ISAC E-News - Summer 2002

In this issue:

• President's Message
• Congress XXI Gets Thumbs Up
• Introducing Your Membership Services Committee 
• ISAC Council Roster
• Upcoming Meetings
• Congress XXI Cytomics Lectures Online 
• Web Site News 
• ISAC Announcements

ISAC XXI Wrap Up

President's Message
Harry Crissman
hacrissman@lanl.gov

The ISAC Congress XXI in San Diego may now be history, but it made history too. The Congress had record attendance of 1,167 and saw a significant increase in the number of students and exhibitors participating.

Our keynote speaker, 1996 Nobel Prize laureate Peter Doherty, opened the meeting with an enthusiastic presentation on T-cell recognition and cell-mediated immunity. Lord Robert Winston closed the Congress with a provocative Hooke Lecture on the ethics of human stem-cell research.

The Congress introduced a series of new and well-received plenary presentations in cytomics sessions. Cytomics has been defined as the science of cell-based analyses that integrate genomics and proteomics with the dynamic function of cells and tissues.

Some members seem to have responded very favorably to the term cytomics while others were not as enthusiastic, but for now it seems to relate our studies to the mainstream of science today and thereby expand the image and the appeal of ISAC to a wider range of scientists.

This Congress initiated digital recording of lectures through Digiscript and the cytomics talks are now available for viewing online at the ISAC home page.

Four stimulating Frontiers in Science presentations featured talks on chromosome territories in nuclei, cell signaling, loss of genome stability in mammalian cells, and the need for nationwide preparations for potential bioterrorist attacks. A mini-symposium on apoptosis featured dynamic and up-to-date presentations by the leaders in the field, including Drs. Green, Reed, Yuan and Evans.

Steve Lockett, a principal scientist at the National Cancer Institute, was the recipient of the first Janis Giorgi Huang Foundation Award. The award was made possible by the Huang Foundation founded by Drs. Ernest and Huei-Jen Huang.

The Congress ended with a delightful banquet followed by musical entertainment provided by the Mar Dels, a popular San Diego nostalgia band. Many Congress attendees were part of the action and occasionally performed in costume on stage with the musicians. It was a wild party!

All in all, with the exception of some people having difficulty checking into their rooms, the Town and Country Convention Center was really well-suited for our need to have lots of meeting places in close proximity. I empathize with those who had room problems--I had one too.

So we celebrate another great ISAC Congress but it could only have happened with the participation of the many members who gave so generously of their time and energy to preserving the high standards of excellence for the Society meeting. I would like to express the appreciation of the organizing committee all those ISAC members who made the meeting an overwhelming success.

Following the September 11 tragedy we were very concerned about attendance. By the initial October 17 abstract deadline, we had received only a few hundred abstract submissions compared to the 600 received at the same time for the ISAC Congress XX in 2000. However, with a great deal of effort-including phone calls, well-tailored publicity and membership participation--the number of abstracts submitted by the extended March 15 abstract deadline ensured success of the Congress.

I would also like to extend a special thank you to all the tutorial lecturers for making the Congress such a rich educational experience.

Finally, I want to express my gratitude on behalf of ISAC for the outstanding performance of ISAC Headquarters staff in organizing and managing our congress. The record attendance at this Congress could not have been achieved without all of our staff's behind-the-scenes effort in keeping things moving smoothly and effectively.

For those ISAC members who were unable to attend, you were missed and we invite you to join us in Montpellier, France, at ISAC Congress 2004.

In the meantime, there are two excellent 2003 ISAC meetings planned. A three-day cytomics meeting in Cardiff, Wales, 6-9 May 2003 is being organized by Councilor Paul Smith. The Fourth Samuel A. Latt Meeting, "Quantitative Biology for the Clinic," 20-22 November at Yosemite Lodge, California, is being organized by President-Elect Maria Pallavicini, Past President Joe Gray and Graeme Hodgson. Hope to see you there!

