Online ASP Newsletter
Volume 30, Issue 1
Spring, 2001
Editor: John S. Connolly, Ph.D.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE . . . . .
CANDIDATES FOR PRESIDENT-ELECT
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David Kessel
Departments of Pharmacology and Medicine
Wayne State University School of Medicine
Detroit, Michigan
Education: 1952, B.S., Chemistry, MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts; 1954,
M.S., Chemistry, University of Michigan; 1958, Ph.D., Biochemistry, University
of Michigan; 1958-62, Postdoctoral, Harvard Medical School.
Appointments: 1962-67, Associate in Pathology, Harvard Medical School;
1967-68, Assistant Professor of Pharmacology and 1969-73, Associate Professor
or Pharmacology, University of Rochester; 1974-present, Professor of Pharmacology
and Medicine, Wayne State University.
Research Interests: Drug development, mode of action of anti-tumor
agents, photodynamic therapy, mechanism of apoptotic responses to photodamage.
ASP Service: Council, 1984-87; Secretary-Treasurer, 1987-90; regular
attendee at ASP meetings since 1982.
Candidate's Statement: I received an early favorable impression
of ASP in 1982 when John Jagger agreed to let me organize a symposium on
the emerging field of photodynamic therapy for the 1983 meeting, even though
I was not yet a Society member. The Society has continued to be responsive
to the needs of the membership and the state of scientific progress. To keep
ASP viable, it is crucial that the Society remain financially sound and
scientifically interesting. Important considerations are the maintenance
of our membership base, attracting new investigators into the Society, exploring
the implications of Internet-journal access on subscription revenue and promoting
public interest in photobiology. Use of the Internet for keeping the membership
up to date on Society business should be promoted; I see to my dismay that
the minutes of the Council and Business meetings in 2000 have yet to make
an appearance. I believe in the principles set forth by Kendric Smith in
his talk commemorating the 25th anniversary of ASP: (1) Don't expect a lot
of help in running a group. (2) If you organize the meeting and send out
the announcements, people will come. My goal is to assist with regard to
(1) and insure that (2) is promoted by avoiding meeting sites in tropical
regions in mid-summer.
ASP News is published quarterly by the
American Society for Photobiology
2000 L St, NW, Ste 710
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: 202-973-8670
Fax: 202-331-0111
E-Mail: ASP@courtesyassoc.com
**********************
Editor: John S. Connolly, Ph.D.
SCIENTIFIC EDITING SERVICES
P.O. Box 16222
Golden, Colorado 80402
(303) 278-3622
(303) 278-0086 (fax)
Connolly@SciEdServ.com
|
Henry W. Lim
Department of Dermatology
Henry Ford Health System
Detroit, Michigan
Education: 1971, B.Sc., Biochemistry, McGill University, Montreal,
Canada; 1975, M.D., College of Medicine, Downstate Medical Center, State
University of New York, Brooklyn, New York; 1975-76, Intern, Department of
Pediatrics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, N.Y.; 1976-80, Resident
and Research Fellow, Department of Dermatology, New York University (NYU)
School of Medicine, New York.
Appointments: 1980-82, Assistant Professor of Dermatology, NYU School
of Medicine; 1982-85, Assistant Professor of Medicine/Dermatology, University
of California, San Diego; 1985-93, Associate Professor of Dermatology, NYU
School of Medicine; 1993-97, Professor of Dermatology, and Assistant Dean
for Veterans' Affairs, NYU School of Medicine; 1993-97, Chief of Staff, New
York Veterans' Affair Medical Cen-ter, New York; 1997-present, Adjunct Professor
of Dermatology, NYU School of Medicine; 1997-present, Chairman and Clarence
S. Livingood Chair, Department of Dermatology, Henry Ford Health System,
Detroit, Michigan; 1998-present, Professor of Dermatology, Case Western Reserve
University, Cleveland, Ohio.
Research Interests: Clinical photomedicine, including photodermatoses,
phototherapy and photochemotherapy, photoprotection, and the use of
extracorporeal photopheresis for the management of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma
and transplant rejection.
ASP Service: Regular attendee and speaker at annual meetings; member,
Program Committee, 13th International Congress on Photobiology and 28th Annual
Meeting of ASP (1998-2000); symposium chair at annual meetings: photomedicine
(1998); photosensitivity disease (2000); photoprotection (2001); plenary
session lecturer (2001); ASP Council member (elected 1998); member, search
committee for ASP secretariat (2000-2001); chair, Grants and Awards Committee,
1999-2001.
