Each year, as November ends and December begins, I find myself in what I like to call the “backward -forward mode.” With the year drawing to a close, it is a natural time for reflection on the PAST, gaining valuable insights into our accomplishments and setbacks, helping us understand which strategies worked, which did not, and why. While reflection on the PAST is important, it is equally vital to looking forward and envisioning the FUTURE we aspire to create. This forward-looking perspective encourages us to dream big and plan strategically. By setting clear and achievable goals, we create a roadmap that motivates us to strive for continuous improvement and innovation. However, it is important to balance our aspirations with flexibility. The FUTURE is inherently uncertain, and our plans may need to adapt to changing circumstances. By maintaining a flexible mindset, we can navigate unexpected challenges and seize new opportunities in the PRESENT where we have the most power to act and make changes. By staying PRESENT, we can navigate our daily lives with greater intention and purpose applying the lessons learned from our PAST to build our FUTURE.
2024 has been with no doubt a testament to the Society’s ability to innovate, evolve, and grow. The 2024 World Congress on In Vitro Biology in St. Louis saw the highest attendance of any annual meeting in the Society’s past 20 years. Overall registration increased by 36% compared to the 2023 meeting, and postdoctoral registrations surged by 61%. These numbers highlight the crucial role of selecting topics and speakers that reflect the latest advancements in in vitro biology applications (2024 Program Committee), the importance of fostering new ideas for the format of the program (Lightning Talks – Sparking Curiosity), the value of a strong engagement with local research institutions (2024 Local Organizing Committee), the power of partnership (PlantGENE) and the significant impact of effective planning (Innovative Essentials). In light of this success, the 2025 Program Committee is diligently working on the 2025 In Vitro Biolog Meeting (#SIVB2025) in Norfolk, VA from June 7-10. Don’t forget to take advantage of the Special Discounted Registration available through November 30 and also remember that we do offer a Group Registration rate to any Company or University that wishes to register large groups to attend the meeting.
In 2024, the number of followers on the Society’s social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn) steadily increased, thanks to the efforts of the Social Engagement Ad Hoc Committee and your contributions (Social Media Posting). Additionally, this year we continued to expand our YouTube channel content to create an open-access resource library that will be available to interested groups for applied research and educational purposes, such as classroom teaching or laboratory sessions. If you haven’t already, please join The Ultimate Subscriber Challenge! and share our channel with your colleagues, students, and collaborators.
The “Today’s Voices, Envisioning Tomorrow” campaign, our first-ever large-scale member and non-member voice survey, concluded on September 30, 2024 and received an excellent response rate with a great distribution between member (73%) and non-member (27%) providing us with valuable information about your professional needs, and your insights on how we can enhance our Society. Your participation is going to be instrumental in helping us understand the diverse perspectives within our community, and we are committed to using this feedback to drive meaningful future initiatives.
The end of the year is not only a moment of reflection but also a time to express gratitude for the people that have supported our professional and personal journeys. As the incoming President of the Society, I want to extend my deepest thanks to all of you – the Board of Directors, Innovative Essentials, the In Vitro Animal Cell Sciences Section Officers, the Plant Biotechnology Section Officers, the SIVB Committees, as well as the broader SIVB community of members, post-docs, and students – for your ongoing support. Your dedication and contributions have been instrumental in our collective success, and I am profoundly grateful for your commitment. As we look forward to the future, I am excited about the possibilities that lie ahead. With your continued support, I am confident that together we will grow and accomplish even greater things in 2025. Thank you for being an integral part of our journey, and I look forward to working with all of you in the coming year.
On behalf of the Society for In Vitro Biology, the Board of Directors and myself, we wish you all a happy and healthy holiday season!
