Journal of Clinical Microbiology, Infection and Immunity, Bulletin of Laboratory Medicine, Clinical Immunology Newsletter, and Yearbook of Pathology and Clinical Pathology.
Peter Gilligan, Ph.D., Diplomate of the American Board of Medical Microbiology, Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology, and Fold's nominator, concludes, "…no individual has worked harder than Jim Folds to promote the discipline of clinical immunology. He has done so via scholarship, training of scientists and service to his professional field. His efforts are based on a genuine belief in the importance of serving others."
Huang Alice Shih-hou Huang, Senior Councilor for External Relations and Faculty Associate in Biology, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, and a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology, will receive the 2001 Alice C. Evans Award. The award is sponsored by the ASM Committee on the Status of Women in Microbiology and honors contributions toward the full participation and advancement of women within the science and profession of microbiology and in ASM. The Award is given in memory of Alice Evans, the first woman elected president (in 1928) of the Society of American Bacteriologists, now the American Society for Microbiology.
Huang began her training with a B.A. in Human Biology from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md., earning her Ph.D. in Microbiology at that institution five years later. Postdoctoral positions at The Salk Institute for Biological Studies in San Diego, Calif., and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge followed.
She was appointed Assistant Professor of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics at Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass., in 1971 and soon began mentoring aspiring female scientists, accepting relatively inexperienced graduate students for rotations in her laboratory. Sheila Little, Ph.D., a supporter of Huang's nomination, wrote: "I asked if I could enter her laboratory …and thus began the journey of one of the female African-American scientists in the U.S.," adding that Huang served as a mentor and advocate in a "not-so-diverse" world.
In 1977, Huang became the first woman to win the prestigious Eli Lilly and Company Research Award for outstanding and innovative work by a young scientist, and by 1979 had risen to the rank of full professor. As one of only very few women holding similar positions, she became a highly visible role model for female students and junior faculty across the country. Huang was known for always taking time to speak with students at Harvard and while lecturing elsewhere, providing inspiration for younger women considering careers in the microbiological sciences.
Throughout her career, Huang has been a strong supporter of science education, known for focusing on the next generation of scientists. As Dean for Science at New York University (NYU) in New York City from 1991-1997, she spearheaded a major science development program, started new research programs and centers, and upgraded facilities and resources for research and science education. She pioneered collaborations between active scientists and educators from NYU and other institutions in a citywide training program for K-12 math and science teachers and worked on the development and implementation of new educational technologies at all grade levels. Promoting diversity in the sciences has been a constant concern for Huang, and efforts to build science programs have always included initiatives to remove barriers and increase participation among women and underrepresented groups.
A member since the late 1960s, Huang was elected President of ASM in 1988. During her term, she sought to promote the advancement of women within the Society in a number of ways. She was an early and dedicated advocate and founding member of the Committee on the Status of Women in Microbiology. Described as an extremely effective leader who opened many doors with a leadership style characterized by diplomacy and keen insight, she used her power of appointment to name women to significant roles in governance and encouraged the full participation of women members at all levels. Professional service outside the ASM provides further evidence of her efforts. She is a member of the Committee on Women in Science and Engineering of the National Research Council-National Academy of Sciences and of the editorial board of Journal of Women's Health, and is a Fellow of the Association for Women in Science. She was nominated for the Alice C. Evans Award by Sondra Schlesinger, Ph.D., and former ASM President Joan Bennett, Ph.D., a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology.
The ASM Founders Distinguished Service Award
Domer The 2001 ASM Founders Distinguished Service Award will be presented to Judith E. Domer, Ph.D., Dean of Graduate Studies and Research, Appalachian State University, Boone, N.C. Given in recognition of outstanding professional contributions to ASM in a volunteer capacity at the national level, the award honors Domer for her commitment to furthering the goals of the ASM, her ability to inspire commitment from others, and her many contributions to the ASM and its audiences. Pharmacia & Upjohn is proud to sponsor the ASM Founders Distinguished Service Award.