Candidate's Statement: Should I receive the opportunity to serve
as President, I will address the following issues: 1. Strategic Planning
and Equitable Representation of the Interests of All Members. Since the
founding of ASP by Kendric Smith and his colleagues in 1972, our membership
has grown from 200 to almost 1500. I plan to convene a strategic-planning
meeting involving our past and current leaders, the Council, and the
editor-in-chief of our journal to establish the future goals and direction
of ASP. I will actively solicit and use input from all members to make sure
that their interests are represented in this process. I will also solicit
input from all members in the annual-meeting planning of ASP. Planning conducted
by Charles Gomer for the 2001 meeting in Chicago could serve as a possible
model. 2. Coordination with Related Societies. To enhance the visibility
and impact of ASP, I will proactively approach other like-minded scientific
and professional groups to address issues of common interest (for example,
education of funding agencies on the importance of research in photobiology,
development of position statements on ozone depletion and sun protection,
etc.) 3. Recruitment of New Members. To continue the ongoing effort
of the past and current leaders of ASP, I will work closely with the Council,
our industry partners, the editor-in-chief of our journal, and the general
membership to make certain that adequate resources are available to support
meeting attendance by young scientists, and that recruitment efforts for
new members continue to take place. I will actively encourage young members
to be involved in the activities of the Society. As President, with the
assistance of the Council and input from all members, I am confident that
I will be able to enhance the growth and effectiveness of the American Society
for Photobiology. I will achieve these goals through my knowledge of the
science of photobiology, my understanding of the membership and organizational
needs of ASP, and my administrative and leadership experience. |
29th ASP ANNUAL MEETING
It is my pleasure to invite you to the 2001 Annual Meeting of the American
Society for Photobiology, which will be held at the downtown Chicago Marriott
Hotel on July 7-12. The meeting has been organized taking into account the
interests and needs of all ASP members. A unique variety of invited lectures,
symposia, and award presentations will be important parts of our meeting.
The real success of each ASP meeting, however, is largely related to the
attendance and participation by our membership. Platform and poster
presentations, which provide new information on a wide range of photobiology
topics of interest to our members, will be an integral part of the 2001 ASP
meeting.
For the convenience of our members, we will be using on-line abstract submission
and registration for the Chicago meeting. Informational material for the
meeting has been sent to all members. Additional information on the 2001
ASP meeting can be found at the Photobiology Web site:
http:// www.POL-US.net. I look forward
to seeing all of you in Chicago in July!
Charles J. Gomer
Scientific Program Chair
NEWSLETTER EDITOR WANTED
For reasons related to those I mentioned in the last issue, I must consider
stepping down as editor of ASP News at the end of September. If you think
you might be interested in the job, please feel free to contact me or
Publications Chair Charlie Yocum
(cyocum@umich.edu) for details. -
JSC
NOMINEES FOR COUNCILOR (VOTE FOR 4)
Bridgette A. Barry
Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology & Biophysics
University of Minnesota
St. Paul, Minnesota
Education: Oberlin College, A.B., Chemistry, with High Honors, 1978;
University of California, Berkeley, Ph.D., Chemistry, 1984; Michigan State
University, NIH postdoctoral fellow, 1985-88; Michigan State University,
McKnight postdoctoral fellow, 1985.
Appointments: Assistant, Associate, and Full Professor, Department
of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics University of Minnesota,
St. Paul, Minnesota, 1988-present.
Recent Awards: Edna Roe Lectureship, International Union of Photobiology,
2000; National Honorary Member, Iota Sigma Pi, 1999; Career Advancement Award,
National Science Foundation, 1997; Bush Sabbatical Award, 1997; McKnight-Land
Grant Professor, 1990-93.
Research Interests: Photosynthesis, respiration, membrane transport,
vibrational spectroscopy, EPR spectroscopy.
ASP Service: Symposium organizer and chair, "Photosystem II and Oxygen
Evolution," ASP national meeting, 1993; symposium speaker, ASP national meetings,
1993, 1994, and 1997.
Candidate's Statement: The American Society of Photobiology is the
natural home for researchers interested in photosynthesis, photodamage,
phototherapy, and photosensing. As a member of the Council, I would work
to increase the interaction between basic and clinical researchers and to
involve an increased number of research areas more closely in the Society.