Sincerely,
Piero Barone
President, Society for In Vitro Biology
#togetherwegrow #SIVB2025
SIVB is offering a special registration rate to any Company or University that wishes to register larger groups of their employees to attend the meeting. If your organization has 5 or more employees who wish to attend the meeting either in-person or through the On-Demand Limited Access program, you can register all employees for a flat rate as listed in the table above. Contact the Meeting Secretariat to receive the Group Registration Form. If you have fewer than 5 employees and would like to learn about group rates options for your organization, contact the Meeting Secretariat for more information.
Lightning Talks – Sparking Curiosity
Beginning in 2024, SIVB began offering a new presentation category: Lightning Talks. These concise 5-minute oral presentations are an opportunity for poster presenters to give a preview of their research and entice the audience to visit them in the Exhibit Hall. These special oral presentations will be limited to a maximum of three slides which will be advanced by a convener. Speakers are encouraged to keep their message simple, explain the broader significance or “big picture” of their research, and focus on key takeaways. Presenters will be able to provide greater details while standing at their poster during their assigned poster session immediately following the Lightning Talks. These presentations have replaced the Interactive Poster Sessions. We hope this combination Oral and Poster Presentation opportunity will be beneficial to both presenter and audience alike.
To contribute to SIVB’s social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube), please follow the submission instructions provided by the Ad-Hoc Social Engagement Committee (Link)
2024 Program Committee
Kolla Kristjansdottir, 2023 Program Chair, Midwestern University
Kenneth Kandaras, IVACS Program Chair, International Foundation for Ethical Research
Ahmad Omar, PB Program Chair, University of Florida
Carlos Hernandez-Garcia, PB Sr. Co-Chair, CTC Genomics
Alfred Huo, PB Jr. Co-Chair, University of Florida
Brad L. Upham, Education Chair, Michigan State University
Babak Senfi, IVACS Student Co-Chair, Tufts University
Jasmyn M. Hoeger, IVACS Student Co-Chair, University of Iowa
Prasanna Valavanur Shekar, PB Student Co-Chair, Clemson University
Christina Yevtushenko, PB Student Co-Chair, McGill University
Innovative Essentials
Michele Schultz, Managing Director
David Olsher, Meetings and Administrative Coordinator
Sally Dodson, Administrative Assistant
2024 Local Organizing Committee
Cynthia L. Goodman, Co-Chair, Cryocrate, LLC
Veena Veena, Co-Chair, Donald Danforth Plant Science Center
Addy Alt-Holland, Tufts University
Charles Armstrong, Plastomics
Christopher Bagley, Inari Agriculture
Jeffrey Beringer, Inari Agriculture
Yurong Chen, Bayer Crop Science
Mae Ciancio, Midwestern University
Kevin Cox, WUSTL/DDPSC
Ian S. Curtis, Edison Agrosciences
Stanton Gelvin, Purdue University
Carlos Hernandez Garcia, CTC Genomics
Rachel Helmich, Missouri Botanical Garden
Sarah Huss, Bayer Crop Science
Jasmyn Hoeger, University of Iowa
Todd J. Jones, Corteva Agriscience
Sunran Kim, Bayer Crop Science
Kolla Kristjansdottir, Midwestern University
Keunsub Lee, Iowa State University
Jon Mahoney, Ball Horticultural Company
Murug Mookkan, Plastomics
Shubha Subbarao, Bayer Crop Science
Julie Swartzendruber, Midwestern University
Jeffrey Staub, Plastomics
Nigel Taylor, Donald Danforth Plant Science Center
Vaibhav Tiwari, Midwestern University
Dwight Tomes
Michelle Valentine, Bayer Crop Science
Bing Yang, University of Missouri
Cankui Zhang, Purdue University
Chris Bagley, Inari Agriculture
Anissa Belfetmi, Harvard Medical School
Xiaotong Chen, Clemson University
Javier Dalmendray, University of Florida
Aimee Malzahn, Boyce Thompson Institute
Joyce Van Eck, Boyce Thompson Institute
Sarbesh Das Dangol, Madan Bhandari University of Science and Technology (MBUST)
Daylan Pritchard, University of the Fraser Valley