Domer joined ASM in the 1960s, becoming increasingly active over subsequent decades. Her expertise, dedication, and belief in the importance and advancement of the microbiological sciences as a whole and mycology in particular have been invaluable to the ASM. Her extensive record of service to the Society includes terms as chair of the Mycology Division Nominating Committee (1976-77) and member of the President's Fellowship Committee (1981-84), Sunset Committee (1983-84), and Committee on Latin American Professors Program (1990-91). She was a Foundation for Microbiology Lecturer in 1979-80, presenting to the South Central and Missouri Valley Branches of ASM.
Domer is currently the mycology editor on the Board of Book Review Editors of ASM News and was a founding editor of Clinical Microbiology Reviews, volunteering her time as the medical mycologist on that board for 14 years. Her network of national and international contacts enabled her to solicit manuscripts from the most renowned clinical and fundamental research mycologists in the world, contributing to the success of that publication. Further, Domer has given her time to the editorial board of Infection and Immunity continuously since 1981.
Perhaps most significant, however, have been her contributions to ASM Meetings. Divisional programmatic activities, especially determining a coherent schedule of scientific presentations for the ASM General Meeting (GM), benefited from Domer's hard work and remarkable skill in planning and organizing multiple tasks and varied projects. Combined with her ability to target cutting-edge research and clinical activity in mycology, these talents made her extremely successful as chair-elect and chair, Division F (1983-85); chair, ad hoc Committee on Divisions (1984-85); and divisional group representative, Divisional Group V (1987-1988). As divisional group representative, her responsibilities included the largest single segment of the General Meeting program at that time, that for the Clinical Microbiology Division. Her service to that broad constituency and her determination to be inclusive were indicative of things to come. She went on to be vice chair, Annual Meeting Local Arrangements Committee and Annual Meeting Program Committee, then serving as chair of the General Meeting Program Committee (GMPC) from 1992-1995. As chair of GMPC, Domer was instrumental in extensive restructuring of planning and Committee activities, initiating changes that strengthened the overall scientific quality of the General Meeting and ensured continued strong attendance and future success.
Effective leadership is characteristic of Domer's scientific career as well as of her professional service activities. As a rigorous and productive researcher and dedicated teacher, she served as a mentor and role model to students and young investigators, imparting her wisdom, high standards, and love of science, and inspiring new generations of mycologists. As a volunteer for ASM, her infectious enthusiasm and high-energy style have galvanized others. She has encouraged participation across geography and discipline, organizing diverse people into effective teams to further the goals of the organization and its members.
A Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology and a Diplomate of the American Board of Medical Microbiology, Domer received her B.A. from Tusculum College in Greeneville, Tenn., and her Ph.D. in Microbiology and Medical Mycology from Tulane University, New Orleans, La. She continued her career at Tulane as Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine; Associate Dean of the Graduate School; and Acting Vice Chancellor for Graduate Studies before moving to Appalachian State in 1997. Domer was nominated for this award by Jim E. Cutler, Ph.D., a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology.
The Dade MicroScan Young Investigator Award
Akerly Brian J. Akerley, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, will receive the 2001 Dade MicroScan Young Investigator Award. The award, established in 1991, honors research excellence and potential in microbiology, immunology, and infectious diseases among early-career scientists. Akerley is recognized for intellectual curiosity, technical expertise, and creative approaches to problem solving in his outstanding research in microbial pathogenesis. His work includes significant contributions to the understanding of the role of regulated virulence gene expression during infection and the development of new approaches for the genetic manipulation of bacteria.