Wolfgang Gärtner
Max-Planck-Institut für Strahlenchemie
Mülheim a.d. Ruhr, Germany
Education: University of Göttingen, Germany, Diploma, 1978;
University of Würzburg, Ph.D., 1982.
Appointments: Researcher (equivalent to Assistant Professor),
Max-Planck-Institut für Strahlenchemie, Mülheim, 1991-98; Researcher
(principal investigator, Assistant Professor), MPI Biochemie, Martinsried,
1999-2000; Researcher (principal investigator, Assistant Professor), MPI
für Strahlenchemie, 2000-present.
Awards: Habilitation Bio-Organic Chemistry, University of Duisburg,
1993; Adjunct (außerplanmäßig) Professor, University of
Duisburg, 1999.
Research Interests: Photobiology and photochemistry of biological
photoreceptors (vertebrate and bacterial rhodopsins, plant and bacterial
phytochromes); light-induced signal transduction. Methods: biochemistry and
molecular biology, generation of recombinant proteins, chemical synthesis
of chromophoric groups, spectroscopy.
ASP Service: regular attendee and speaker at annual meetings since
1997 (ASP and ESP), attendee and speaker at international conferences on
retinal proteins since 1993.
Candidate's Statement: Internal activities: A major effort will be
support of the enthusiasm seen in students who come in touch for the first
time with photosensory biology and photoreceptors. This will take place during
my teaching activities at universities and during scientific supervision
of group members during their work for Diplomas and Ph.D. theses. External
activities: I will engage in (i) bringing together researchers from various
disciplines (i.e., multidisciplinary approach), and (ii) bringing together
researchers from different countries. Efficient research demands international
collaborations and requires permanent financial support for international
activities. The vast amount of information obtained from genome and proteome
analysis, and also from screening more exotic habitats for the occurrence
of photoreceptors similar to already known systems, needs to be made available
to scientists engaged in research on the molecular level, just as chemical
synthesis, spectroscopy, and protein chemistry in its broadest scope have
been brought to bear. The scientific community active in photosensory and
photosynthetic research does not always receive the strongest support from
national funding institutions. A major activity will thus be to bundle national
efforts from various countries on an international level, involving also
activities to internationalize meetings, as has been done with, e.g., Gordon
conferences on photosensors and signal transduction, the tetrapyrrole
conferences, or the retinal-protein meetings.
John H. Golbeck
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
The Pennsylvania State University
University, Pennsylvania
Education: Valparaiso University, B.S., 1971; Indiana University,
Ph.D., 1976; Martin Marietta (now Lockheed-Martin) Laboratories, Postdoctoral
Fellow, 1977-81.
Appointments: Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Department
of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University,
1995-present; Visiting Scientist, Centre de Saclay (France), 1992; Professor,
The University of Nebraska (Biochemistry), 1990-95; Adjunct Professor, Oregon
Graduate Institute, 1987-90; Associate to Full Professor, Portland State
University (Chemistry), 1985-90; Visiting Associate Professor, Rensselaer
Polytechnic Institute (Chemistry), summer, 1992; Biochemistry Group Leader
and Senior Scientist, Martin Marietta Laboratories, 1986-90.
Research Interests: Electron transfer in photosynthetic reaction centers,
especially photosystem I in cyanobacteria; structure function studies of
iron-sulfur proteins by NMR and EPR spectroscopy; rate vs. Gibbs free-energy
relationships in quinone-containing photosynthetic complexes.
ASP Activities: I have been a regular attendee and occasional speaker
at nearly every annual meeting of the American Society for Photobiology since
I was invited to present a lecture in 1993; presented invited lecture to
Photobiology School (1999); served one-year term as Councilor (1998-99) by
appointment; served on membership committee (1998-present); presented invited
lecture in symposium on photosystem I (2000); organized symposium on "Quinones
in Type I Reaction Centers" (2001).
Candidate's Statement: My aims as a Councilor would be to work with
the board of directors to recruit new members, es-pecially younger scientists,
into the Society, to increase the visibility of the Society to researchers
in the area of bacterial and plant photosynthesis, to encourage high-quality
submissions in the area of photosynthesis to the journal Photochemistry and
Photobiology, and to work toward a larger number of symposia devoted to this
field at the annual meetings. My overall goal is to enfranchise a larger
number of scientists in the area of photosynthesis so that they see the Society
as a natural home.