In closing, I invite your participation and active involvement in the molding the future of ISAC. This is your society and we are very interested in your comments and desires for the development of the ISAC.

Next year we celebrate the 25th anniversary of ISAC. The technology available today provides new ways of designing and reporting in-depth studies on cellular function and we will have to shape ISAC to incorporate and accommodate areas of new sciences as they develop. We need to hear from you. Thanks!

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ISAC Announcements

New ISAC E-News Editor Seeks Member Input
As the newly appointed E-News editor, I'm looking for your ideas and input to make E-News an effective and useful tool for ISAC members. This newsletter usually includes updates on ISAC Congresses, the Samuel A. Latt meetings, other meetings and conferences of interest to our members, and keeps members informed about the initiatives undertaken by the ISAC Council.

Please e-mail your ideas, suggestions and comments to me (Scott Cram) at lxc@lanl.gov.

Cytometry Office Changes
The Cytometry Editorial Office has merged with the Clinical Cytometry Editorial Office. Joy Holliday is the new editorial assistant working with Editor-in-Chief Charles L. Goolsby on both Cytometry and Clinical Cytometry, ISAC's two journals. Joy can be e-mailed at cytometry@nwu.edu.

The Editorial Office address is:
Joy Holliday
Northwestern University Medical School
Ward Building 6-204
303 E. Chicago Ave.
Chicago, IL 60611
Phone: 312-503-1847

ISAC XXI Gets Thumbs Up from Attendees

ISAC XXI attendees were pleased with the Congress, held 4-9 May in San Diego, California, according to results of a questionnaire distributed and collected at the Congress and sent electronically after the meeting.

Of those returning their evaluation forms, 92 percent rated ISAC XXI as "meeting their expectation." And 92 percent rated the "quality of speakers" as excellent or good, while 86 percent rated the "quality of technical sessions" as excellent or good. Attendees were also pleased with the "variety of sessions," with 78 percent rating them as excellent or good.

The information gathered, along with individual comments, will be carefully evaluated in preparation of ISAC XXII, which will be held in Montpellier, France, 22-27 May 2004.

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ISAC Congress Lectures Viewable Online

Point-click-listen and the ISAC Congress cytomics lectures are yours without leaving your desk.

ISAC partnered with Digiscript, Inc. to digitally capture selected cytomics plenary presentations, making them available on the internet to those who were unable to attend the lectures or the Congress.

Visitors to ISAC's Web site will be able to link to a full audio/video, presentation of the speakers with full keyword searchable transcript and printable slides; the presentations may be viewed repeatedly for one year.

 

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Upcoming Meetings

2002 Cytometry Development Workshop, 18-21 October 2002, at the Asilomar Conference Center in Pacific Grove, California, organized by Robert Murphy and Howard Shapiro. More information is available at http://murphylab.web.cmu.edu/CDW/. Note the August 1 deadline for reserving housing.

Enabling Molecular Profiling with Cellular Resolution: Microgenomics Using Homogeneous Cell Samples, 5-6 December 2002, Wyndham San Diego at Emerald Plaza, San Diego, California. More information is available at http://www.healthtech.com.

Fourth Samuel A. Latt Meeting: Quantitative Biology for the Clinic, 20-22 November 2002, at Yosemite Lodge, California, organized by Maria Pallavicini Joe Gray and Graeme Hodgson. Watch the ISAC Web site for details.

First Annual Cytomics Meeting, 6-9 May 2003, in Cardiff, Wales, organized by Paul Smith. For more information see the ISAC Web site at http://www.isac-net.org/cytomics/index.htm.

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Introducing Your Membership Services Committee

Editor's Note: In future issues of ISAC E-News, other committees will be profiled. We begin our series by featuring the Membership Services.

