Month: June 2020

Dear Friends, I am writing my last president’s letter in April 2020. 2020 will stand out as a banner year for challenges to the SIVB.

We find ourselves in a profoundly changing world as we learn to adapt to nature’s presented threat, the SARS-CoV2 virus.

It is with great sadness that the SIVB board made the decision to cancel this year’s in person meeting of the SIVB. As a long-time member – and as president elect! – the annual meeting is one of the highlights of my year!

You’ve heard the SIVB talking about transitioning this year’s event to a Virtual Pre-recorded meeting, but what does it mean? And how can you participate? This year’s SIVB Annual Meeting will be unprecedented as we will not see each other face-to-face.

The Society for In Vitro Biology established the Fellow Award to recognize outstanding professionals who have made significant contributions to the field of in vitro biology and demonstrated service to the Society. The Society for In Vitro Biology honored Dr. Jeffrey Adelberg and Dr. Neal Stewart with Fellow Awards

Distinguished Service Awards have been chosen most years since 1993 by the President or Past President of the Society to members who have given extraordinary service in support of the annual meeting of SIVB during the past year. We’re known for the quality of our meetings and scientific quality of presentations

It is with heavy hearts that we inform you of the passing of Professor Trevor A. Thorpe, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada. He had been suffering from poor health in recent months, and died peacefully in a hospital on 18 May 2020. We convey our heartfelt condolences to Trevor’s wife Rosita (Yvonne) and his children, Jennifer and Anthony.

SIVB has high regard for education of our younger members through active enrolment and participation in the society. We also take pride in the number of members who have been active in SIVB for their entire careers which in many cases include members who have retired from their full-time positions.

Efforts are underway by governments to develop rules to regulate access to digital sequence information (DSI) under several international environmental treaties including the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA), and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas (UNCLOS).