Holly L. Gorton
Department of Biology
St. Mary's College of Maryland
St. Mary's City, Maryland
Education: B.A., Biology, Reed College 1976; Ph.D., Biology, 1981,
Stanford University; Postdoctoral Fellow, 1981 Shell Development Company
and 1981-85 University of Connecticut, Department of Biological Sciences.
Appointments: Assistant to Full Professor, Biology, St. Mary's College
of Maryland, St. Mary's City, Maryland, 1988-present; Assistant Professor,
Biology, Trinity College, Hartford, Conn., 1985-88.
Research Interests: Plant photobiology including photoprotection,
photosynthesis and stomatal regulation, light penetration, and photosensory
biology. Current work involves light-driven chloroplast movements in higher
plants, and photoprotection in snow algae.
ASP Service: Member since 1992; Councilor 2000-01.
Candidate's Statement: The ASP provides a forum for discussion and
interchange of ideas among a diverse group of scientists studying organisms
from bacteria to plants to people and tackling significant questions at the
ecological, organismic, and molecular levels. We are from universities and
small colleges; we teach; we do clinical and basic research. I seek to foster
the intellectual enrichment that this interdisciplinary milieu provides while
also providing opportunities for interactions among colleagues within the
same ASP divisions. I would bring to the Council my perspective as a teacher
and researcher at a small college of the liberal arts and sciences. Such
institutions contribute a disproportionately large number of Ph.D. candidates,
and many students who later become photobiologists nurture their first sparks
of interest in such a setting. My work with undergraduates in the classroom
and research laboratory requires me to take a broad view of photobiology,
and this breadth would help me as a Council member.
Donat-P. Häder
Institut für Botanik und Pharmazeutische Biologie
Friedrich-Alexander-Universität
Erlangen, Germany
Education: Philipps University, Marburg, Germany, Staatsex-amen, 1969;
Ph.D., 1973; Habilation, 1978
Appointments: Fachbereich Biologie, Philipps-University, Marburg,
Research Assistant 1973-78; Michigan State University (DFG Fellowship), Research
Associate, 1978-79; Fachbereich Biologie, Philipps-University, Marburg,
Privatdozent, 1979-88; Sabbatical leave, Texas Tech Universiy, 1983; National
Research Laboratory, Okasaki, Japan, 1985; Professor and Chair of Botany,
Friedrich-Alexander-University, Erlangen-Nürnberg, 1988; Acting Director,
1990-.
Research Interests: Molecular mechanisms of sensory transduction of
light and gravity-induced responses in microorganisms, ozone depletion and
solar-UVB effects on aquatic ecosystems, space biology.
ASP service: Member since 1975, regular attendee and speaker at annual
meetings since 1975, organizer of several symposia. Associate editor of
Photochemistry and Photobiology, 1988-96.
Candidate's statement: My main goal would be to advertise the high
quality of the Society outside the United States and recruit new members
to stress the international importance of ASP. In addition, I would work
to improve our ties to the European Society for Photobiology as well as to
other national and international organizations. Major efforts will be made
to interest and attract young researchers and students to our exciting science.
Photochemistry and photobiology are currently making a quantum jump from
descriptive, physiological research into the understanding of the underlying
mechanisms on the molecular level. In order to reach this goal, it is obvious
that we have to leave the traditional boundaries of existing fields and operate
on an interdisciplinary level, combining the powerful methods of molecular
genetics, physiology ,and biochemistry using high-tech approaches in
spectroscopy, electronics, and computer-based analysis and modeling. Formerly
clear-cut distinctions among biology, chemistry, medicine, and the physical
sciences are disappearing giving way to a problem-oriented view of the sciences.
This is reflected in the concept of the "Encyclopedia of Photosciences,"
which I initiated and which will document the current state of the field
over the next several years. Another important goal is to make our interests
visible in the media and to the general public and to increase the understanding
of our growing ecological problems on a scientific basis.
Klaas J. Hellingwerf
Laboratory for Microbiology
Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences
University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Education: B.S., 1975, Chemistry, University of Groningen, The
Netherlands; Ph.D., 1979, Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Amsterdam,
The Netherlands; Postdoctoral: 1979-82, University of Groningen and University
of California at San Diego, Department of Physics.
Appointments: 1983-87, Assistant and Associate Professor, Department
of Microbiology, University of Groningen, The Netherlands; research in energy
transduction in anoxygenic photosynthesis. 1988 to present, Professor in
general microbiology at the University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Visiting
Professor: University of Buenos Aires.