The principal duties and responsibilities of the Membership Services Committee (MSC) are to:

• Develop strategies and programs to increase membership retention
• Develop strategies and find services that will bring new members into ISAC
• Identify what services members want and need
• Publicize the goals and objectives of the Society
• From time to time, draft appropriate questionnaires and surveys to ascertain membership needs
• Consider requests from ISAC members for financial support to attend ISAC meetings
• Consider requests from ISAC members or qualifying Societies for financial support for member activities or meetings
• Ensure appropriate use of the Society's pages in Cytometry

A happy task for the MSC is to preselect the candidates for the Presidential and Exceptional Student awards. We then select the recipients after consideration of the submitted abstract and recommendations and the oral presentation at the Congress.

Candidates for the Presidential Award must be enrolled in a doctoral program at a legitimate college or university or have received a doctoral-level degree no more than five years before. Candidates for the Exceptional Student Award must be enrolled in a doctoral program at a legitimate college or university.

The awards will be presented during the Congress and include a cash award of $1,000. The budget for these awards has been established by the kind donation of the royalties from the Handbook of Flow Cytometry by the editors of this publication.

The Society makes up to 10 Outstanding Poster Awards at each Congress for posters presented by students, and post-doctoral researchers who have received their doctorate no more than three years before. These awards are presented during the Congress and include a cash award of $100.

Selection of the recipients of the award will be the responsibility of the MSC and will be based on content and form. To be eligible, the applicant must apply. The posters will be judged at the time they are scheduled to be attended by the author.

The above is adapted from the duties and responsibilities section of the ISAC Web site. The full text is available there.

The important point is that we are your membership services committee. In this role, we are all fully committed to act as both a conduit for members' concerns to the Society leadership and as a clearinghouse for ideas to extend the benefits of membership in ISAC.

We (and some of our identified functions) are:

• Nicholas Terry, Chair-An Englishman in Texas
• Jim Jett, Los Alamos, New Mexico USA--A critical liaison with our President and E-News Editor Scott Cram
• Alexander Nakeff, Detroit, Michigan USA--Who will continue to lead and expand student initiatives
• Gerard Lizard, University of Burgundy, France--An important liaison with the host nation for ISAC XXII
• Zofia Maciorowski, Institut Curie, Paris, France--A Canadian formerly of Detroit whose international pedigree well represents our membership
• Alice Givan, Lebanon, New Hampshire USA--Student/young investigator travel support
• Ex officio: Nada Boustany--2002 Presidential Award winner

Ultimately, the MSC can only be as useful as you, the membership, want us to be. Our e-mail addresses are all available in the members' section of the Web site and I invite all of the society to contact us as necessary. Ideas for fund-raising initiatives are particularly welcome. We are available to debunk myths and rumors, promote good ideas, foster a spirit of membership, and actively support student and younger members.

ISAC Council Roster
(As of May 9, 2002)

Web Site News

• We're pleased to have two new sponsors of the ISAC Web site. DAKO-Cytomation is sponsoring three Web pages and Molecular Devices, our newest addition, is sponsoring the Vendor News page. Thanks to both companies for their support of ISAC.
  
  
• Our latest online addition is the digital capture of selected cytomics lectures from the XXI International Congress in San Diego. ISAC partnered with DigiScript Inc. to provide this searchable archive.
  
  
• The Job Exchange is constantly changing and has several new postings since the ISAC Congress. Job openings are posted for three months and are free of charge to ISAC members and member organizations. Non-members should contact psullivan@isac-net.org for job posting rates.
  
  
• The Vendor News page, which launched last April, is enjoying increased traffic and participation. These pages are designed to allow suppliers of image and flow cytometry equipment and reagents to introduce their new products to ISAC members. Bookmark this page to stay on top of what's new in the workplace. Vendors can upload press notices onto the ISAC Web site free of charge; company logos may be added for a small fee.
  
  
• Don't forget! You can change your address or any personal membership information quickly and easily using the Members Only area. Can't remember your password? Click "Retrieve Password" and your password will be e-mailed to you at the e-mail address on file at Society headquarters.