David Songstad, SIVB President
I am writing this as I reflect upon the first year of my presidency and as I look forward for the second year to come. At this mid-way point in tenure as President, I’m reflective and prospective at the same time. I’m reflective on the strong position that the SIVB currently has as a society, particularly with regards to our membership, our program and our financial status. In being reflective, I realize that the accomplishments during my term are mostly due to the actions of the current board, the past board and countless members that “step up” and help this society. Little of what is accomplished is directly due to my efforts. To all of you, I give my heart-felt “thank you”. In being prospective, I see another great SIVB annual meeting coming our way in June. This year’s keynote speaker, Steve Briggs, is a friend of mine where we worked together at Pioneer Hi-Bred many years ago. I appreciate Steve keynote message because it will extend the systems biology approach that Leroy Hood discussed last year to an important agricultural crop—maize. In being prospective, I see another great opportunity for SIVB members to visit with students that are attending our meeting and encouraging them to come back again. Students will be the future face of our society. In being prospective, I see a new horizon for the SIVB in 2014 where our society will have a joint meeting with the Society for Cryobiology. This joint meeting will be similar to the 2010 meeting where SIVB and IAPB worked together to have one meeting. The plans for this meeting, which will be in Savannah, Georgia, are underway and I am very happy with how this is progressing.
One last note of appreciation is in order as we approach our annual meeting. I know we are all busy preparing our posters and oral presentations and are also busy scheduling our airplane flights and reservations and we are also busy with our work in the office or the laboratory. But I want us all to take a moment and thank Marietta Ellis and Michele Schultz for all their behind the scene work in the logistics and planning for our meeting in Providence and for many more meetings to come. To both of you I also have a heart-felt “Thank You”.
Travel safe and see you in Providence!
Sincerely yours,
David Songstad, Ph.D.
President, Society for In Vitro Biology
[email protected]