Research Interests: Molecular mechanism of photochemical reactions
in biology and structure-function relation, activation mechanism, and color
regulation in photoactive yellow proteins.
Candidate's Statement: My primary effort will be to emphasize the
importance of the field of basic molecular photochemistry and photobiology
as the scientific basis that fertilizes other branches of the ASP, closer
to application of the basic knowledge gained in the areas of photochemistry
and photobiology. Furthermore, I aim to stimulate as much as possible the
scientific exchange between these two areas.
Carl Hirschie Johnson
Department of Biology
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, Tennessee
Education: University of Texas, B.A., 1976; Stanford University, Ph.D.,
1982; Harvard University, postdoctoral research 1982-87.
Appointment: Professor of Biology, Vanderbilt University (1999-present),
Associate Professor (1994-99), Assistant Professor (1987-94).
Research Interests: Circadian clocks, bioluminescence, photobiology,
cell biology.
ASP Service: Symposium speaker at ASP meetings in 1984 and 1999; reviewer
and "informal" associate editor for Photochemistry & Photobiology.
Candidate's statement: As Councilor, I will listen to the needs and
concerns of ASP members, and attempt to improve the balance at ASP meetings
between presentations of basic research versus applied research, so as to
facilitate communication and interaction among scientists working on different
parts of the photobiological spectrum.
Emmanuel Liscum
Division of Biological Sciences
University of Missouri
Columbia, Missouri
Education: B.S., 1988, In Vitro Cell Biology & Biotechnology,
State University of New York at Plattsburgh; Ph.D., 1992, Plant Biology,
Ohio State University; NIH Postdoctoral Fellow, 1992-96, Carnegie Institution
of Washington, Department of Plant Biology.
Appointments: Assistant (1996) and Associate (2001) Professor of Biology,
Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri-Columbia.
Research Interests: Photosensory biology with a focus on the molecular
mechanisms of signal perception, transduction, and response during
photomorphogenesis in plants.
ASP Service: Member since 1998; attendee and speaker at annual meetings
(including 13th ICP, 2000) since 1997; reviewer for Photochemistry &
Photobiology since 1991.
Candidate's Statement: As a faculty member in a biology department,
I have learned first-hand the value of interacting with colleagues who, despite
having a common interest in biological processes, have experimental interests
and experiences far afield from my own. This diversity of interest and experience
is also one of the strongest features of ASP. While all of our members are
interested in photobiology or photochemistry, their research topics and
approaches vary widely. This broadness is reflected in the contents of the
annual meetings, papers published in Photochemistry & Photobiology, and
the many e-forums, schools, and symposia sponsored by the Society over the
years. However, despite the broad membership many areas of photobiology and
photochemistry are quite under-represented. As a plant-sensory photobiologist,
I am always surprised by both the low participation/interest in ASP by colleagues
in my field, and often the lack of prominence of all types of plant photobiology
in ASP. Unfortunately, perceived problems such as these tend to be
self-reinforcing; low participation by particular groups results in less
support by the larger body, and low support by the Society turns off potential
new members. As an ASP Councilor I will work hard to see that problems like
these-often ones of perception only (which are the easiest to fix)-are given
proper attention. By embracing and utilizing our broad membership, its interests,
and its experiences, I feel our Society will be able to provide an educational,
research, and legislative agenda that will not only ensure a continuation,
but lead to an enhancement, of creative advancements in photobiology and
photochemistry.
Gordon Tollin
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics
University of Arizona
Tucson, Arizona
Education: B.S., 1952, Brooklyn College, CUNY, Chemistry, Biology;
Ph.D. 1956, Iowa State University, Biochemistry; Postdoctoral: 1956, Department
of Chemistry, Florida State University and 1956-59, Lawrence Laboratory,
University of Cali-fornia, Berkeley.
Appointments: NSF Postdoctoral Fellow, 1956-57; Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
Fellow, 1962-66; 1959-present, Assistant, Associate, and Full Professor,
Department of Biochemistry and Department of Chemistry, University of Arizona,
Tucson; Regents Professor, 1996-present.
Research Interests: Mechanisms of electron transfer, photochemical
energy conversion, and signal transduction in soluble and membrane-bound
proteins.
ASP Service: Councilor, Photochemistry and Photobiology Group, Biophysical
Society, 1970-72, Chairman, 1973; Charter member of ASP, 1972-present; Associate
Editor, Photochemistry and Photobiology, 1971-73; frequent attendee and speaker
at annual meetings.
