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We have two excellent candidates in Eldridge Adams and Joan Herbers. In addition, Ed Vargo is our nominee for Secretary/Treasurer. See below for a brief biography of each. Cast your ballot by November 5, 1998. VOTE, VOTE, VOTE!!! Any which way you can! Keep track of the latest developments on the XIII International IUSSI Congress to be held in Adelaide Australia in Dec/Jan 1998-99, on the following web site: www.bio.flinders.edu.au:80/iussi/home.htm. January 6-11, 1999 (Canberra, Australia). Andy Austin reminds all who are intending to be in Canberra for the International Hymenoptera Conference that the deadline for reduced registration fees and call for papers/posters is 1st October. If you do not have a copy of the registration forms and information, they can be downloaded from the ISH website at (http://IRIS.biosci.ohio state.edu:80/ish/conf1999/conf_frm.html) or by contacting the conference organisers at (ishcon99@ento.csiro.au). If you have any queries about the scientific program or need a letter of support for funding applications please contact Andy Austin at (aaustin@waite.adelaide.edu.au). It's time to start thinking about your Insectes Sociaux subscription and membership renewal for 1999. A renewal/membership form is available to download. If I do not have a record of your payment for 1998 I have indicated so on the hardcopy renewal form (then you actually do have to pay twice) mailed to you. I have also indicated on the renewal form if you have already Pd. for 1999. You can additionally find out your membership status by emailing me. Subscription prices remain the same. WEB Newsletter or Mailed Newsletter? When you renew your membership please indicate on the form in the space provided if the newsletter on the web can substitute for your mailed copy. Eldridge Adams became interested in social insects while an undergraduate at Harvard. Research opportunities in Bert Holldobler's lab and two summers of field studies with James Traniello led to a long-term interest in ant behavior and ecology. Eldridge received his Ph.D. from U.C. Berkeley, studying the behavioral ecology of tropical ants under the supervision of Roy Caldwell, then conducted postdoctoral research on termites with Mary Jane West-Eberhard and on fire ants with Walter Tschinkel. He joined the faculty of the University of Rochester in 1991 and moved to the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Connecticut in 1997. Eldridge's research interests include the population dynamics of social insects, behaviors of cooperation and conflict, recognition systems, and population and community structure. In 1991, he received a five-year Fellowship in Science and Engineering from the Packard Foundation, which funded his lab's work on fire ant biology and termite population genetics. His previous service includes organizing a program symposium for the 1995 meeting of the Entomological Society of America, and helping to smuggle cold beer into a casino for one of the NAS-IUSSI annual meetings. Joan Herbers grew up in a large Catholic family in the 50s, thereby gaining personal insight to the dynamics of cooperation-conflict resolution. As a result, she has devoted her career to understanding how the tension between conflict and cooperation is resolved in insect societies, with particular reference to ants. Joan received her PhD from Northwestern in 1978, spent a postdoc year at Stanford, and then assumed a faculty position at the Univerity of Vermont. In the ensuing 20 years, she published papers on sex ratios, caste ergonomics, polygyny, and complex colony structure in ants. She moved to Colorado State University in 1993, where she is Chair of the Biology Department. Joan has served NAS/IUSSI as a member of the Nominations Committee (1981), as Secretary Treasurer (1989-92), and most recently as a member of the ad hoc Travel Grants Committee. She has participated in IUSSI Congresses since 1982, including organizing symposia for the Paris and Adelaide meetings. Other professional activities include service on review panels for NSF, organizing a regional ABS meeting, and most recently serving as Associate Editor of American Naturalist. Ed Vargo: How I went from California surf bum to East Coast social insect scientist I have never really understood. Somehow this path led across country for a one-year stint as an aspiring termitologist while in graduate school at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Searching for something more daring (and a whole lot more painful), I then pursued fire ants at the University of Georgia. Surviving on a steady diet of boiled peanuts, I stuck it out and completed graduate school in 1986. Following a short post-doc in Texas and tons of authentic Tex-Mex, I spent two years in Luc Passera's lab in Toulouse France, where in between heavy doses of French culture and language I fit in a little work on Argentine ants. I then returned to the University of Texas and scraped by for many years while continuing to work on fire ants. My new position at North Carolina State University once again finds me in the East. With current resarch responsibilities in termites (an a little fire ant work on the side), my present position completes a small circle in my social insect career. Among the more important roles I've played in the NAS/IUSSI includes serving twice as At Large Member of the nominations Committee, and acting as an accomplice to refreshment smuggling for one of our annual business mettings. I suppose completing my bigger career circle wil