Akerley earned a B.S. from Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, in 1988, continuing his education at the University of California Los Angeles and receiving his Ph.D. in 1995. As a graduate student, Akerley conducted a remarkable series of experiments focused on the Bordetella bronchiseptica motility regulon and negative control by the BvgAS signal transduction system. He formulated hypotheses and then personally devised the tools necessary to test them, building on his results at each stage of the work. Recognizing that gene activation in response to environmental signals is clearly required during host-microbe interactions but that the purpose of negative control of gene expression is not clearly understood, Akerley characterized a genetic hierarchy of transcriptional control events leading to expression of motility in B. bronchiseptica. He then detected a key regulatory pathway, frlAB, negatively controlled by BvgAS and required for expression of the motility regulon. The entire flagellar organelle was coexpressed with the set of known virulence factors implicated in pathogenesis when the frlAB promoter was replaced with a BvgAS activated promoter. Results in an animal model then demonstrated that BvgAS repressed genes are not required during infection. Further, negative control is needed to prevent early clearance of the bacterium from the host. Akerley's dissertation used knowledge of the regulatory system to "rewire" virulence pathways in mutants, with the mutants then serving as probes for events occurring during the course of infection. His approach to understanding host-microbe interactions in this way resulted in a series of published papers, including one in the journal Cell.
In postdoctoral work at Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass., Akerley added to his achievements by developing new methods for the genetic manipulation of bacteria. Spurred by the fact that after the entire genomic sequence of H. influenzae had been determined, many of the genes identified had no homology to entries in the database, Akerley developed techniques for the identification of genes that are essential for bacterial growth in vitro and in vivo. With Eric Rubin, Akerley showed that transposons derived from the mariner family of eukaryotic transposons can be used to map with high resolution the position of essential genes on 15-kb PCR fragments. The procedure involves in vitro transposition, transformation into naturally competent organisms like H. influenzae or Streptococcus pneumoniae, and PCR footprinting. The method, called GAMBIT, yielded spectacular results with profound implications for drug discovery. In detecting functions essential to bacterial life for genes with previously unknown roles, this research opens new doors for the discovery of novel cellular mechanisms or additional components of known biological systems.
Now at the University of Michigan, Akerley is using a combination of approaches, including bioinformatics and microarray technology, to expand his study of genes essential for pathogenesis. Akerley was nominated for the Dade MicroSan Young Investigator Award by Jeff F. Miller, Ph.D., of UCLA.
Chan The Raymond W. Sarber Awards recognize academic achievement and reward outstanding research accomplishment and potential among undergraduate and predoctoral students in microbiology. Stephen Y. Chan, a doctoral candidate in the Biomedical Sciences Program (BMSP) at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), will receive the 2001 award at the General Meeting in Orlando, Fla.
Chan graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, in 1995, earning a B.S. in Biology with a minor in chemistry. Exposed to research as an early undergraduate, his experience includes work in chemistry, molecular biology, and structural biology laboratories. With Peter Lansbury, Chan worked to define the events leading to the formation of neural b -amyloid plaques and its relationship to pathogenesis in Alzheimer's disease. The following year, he worked under Peter Kim in studies of the structure and oligomeric state of the HIV-1 surface protein gp41. These and other diverse experiences contributed to his desire to pursue a career in scientific research with implications for the treatment of human disease, and he began the joint M.D.-Ph.D. program at UCSF, joining the laboratory of molecular virologist Mark Goldsmith in 1997. While still a student, he has published in journals including Current Biology, the Journal of Physical Chemistry, the Journal of General Virology, and the Journal of Virology.
At UCSF, Chan first focused on identifying the receptor and coreceptor preferences of HIV-1 envelope glycoproteins (GP) derived from the central nervous system, and correlating them with the progression of HIV dementia (HIVD). His results highlighted interactions with the chemokine receptor CCR5 as the predominant feature of viruses that enter the brain. Next, in work requiring the culturing of primary human astrocytes and mastery of immunofluorescence microscopy, Chan demonstrated that the CD4 receptor present on donor cells can mediate infection of CD4-negative cells in trans in a coreceptor-dependent fashion, further contributing to the understanding of mechanisms for viral entry into cells.
Building upon his skills in HIV research, Chan developed a novel pseudotyping strategy and moved into the flivovirus specialty area as he turned his attention to defining cellular entry mechanisms of the highly pathogenic human viruses Ebola and Marburg. Contrary to previous assumptions in the field, results of his highly creative study comparing the biochemical properties of entry used by the two related viruses strongly suggested that the entry processes arenot entirely identical and may differ in some important biochemical respects. Illuminating those differences, he subsequently found that the Ebola envelope induces a direct cytopathic effect that may play a role in disease pathogenesis. Chan has designed a novel cloning strategy in order to further his goal of identifying a cellular receptor that mediates filovirus entry, work that promises significant contributions to the field.