Candidate's statement: I will work to further the goals of the Society
and particularly to increase the representation in ASP of scientists working
in the areas of photochemistry, photophysics, and photosensory biology.
2001 ASP RESEARCH AND YOUNG INVESTIGAOR AWARDS
At its meeting in the Washington, D.C, area on January 14, 2001, the ASP
Council approved the recommendations of the Grants and Awards Committee for
the Research Award and the New Investigator Award for the year 2001.
The Grants and Awards Committee consists of Henry W. Lim (chairman), Charles
Gomer, Irene Kochevar, Francesco Lenci, Frances Noonan and John Spudich.
Eleven nominations for the Research Award were received, and three for the
New Investigator Award. Thomas A. Moore was selected as the Research Award
recipient and Paola Taroni as the New Investigator Awardee.
Tom Moore received his B.A. and Ph.D. from Texas Tech University, the latter
with Pill-Soon-Song as his advisor. He has been at Arizona State University,
Department of Chemistry, since 1976, where he is currently a professor. He
was a member of the ASP Council in 1982-85.
For the last 20 years, Dr. Moore, along with his main collaborators and fellow
ASU faculty members-Ana Moore, his wife, and Devens Gust-has been applying
the principles and techniques of synthetic and physical organic chemistry
to the mimicry of biological processes in photosynthesis. Using expertise
in molecular synthesis, spectroscopic methodologies, and biophysics, Dr.
Moore has studied a large number of complex organic molecular systems that
express important facets of natural photosynthesis.
The results of this body of work have led to a better understanding of the
natural photosynthetic process, uncovered new principles for understanding
and controlling photoinduced electron transfer, and singlet- and triplet-energy
transfer and have provided new basic principles for the design of photochemical
solar-energy harvesting, and demonstrated the feasibility of prototypical
optoelectronic components at the molecular level. Recently, Dr. Moore and
his colleagues have successfully assembled a functioning artificial
photosynthetic membrane in which light energy drives the generation of the
proton motive force and synthesis of ATP.
Dr. Moore will give the ASP Research Award lecture at the annual meeting
in Chicago on Sunday, July 8, 2001.
Paola Taroni received her Ph.D. in nuclear engineering from Politecnico,
Milan, Italy, in 1987. She then spent a year as a visiting scientist at MIT,
working on UV-fluorescence spectroscopy for medical diagnosis. From late
1988 through 1999, she was a staff researcher with the Center for Quantum
Electronics and Electronic Instrumentation (CEQSE) at Politecnico Milano,
where she is currently an associate professor of physics. She is a new member
of the ASP Council.
Dr. Taroni's research activity concerns mainly the development of laser systems
for time-resolved spectroscopy and imaging, and the applications of these
systems in biology and medicine. In particular, she has developed a system
for time-gated fluorescence spectroscopy with picosecond resolution, and
has applied it to the photophysical characterization of various pigments
and photosensitizers for PDT. She has also been engaged in optimization of
therapeutic protocols for PDT. Over the last few years, she has been working
on detection of tumors with time-resolved fluorescence imaging.
More recently, she extended her interests to photon migration and, in particular,
to time-resolved reflectance spectroscopy for non-invasive optical
characterization of highly diffusive media (such as biological tissues),
and to time-resolved transmittance-imaging techniques for breast-cancer detection
(i.e., optical mammography).
Dr. Taroni is scheduled to give the ASP New Investigator Award lecture at
the ASP annual meeting in Chicago on Monday, July 9, 2001.
Henry W. Lim
Chair, Awards Committee
SCAIANO STEPPING DOWN
Prof. J.C. Scaiano has announced his intention to step down as Editor-in-Chief
of Photochemistry and Photobiology, effective in December of 2003. The Society
owes Tito a debt of gratitude for the superb job he has done (and is continuing
to do.)
At this time, we wish to solicit expressions of interest from individuals
who might want to succeed him. Please address inquiries to the chair of the
ASP Publications Committee:
Charles Yocum
Department of Biology
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
Phone: (734) 647-0897
Fax: (734) 647-0882
cyocum@umich.edu
CLEARANCE SALE! The CDs of P&P have been discontinued as
the journal is now online. Regularly US$35 each, volumes 63-66 (1996/1997)
and 67-70 (1998/1999) are available to members only for $10 each or $15/pair.
Contact the Secretariat.