involve gainful employment as a West Coast surf bum. Until that time I look forward to serving our society as Secretary/Treasurer. The 1998 ESA Annual Meeting will begin at 12:00 noon, Sunday, November 8, and will end at 12:00 noon on Thursday, November 12. Morning sessions will run from 8:00 a.m. until noon. Afternoon sessions will run from 1:30 p.m. (1:00 p.m. on Sunday) until 5:30 p.m. Evening sessions will run from 7:00 p.m. until the session concludes, usually between 9:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. The ESA has set up a Web-site that contains lots of useful information about the meeting and the ESA in general. The address is http://www.entsoc.org. Note: NAS/IUSSI has scheduled a Monday evening Business Meeting at the ESA meeting. Check your program for time and place. Hope to see you there. The XXI ICE will begin at 6:00 p. m. on Sunday, August 20, and will end in the afternoon on Saturday, August 26, 2000. The scientific sessions and plenary lectures will be held at Carima, Bourbon and Mabu Hotels in Iguassu Falls - PR, Brazil. Poster sessions will be located at Iguassu Falls Convention Center, where the Exhibit, Photo Session and Insect Exposition will also be located. Morning sessions will run from 8:00 a.m. until noon. Afternoon sessions will run from 2:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. Other scientific programs may extend beyond 6:00 p.m. See parallel meetings for details. Official language for all sessions, including posters, will be ENGLISH. No translations will be provided for any other language. Opening Lecture: Entomologists preserving biodiversity will be the topic for the opening lecture. For detailed information visit the Congress web site: http://www.embrapa.br/ice . THE NAS/IUSSI ON THE WEB!! Kirk Visscher and Jennifer Fewell have combined their efforts to create an NAS/IUSSI web site (http://lsvl.la.asu.edu/iussi/). Obviously, if you are reading this, you have found the site. Send suggestions or comments to Kirk Visscher - visscher@citrus.ucr.edu; Jennifer Fewell - j.fewell@asu.edu. Second CALL FOR 1998 NOMINEES Deadline Extended - The winner will be announced at the ESA meeting, so there is no time to lose. Get your candidateâs nomination in as soon as possible!! Purpose: To recognize research by graduate students in the field of social insect biology for work done in North America or by a student member of IUSSI/NAS pursuing studies elsewhere. Nature: The award shall consist of a certificate, an honorarium (amount to be determined by Executive Committee) and one year subscription to Insectes Sociaux. The award will be presented at the annual IUSSI/NAS business meeting. Eligibility: The award will be given to the student(s), who in the opinion of the judging committee, shows the most distinguished record of research and scholarly activity in the area of social insect biology. Any student doing work in North America or any student member of IUSSI/NAS may be nominated. The student shall not have received a PhD or terminated studies earlier than 12 months prior to the award. Students continuing beyond a baccalaureate or masters degree will remain eligible. Previous award recipients are not eligible for a second award. Nominations: Nominations may be made by the student or by others familiar with his or her work. Each nomination must be typed (double-spaced) and include: name and curriculum vitae of the student nominee; title and brief (not to exceed one page) description of the work; reprints of up to two publications; submitted manuscripts or a thesis/dissertation; and at least two letter of recommendation. The proposal and supporting information, three copies of each, must be sent to the Chair of the IUSSI/NAS Student Award Committee by October 1. A biographical sketch should be included. Student Award Committee: The Student Award Committee shall consist of three members, serving staggered terms of three years. A new member shall be elected each year at the annual business meeting of IUSSI/NAS. The senior member shall serve as chair of the committee. Members shall be from separate institutions. Consideration should be given to representation from a diversity of social insect taxonomic groups, and research specialties when electing the new member. Committee Charge: The Award Committee shall be responsible for (1) soliciting and ranking nominations and selecting the awardee, (2) notifying the awardee, and (3) announcing the award at the annual business meeting and in the section newsletter. Attendance at the business meeting by the awardee is encouraged but not required. Judging: The Award Committee members shall independently review nominations and rank them. Priority shall be given to proposal demonstrating originality and good scientific methodology in the field of interest. The Award Committee chair will summarize the results and discuss them with the other judges as needed to reach a consensus. The Committee Members: James Traniello, Chair Department of Biology, Boston University, 5 Cummington St, Boston, MA 02215 Tele: 617-353-2832, email jft@bio.bu.edu Gard Otis Dept. Environmental Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario CANADA Tele: 519-824- 4120, ext 2478; Fax: 519-837-0442 Theresa L. Singer Department of Entomology, University of Georgia ,Athens, Georgia 30602 Tele: 706-542-2816, leave message; Fax: 706-542-2279; E-Mail: singer@bugs.ent.uga.edu SEND NEWSLETTER ITEMS TO: Bob Vander Meer: Tele = 352-374-5918; FAX = 352-374-5786; E-mail= bobvm@nervm.nerdc.ufl.edu |
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