MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
First, I want to wish all ASP members a joyous holiday season and a healthy and successful New Year. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank our officers, councilors, and members for their continued efforts on behalf of ASP. Like most scientific societies, we face a number of challenges as we move into the 21st century. Fortunately, we have outstanding leadership and commitment from our membership to assure that ASP remains a valuable resource for all our members and for the scientific community as a whole.
As many of you know, ASP is a member of the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS), a federally chartered non-profit scientific organization to advance research and education in the biological, medical, environmental, and agricultural sciences. AIBS is currently a 69-society member federation with a collective membership of over 150,000 biologists. As an umbrella society, AIBS provides a unified and strong political voice for the biological societies.
I mention all this because I had the unique opportunity in November, to attend a four day "Presidents' Summit" sponsored by AIBS. The Summit was funded by the David and Lucille Packard Foudation and included addresses by senior officials from the National Science Foundation, the World Bank, the Smithsonian Institution, and the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology. The Summit brought together, for the first time, 57 presidents and other leaders of AIBS's 69 member societies to address pressing scientific issues affecting our discipline. Central topic areas included public policy, research funding, education, and career issues. Specific plans of action developed at the summit included how to:
A follow-up meeting is planned for Washington, D.C. in March 2000, when the Summit attendees will reconvene for a one-day planning session at which the resolutions will be updated and advanced.
An added bonus of attending this Summit, which I particularly enjoyed, was having time to talk with presidents of other societies with demographics comparable to those of ASP. As you would suspect, we all seem to be grappling with similar issues and challenges. High on the list of topics during these informal discussions were:
Interestingly, each of these issues will receive considerable attention at our Winter Council meeting, scheduled for December 12 in Chicago. Updates on these important issues will be provided to you in the Spring 2000 issue of ASP News.
Finally, the 13th International Congress of Photobiology (13th ICP), which will be held in San Francisco on July 1-6, 2000, is just around the corner. This will be an outstanding meeting and I encourage all of you to attend. Additional information on the conference can be obtained at http://www. pol-us.net/ and on-line abstract/registration submission can be accessed at http://photobio.cjp.com.
Charles Gomer
NEW GORDON RESEARCH CONFERENCE
The Gordon Research Conferences are sponsoring a new meeting that may be of interest to ASP members:
Photosensory Receptors & Signal Transduction
April 30-May 5, 2000
Il Ciocco, Barga, Italy
The co-chairs of the meeting are ASP members John Spudich (University of Texas Medical School, Houston) and Winslow Briggs (Carnegie Institute, Stanford). Online application and information are at the Gordon Conference Website: http://www.grc.uri.edu/ and the program can be found at http://www.grc.uri.edu/programs/2000/photosen.htm.
Light is one of the most important signals that provide critical information to biological systems. In addition to giving us visual input, light controls movement, growth, differentiation and development, circadian timing, and a host of gene-expression responses in diverse organisms from primitive unicellular microbes through higher plants and animals.
The conference will focus on current research on photosensory receptors, covering their mechanisms of photoactivation and downstream elements of their signal transduction pathways. This area of research is a fast-moving one, and progress is being made on several long-standing fundamental questions: By what mechanisms is photon energy captured and stored in photoreceptor proteins? How is light color discriminated? How do photoactivated receptor proteins communicate their signals to the cell?
Investigators who study photosensory receptors in very different systems (e.g., plants, animals, eukaryotic microbes, and prokaryotes) are confronting many of the same research challenges. However in recent years there has not been a meeting dedicated to bringing this group together.
Given the rapid advances currently being made, a Photosensory Receptors conference bringing together scientists studying photoreceptors and their immediately downstream signal-transduction components is particularly appropriate. It will provide a very much needed opportunity to exchange information and ideas and to become aware of some of the diverse tools available.
Several new classes of photosensory receptors have been discovered in the last few years. These include the flavoprotein cryptochromes in both plants and animals; the photoreceptor for phototropism, phototropin, in plants; retinal proteins homologous to archaeal rhodopsins in eukaryotic microbes, phytochromes in prokaryotes homologous to those in higher plants, and photoactive yellow proteins (PYPs) in photosynthetic bacteria. There are already genome projects that are clarifying their distribution in nature. Their mechanisms of activation and signal transduction are being unraveled at a rapid pace, and we expect this conference to stimulate exciting discussion of emerging insights, general principles, and the most engaging mysteries on the cutting edge of photosensory signal transduction.
John L. Spudich
Sabbatical Address (until Feb 15, 2000):
MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology
Structural Studies Division
Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 2QH, UK
Tel: 44 (0)1223 402362
Fax: 44 (0)1223 213556
The first item on the public program at the 13th ICP in San Francisco will be a discussion on public education. This symposium is intended to provide an introduction to several areas of current interest in photobiology to a non-specialist audience. The talks and demonstrations will be directed at educators, students, and the general public, as well as scientists who work in other areas of photobiology. We hope to increase public awareness and to generate interest among future scientists by giving them an opportunity to hear about these important, emerging topics in photobiology.
Saturday, July 1, 2000
1:00-1:30 Demonstrations in Photochemistry and Photobiology: Paul Beaumont, Environmental Sciences, Edge Hill College, Ormskirk, Lancashire, UK
1:30-2:00 Circadian Rhythms and Human Health: Joan Roberts, Division of Science and Mathematics, Fordham University, New York, NewYork, USA
2:00-2:30 Porphyrins and Human Health: Giulio Jori, Department of Biology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
2:30-2:40 Break
2:40-3:10 Photosensory Biology from Microbes to Man: John Spudich, Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Texas Medical School, Houston, Texas, USA
3:10-3:40 Sunlight and Wine Making: Rod Park, Department of Plant Biology, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, California USA
Thomas M. Brennan, Symposium Chair
Department of Biology, Dickinson College
Carlisle, Pennsylvania 17013 USA
phone (717) 245-1319
fax (717) 245-1130
e-mail: brennant@dickinson.edu
JOHN VAN STEVENINCK: 1933-1999
On Tuesday, May 25, 1999, John Spikes called to inform me that John Van Steveninck, a well-known photobiologist and long-time member of ASP, had passed away in Salt Lake City, Utah. He had gone there to talk again to the people who had given him great support during the time that his wife, Ita, was hospitalized before she died (during the ASP meeting in Snowbird, Utah).