BYLAW AMENDMENT TO BE VOTED ON IN CHICAGO
ASP continues to keep pace with other professional societies in adapting
to the demands of the modern scientific, communication and legal worlds.
Many of our peer societies have adopted resolutions indemnifying their officers
and council members against actions taken against them for performance of
their duties and guarantee them a legal defense. In order to encourage
participation from all its members in the Society's governance, the Council
has considered just such a resolution. The text, which has the support of
the Council and has passed legal review, is as follows:
"No Officer or Council Member of the Society shall be liable to the Society
or its members for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director,
except for liability (i) for any breach of the Officer's or Councilor's duty
of loyalty to the Society or its members, (ii) for acts or omissions not
in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation
of law, or (iii) for any transaction from which the Officer or Council member
derived an improper personal benefit, it being the intention of the foregoing
provisions to eliminate the liability of the Society's Officers and Councilors
to the Society or its members to the fullest extent permitted by law.
"Each person who was or is made a party or is threatened to be made a party
or is involved in any action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal,
administrative or investigative (hereinafter a "proceeding"), by reason of
the fact that he or she was an Officer or Councilor, which the basis of such
proceeding is alleged action in an official capacity as a Officer or Councilor,
shall be indemnified and held harmless by the Society to the fullest extent
authorized by law against all expense, liability and loss (including without
limitation, attorneys' fees, judgments, fines, ERISA excise taxes or penalties
and amounts paid or to be paid in settlement) reasonably incurred or suffered
by such person in connection therewith and such indemnification shall continue
as to a person who has ceased to be an Officer or Councilor, and shall inure
to the benefit of his or her heirs, executors and administrators.
"The right to indemnification conferred in this Article shall be a contract
right and shall include the right to be paid by the Society the expenses
incurred in defending any such proceeding in advance of its final disposition;
provided, however, that the payment of such expenses incurred by an Officer
or Councilor in his or her capacity as an Officer or Councilor (and not in
any other capacity in which service was or is rendered by such a person while
an Officer or Councilor) in advance of the final disposition of a proceeding
shall be made only upon delivery to the Society of an undertaking, by or
on behalf of such Officer or Councilor, to repay all amounts so advanced
if it shall ultimately be determined that such Officer or Councilor is not
entitled to be indemnified under this Article or otherwise. The Society may,
by action of its Council, provide indemnification to employees and agents
of the Society with the same scope and effect as the foregoing indemnification
of Officers and Councilors."
Final approval of this resolution will be considered as an amendment to the
Bylaws at the annual business meeting in Chicago. A simple majority is required
for ratification.
Daniel Yarosh
Treasurer
MIKE RODGERS WINS I-APS AWARD IN PHOTOCHEMISTRY FOR
2001
Michael A.J. Rodgers, Ohio Board of Regents Eminent Scholar and Professor
at the Center for Photochemical Sciences, Bowling Green State University,
is the winner of the Inter-American Photochemical Society's (I-APS) 2001
Award in Photochemistry.
This award recognizes Mike's contributions to the fields of photochemistry
and photobiology during the last ten years. Mike is best known for development
and application of fast-kinetic methods for the study of photochemical processes.
His recent research has centered on studies of singlet oxygen and development
of photodynamic therapy for treatment of cancers.
Mike is a Past-president of the American Society for Photobiology and winner
of the ASP Research Award in 1997. He has also served on the Editorial Board
of Photochemistry & Photobiology, was twice program chair for ASP annual
meetings, and was the ASP Sigma Xi National Lecturer in 1996 and 1997.
He has been an integral part of the Center for Photochemical Sciences at
BGSU since 1988, and he was similarly a central force at the Center for Fast
Kinetics Research (CFKR) at the University of Texas Austin for a dozen years
before that. He has also served a term as chair of the Chemistry Department
at BGSU.
Aside from his own outstanding research programs, Mike is an extraordinary
collaborator. He has a knack for making other people's science grow and develop,
and this is an important reason why CFKR was so successful.
Mike is best known for his work with photosensitizers for photodynamic therapy.
In collaboration with Malcolm Kenney at Case Western and Giulio Jori in Italy,
he is currently involved in developing and evaluating new compounds for use
in various cancer therapies. The have developed and tested what has now become
a new series of near-IR-absorbing dyes for studies in a number of tumor
protocols.
Excerpted from the Inter-American Photochemical Society Newsletter, Vol.
