Month: November 2019

The ballots for the 2020 election of society and section officers have been sent by email to all members on or about November 5, 2019 and voting will close on December 5, 2019. I would strongly encourage each member to participate in the voting. We are a relatively compact society so each vote really counts. The use of Survey Monkey makes the process very straight forward and each candidate’s picture, biography and platform are incorporated into the ballot so comparing candidates is very easy. If you don’t know either of the candidates and wish to abstain, simply check that box. Dwight Tomes and his nominating committee have done a superb job of assembling a strong slate of candidates.

The Keynote Speaker for the 2020 World Congress on In Vitro Biology is Dr. Alysson R. Muotri, Ph.D., of the Sanford Consortium, Departments of Pediatrics/Cellular & Molecular Medicine, University of California, San Diego. Dr. Muotri earned a BSc in Biological Sciences from the State University of Campinas in 1995 and a Ph.D. in Genetics from University of Sao Paulo, Brazil in 2001. He continued his postdoctoral

The highest honor given by the Society for In Vitro Biology is the Lifetime Achievement Award. It is presented to scientists who are considered pioneers or highly influential researchers to the science and art of cell culture. They are men and women who have devoted their careers to exemplary research and/or teaching. The recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award are selected by vote of the Board of Directors from a list of nominations recommended by the Awards Committee. The Society for In Vitro Biology honored Dr. Tetsuji Okamoto and Dr. Barbara Reed with SIVB Lifetime Achievement Awards at the 2019 In Vitro Biology Meeting in Tampa, FL.

The Young Scientist Award recognizes current members of the SIVB who are outstanding early-career scientists and who have made significant contributions to the field of in vitro biology and/or in the development of novel technologies that have advanced in vitro biology. The Society for In Vitro Biology honored Dr. Raj Deepika Chauhan with the Young Scientist Award at the 2019 In Vitro Biology Meeting in Tampa, FL.

We look to our members to help the Society recognize and celebrate scientific achievements of their peers. Now is the time to nominate your SIVB colleagues for a 2020 Award. There are a variety of available awards for members at all stages of their career which we have listed below for quick reference. Please take a moment to review the criteria for each award and the SIVB nomination processes, then download the fillable nominations form and prepare your nomination package. Nominations must be received by February 1, 2020 to be considered for a 2020 Award.

The following student awards were presented at the 2019 In Vitro Biology Meeting in Tampa, Florida. Information related to the available specific student awards can be found on the SIVB website or by contacting the SIVB Business Office (send email to [email protected]).

The SIVB’s In Vitro Animal Cell Sciences Section (IVACS) held the Student and Post-Doctoral Oral Presentation Competition on Monday, June 10. Three contestants delivered professional presentations and answered multiple questions both from the attendees and judges of this session. The panel of IVACS expert judges included: Dr. Mae Ciancio and Dr. Michael J. Fay (Midwestern University), Dr. Michael Dame (University of Michigan), Dr. Brad L. Upham (Michigan State University), and Dr. John W. Harbell (JHarbell Consulting LLC), as well as the session moderators, Dr. Kolla Kristjansdottir (Midwestern University) and Dr. Addy Alt-Holland (Tufts University).

To support the Society’s vision to encourage education and scientific informational exchange and recognize outstanding post docs, the Plant Biotechnology Section held a Plant Biotechnology Post-doctoral Oral Presentation Competition on Monday June 10th. A panel of judges evaluated the presentations using the following criteria: experimental design, data analysis, proper interpretation of the results, originality of the study, technical difficulty, appearance and ability of the post-doctoral candidate to present it. The judges were Prakash Kumar from the National University of Singapore, Nagesh Sardesai from Corteva Agriscience™ and Lori Marcum from Corteva Agriscience™.

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The fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (Sf), is a polyphagous lepidopteran herbivore that consumes more than 80 plant species, including many economically important crops, such as corn, soybeans, and sorghum. It is a serious pest in most of North and South America and has spread to India, China and other Asian countries, as well as to Africa. Sf was recently categorized as a potential European Union quarantine pest because its range may expand from Africa into Europe. There are effective barriers to Sf management, such as rapid evolution of resistance to chemical pesticides, immune responses to biological control agents, and field-evolved resistance to Cry proteins.