Talented outside the laboratory as well, Chan received the prestigious Leslie Bennett Memorial Teaching Award for his performance as a teaching assistant in anatomy and histology for medical students. He has been recognized with the J. David Gladstone Institute's Prize for Scientific Excellence the UCSF/Trefethen Family Biomedical Research Award, and a UCSF Chancellor's Graduate Research Fellowship. Active within his community, Chan has served as the Vice President for Academic Affairs of the Associated Students of the University of California and as Vice President of the Asian Health Caucus. He was nominated for the Sarber Award by Mark Goldsmith.
Awards
NSF Director Rita Colwell was honored by The Explorer's Club for her role in marine exploration. Colwell and 12 others received the Lowell Thomas Award For Outstanding Achievement in Ocean Exploration on 28 November in New York City.
Colwell calls exploration the "essence of NSF's mission." Her own fascination with the sea began early in life and found root in the emerging field of marine microbiology. Today, powerful new tools and infrastructure have led to "the threshold of a new era of exploration" in oceanography as well as other fields, she says.
The Explorers Club was created in 1904 to advance field research and scientific exploration and to champion the instinct to explore. Members have included Teddy Roosevelt, Admiral Perry, Neil Armstrong, and Carl Sagan. The Lowell Thomas Award was begun in 1980 to periodically recognize groups of particularly outstanding explorers.
Edwin M. Foster, emeritus professor of food microbiology and toxicology and of bacteriology and former director of the Food Research Institute at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, recently was inducted into the Wisconsin Meat Industry Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame was instituted in 1993 to recognize contributions of Individuals who have had a significant impact on the meat industry of Wisconsin. Dr. Foster was recognized for his research on vacuum packaging of meat products, sodium nitrite, and botulism and for his leadership in guiding the Food Research Institute to its preeminent status as the leading academic unit nationwide to work on issues of food safety. Foster is a former president of ASM and a Charter Fellow of the Institute of Food Technologists, received a Ph.D. in bacteriology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1940. He was a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison from 1945 until 1966, and then became director of the Food Research Institute after it moved from the University of Chicago to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a position he held until 1986. When the Food Research Institute achieved departmental status in 1975, Foster became the first chairman of the Department of Food Microbiology and Toxicology. Foster was named emeritus professor upon retiring in 1987.
Deceased Member
Judith Wegman Hirst of Rockville Centre, N.Y., died on 30 September 2000. She graduated with a B.A. degree in Chemistry from Swarthmore College in 1959, an M.S. degree in Microbiology from Yale University in 1961, and a Ph.D. in Cell Biology from the University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, in 1964 where she did her dissertation on the tryptophan pathway of Neurospora crassa. Hirst was a postdoctoral fellow in 1964 in the Department of Biology at the University of California at San Diego. Subsequently, she was a postdoctoral fellow with Irving P. Crawford, first in the Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio; and then in the Division of Microbiology, Scripps Clinic and Research Foundation, La Jolla, Calif.. Postdoctoral work followed with Dr. Melvin Cohn, Salk Institute of Biological Studies, La Jolla, California, from 1969 to 1972.
From 1973 until her death she worked for Advance Biofactures Corporation in Lynbrook, N.Y.; first in research and development and then as director of Quality Control. She made a significant contribution to the development and growth of the company and inspired many of those with whom she came in contact. She was deeply admired for her intelligence and kindness by all her friends and colleagues and will be greatly missed.
She is survived by her husband, John Hirst, Ph.D., of Rockville Centre, N.Y., her father, Myron Wegman, M.D., of Ann Arbor, Mich., her brother, David Wegman, M.D. of Newton, Mass., and her sister Jane Dunatchik of Denver, Colo.
Angelo Chiulli
Advance Biofactures Corporation (retired)
Lynbrook, N.Y.International Activities
Expansion of International Programs
The International Microbiology Education Committee (IMEC) is pleased to announce changes in the application criteria of the International Professorship Program (IPP) and International Fellowship Program (IFP) effective in the 2001 and 2002 program years.
