Following the successful conclusion of the 2025 In Vitro Biology Meeting (#SIVB2025) in Norfolk, Virginia, I want to express my sincere gratitude to everyone who participated. Your enthusiasm and engagement were the driving forces that made this event so memorable and impactful. Over four days filled with symposia, poster sessions, and informal discussions, I witnessed the very best of what a professional gathering can offer: the exchange of innovative ideas, the tackling of complex questions, and the transformation of new acquaintances into valued colleagues and collaborators.
There is a unique energy that only in-person meetings can create. It emerges in spontaneous hallway conversations that ignite breakthroughs, in the collective excitement when new discoveries are unveiled, and in late-night discussions that plant the seeds of future research and collaboration. These moments highlight the irreplaceable value of gathering as a scientific community: a space where disciplines intersect, assumptions are challenged, and creativity flourishes. Once again, we have demonstrated that genuine human connection is the greatest catalyst for insight and progress.
Reflecting on this year’s meeting, and considering the insights shared here, I am reminded of a critical question the Board often discusses: How do we ensure our Society not only endures, but thrives for both current and future members? Professional societies like SIVB have long been the backbone of scientific advancement: organizing conferences, publishing journals, recognizing excellence, and nurturing the next generation of researchers. Yet, the landscape is changing. The digital age, with its abundance of online information and the rise of virtual conferences, has challenged the traditional society model, leading to a decline in membership across many scientific organizations.
Your participation in SIVB2025 affirms the continuing relevance of our Society but its continued success relies on the active commitment of each of us. Your membership helps support not only a single event like our annual meeting but a year-round support system. It provides invaluable access to mentors (MATCH program), travel grants, career-development workshops, leadership opportunities on executive committees, and the prestige of society awards.
Moreover, in an era saturated with misinformation, scientific societies serve as trusted voices. Whether advocating for research funding, issuing evidence-based statements on critical issues like climate change and food security, or guiding public understanding during crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic, our societies amplify the collective expertise of thousands. While an individual researcher’s voice may be lost in the noise, a unified society has the power to shape policy and uphold the integrity of science.
Let’s keep the momentum from the annual meeting alive. Treat every handshake you offered and every story you heard during the meeting as the raw material for tomorrow’s innovations—and let your Society be the platform that helps you refine, test, and share those ideas. I encourage you to renew your membership, invite a colleague to join, donate to support the activities of the Society, volunteer for a committee, or propose the workshop you wish existed. Your involvement sustains the spirit of this meeting and transforms it into the foundation for an even stronger future for our field and our Society.
Sincerely,
Piero Barone
President, Society for In Vitro Biology