23, (2) November 2000
UPCOMING EVENTS
2001
March 24-26: 52nd Annual
Meeting, American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS), Arlington,
Virginia
April 3-8: 6th International
Conference on Solar Energy and Applied Photochemistry and 3rd International
Workshop on Environmental Photochemistry, Cairo, Egypt
May 20-25: XIIth Meeting of
the Inter-American Photochemical Society, Ascochinga, Cordoba, Argentina
May 30-June 2: 19th
Annual Missouri Symposium, "Plant Photobiology," University of Missouri,
Columbia
June 5-9: IPA 9th World Congress
of Photodynamic Medicine, Vancouver, British Columbia
June 15-17: Light Symposium
2001, Biologic Effects of Light Foundation, Boston
(stclair@
bioeffectsoflight.org)
July 7-12:
29th
Annual Meeting, American Society for Photobiology, Downtown Marriott,
Chicago (abstract deadline extended to March 15, 2001)
July 7-12: 14th International
Symposium on Photochemistry and Photophysics of Coordination Compounds,
Vezprém, Hungary
July 16-18: 4th International Conference on
the Photostability of Drugs and Drug Products (PPS '01), Research Triangle
Park, N.C.
July 31-August 3: XXth International Congress
on Photochemistry, Moscow
September 1-5: Vth Femtochemistry
Conference, Toledo, Spain
September 3-8: 9th Congress of the European
Society for Photobiology, Lillehammer, Norway
September 4-6: Symposium
on Asymmetric Photochemistry, Osaka
September 9-14: 5th International Conference
on Atomic and Molecular Pulsed Lasers, Tomsk, Russia
2002
May 19-24: Gordon Research Conference on Photosensory Receptors & Signal
Transduction, Il Ciocco, Barga, Italy
(John.L.Spudich@uth.tmc.edu
or pssong @ksc.kumho.co.kr)
July 13-17: 30th Annual Meeting, American Society for Photobiology, Quebec
City, Quebec
July 14-19: XIXth IUPAC Symposium on
Photochemistry, Budapest
Aug. or Sept (tbd):
3rd South-East
Asian Workshop on Photobiology in the Tropics (SEAWPIT 2002), Malaysia
If you know of a conference or other event that you would like listed,
contact the editor
(connolly@sciedserv.com).
CELL-LIKE SHAPES MAY FORM IN SPACE
Scientists exploring ways that the elements for life could have originated
in space have demonstrated in the lab that simple chemicals can form cell-like
shapes in conditions that mimic the cold and vacuum of space.
In a study [published] in the Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences1, researchers report that ices made of water, methanol,
ammonia and carbon monoxide can spontaneously form membrane-like structures
[vesicles] when exposed in a cold vacuum to ultraviolet radiation, conditions
like those in space.
The study supports the long-proposed theory that some of the elements essential
for life could have formed in space and been delivered to the early Earth
by comets, meteorites, and interplanetary dust.
"Scientists believe the molecules needed to make a cell's membrane and thus
for the origin of life are all over space," said Louis Allamandola, [one
of the authors and] a NASA scientist at the Ames Research Center in Moffett
Field, Calif. "This implies that life could be everywhere in the universe."
The research is the latest of a long line of laboratory experiments that
have shown that simple chemicals, when exposed to natural forms of energy,
such as ultraviolet radiation or heat, can form into complex molecules that
have implications for the formation of life.
The authors noted that earlier experiments demonstrated that organic compounds
removed from meteorites could be prompted in the laboratory to produce a
variety of self-assembled structures similar to the membranes made in the
new experiments.
Life is thought to have arisen on Earth within about 200 million years after
the planet formed some 4.6 billion years ago. The planet is thought to have
been pounded by asteroids and comets for millions of years. The new experiment
supports the theory that the basic ingredients for life could been brought
to Earth during this space bombardment.
Astronomers using telescopes have detected around distant stars the presence
of complex hydrocarbons and other compounds regarded as essential for the
formation of life.
Microbe-like shapes also were found in a meteorite thought to have come from
Mars. NASA scientists in 1996 hailed the discovery as possible evidence that
primitive bacteria once existed on Mars, but other researchers have disputed
that interpretation.
Paul Recer
Associated Press Science Writer
(Reprinted with permission of the Associated Press)
1J.P. Dworkin, D.W. Deamer, S.A. Sandford & L.J. Allamandola;
2001, Self-assembling amphiphilic molecules: Synthesis in simulated
interstellar/precometary ices, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA,
98, 815-819.