International Fellowship Program. Effective for the 2001 Program Year, there will be two application deadlines for the IFP. The first one, as before, was on 15 November 2000. The second deadline will be on 15 June 2001. During the 2002 Program Year, the IFP application deadlines will run concurrently with the IPP deadlines- 15 April and 15 October of every year.
Also effective in the 2001 Program Year, the requirement for an ASM Host Scientist to be employed in an accredited U.S. Institution has been expanded to include ASM members in Canada.
In the 2002 Program Year there will be two other changes in the IFP. First, the requirement that a qualified Latin American investigator be enrolled in a Ph.D. program in a Latin American university or have obtained his/her Ph.D. within the last five years will be relaxed. It is recognized that several Latin American countries do not have established Ph.D. programs and that scientists at many Latin American universities have completed other educational programs that provide an acceptable background to be eligible for an ASM Fellowship. In addition, it is acknowledged that young scientists who have graduated more than 5 years before the application deadline also should benefit from the program. Second, the requirement that a qualified Latin American investigator be permanently employed at a Latin American institution or organization will be relaxed, as it is realized that many students would be rendered ineligible for this program due to the fact that they do not hold permanent employment at their university.
International Professorship Program. In the IPP, the requirement for an eligible Visiting Professor to be affiliated with a U.S. institution of higher learning has been expanded to include ASM members in Canada. This change will be effective in the 2001 Program Year.
Also effective in the 2001 Program Year, the spring application deadline for the IPP has been moved to 15 April. Thereafter, the IPP application deadlines will run concurrently with the IFP deadlines- 15 April and 15 October of every year.
More information on the International Professorship Program and International Fellowship Programs, as well as other ASM international activities, is available on the ASM website at www.asmusa.org/intsecti.htm or send an e-mail requesting information to international@asmusa.org .
Illinois Society for Microbiology
The Fall meeting and 53rd annual Pasteur Award Dinner of the Illinois Society for Microbiology was held on 2 November 2000. The Pasteur Award, which gives public recognition to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to microbiology, was presented to Ronald Zabransky.
Zabransky, currently chief of the Clinical Microbiology Section at the VA Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio, has been well known in the field of clinical microbiology for over 40 years as a distinguished scientist and a professor. He is well recognized for his extensive work on susceptibility testing and detection of resistance to various antimicrobials. He has served in numerous scientific associations and has widely published on various topics including 43 peer-reviewed articles, 18 book chapters and monographs, 10 editorials and letters, and 45 abstracts. He is currently the editor of both Medical Microbiology Letters and Clinical Microbiology Newsletter. He served as editor of Diagnostic Microbiology aid Infectious Disease from 1989-1992. He is currently a reviewer for both Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy and the Journal of Clinical Microbiology.
The Fall Meeting topics included presentations given by Thomas Meehan on "Conservation Medicine: A Perspective on the Ecology of Emerging Infectious Diseases," Cheryl Farello on "Prediction of Rabies Spread and Evaluation of Control Studies in Urban Illinois Raccoons," and Ronald Zabransky on "Beyond the Clinical Lab: The Microbiologist's Role in Public Health."
ASM Branches on the Web
The following ASM Branches have established sites on the World Wide Web:
New Jersey (Theobald Smith Society)
ASM Divisions on the Web
The following ASM Divisions have established sites on the World Wide Web:
Division A, Antimicrobial Chemotherapy
Division B, Microbial Pathogenesis
Division C, Clinical Microbiology
Division D, General Medical Microbiology
Division I, General Microbiology
Division K, Microbial Physiology and Metabolism
Division O, Fermentation and Biotechnology
Division Q, Environmental and General Applied Microbiology
Division R, Systematic & Evolutionary Microbiology
Division W, Microbiology Education
Division X, Molecular, Cellular and General Microbiology of Eukaryotes
Division Z, Animal Health Microbiology
Members are encouraged to visit these Web pages, which are also accessible through the Membership section of the ASM Web site.
Email: webmaster@asmusa.org