Soon after he finished his studies in medicine at Leiden University, John decided not to become a physician, but to pursue a scientific career. He started with a project about the mechanism of glucose uptake by yeast cells. It was also the subject of his thesis, which he defended successfully in June 1962. This subject fascinated him, and he regretted very much that it had to be discontinued a few years ago.
In the early 1960s, John was approached by the chairman of the Department of Dermatology, who asked whether he was interested in studying the biochemical background of erythropoietic protoporphyria, an inborn error of heme metabolism. This was the beginning of his research in photobiochemistry. In fact, he was the leader of a photobiology research group until his retirement in September 1998. Under his guidance, 25 students finished their thesis work.
One of his major achievements was the elucidation of the mechanism of photodynamically induced crosslinking of biomacromolecules. After the introduction of PDT, he steered his research in that direction. The biochemical background of this therapy--the response of cells to oxidative stress, especially those reactive oxygen species generated photodynamically--remained the focus of his attention. He was fascinated by the mechanisms by which the cells were killed and by the survival strategies that the cells use try to minimize induced damage, including the signal-transduction processes that are involved in both.
During the last five years he became interested in the possibility of sterilizing blood and blood products by photodynamic processes. He continued this research even after his retirement. He was full of enthusiasm and had plans to test his ideas, upon his return, to increase the efficiency of this procedure by minimizing damage to red blood cells.
John will remain in our memory as a great and productive scientist. He mastered the art of motivating people and transferring his knowledge and enthusiasm to his environment.
John's son, Fred, has transferred to me all of his late father's volumes of Photochemistry & Photobiology (from vol. 41, 1985, on), the Journal of Photochemistry & Photobiology, B: Biology, (vol. 1 on), and Free Radicals in Biology and Medicine (vol. 1 on). I am certain that I am acting in John's spirit when I offer them to someone who will use them to advance photobiology. You can contact me preferably by e-mail or by fax. It would be nice if the costs of transportation could be paid by the recipient, but this should not be an impediment.
Tom M.A.R. Dubbelman
dubbelman@bostonclinics.com
or
dubbelman@mail.medfac.leidenuniv.nl
Fax: 31-71-527-6125
AT THE MILLENNIUM, A LOOK BACK AND A LOOK AHEAD
On March 22-24 next year, some of the nation's most preeminent scientists will gather in Washington to review the major advances in organismal and integrative biology made during the last century, and look ahead to future goals and challenges. The meeting is being cosponsored by the American Institute of Biological Sciences (of which ASP is a member organization) and the Smithsonian Institution. "Biology: Challenges for the New Millennium," which is also the 51st annual meeting of AIBS, will be held at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.
This unique event will feature speakers Stephen J. Gould, Daniel H. Janzen, Gene E. Likens, Lynn Margulis, Gordon Orians, Ghillean Prance, Marvalee Wake, and Edward O. Wilson, and will also offer attendees the chance to meet these notable scientists. Interactive break-out sessions will follow each plenary to discuss recent advances and future challenges in the fields of Behavior, Biodiversity & Conservation, Development & Morphology, Ecosystems, Energetics, Environment, Evolution, Integration, Regulation, and Science & Society. ASP has been invited to participate in the event by leading a breakout session.
Other meeting features include a lecture by special guest Ernst Mayr, a workshop on the teaching of evolution (co-sponsored with the National Association of Biology Teach-ers), and a showing of the Smithsonian's new 3-D IMAX film on the Galapagos Islands. A limited number of poster submissions will also be accepted.
Register online now and/or submit a poster abstract at www.aibs.org/meeting2000/. For more information contact AIBS Meetings Manager Marilynn Maury at (703) 834-0812, ext. 203, or mmaury@aibs.org.
"… I would say that prairie dogs, by prairie-dog nature, behave better than most human beings do by human nature...What's more, I have learned a thing or two about human behavior on trout streams. I've discovered that patience serves better than haste, that silence is a virtue, and concentration its own reward, and that I, at least, like to fish alone; trout fishing should not become a contest." -- Charles Kuralt (1934-1997)
Rebecca Richards-Kortum, Associate Professor at The University of Texas at Austin, will be honored by ASME International (the American Society of Mechanical Engineers) with the Y.C. Fung Young Investigator Award. She is being recognized for successful applications of optical-imaging technologies in the early detection of human disease.
The award, established in 1985, recognizes a young investigator who is committed to pursuing research in bioengineering and who has demonstrated significant potential to make substantial contributions to the field. It will be presented to Richards-Kortum during the 1999 International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition, which will be held in Nashville, Tenn., November 14-19.
Richards-Kortum joined the faculty of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Biomedical Engineering Program at UT Austin in 1990. Her research focuses on applications of optical spectroscopy to detection of pre-cancer and other diseases.
Currently, her research group is developing fluorescence-based techniques for the diagnosis of cervical pre-cancer in vivo and has carried out clinical trials of this technique involving over 500 patients at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. Also under study are spectroscopic techniques for improving and automating screening for cervical cancer and pre-cancerous conditions in Pap smears.
Recognized nationally and internationally for advancing the field of optical imaging, Richards-Kortum was the first scientist to derive an algorithm for laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy that made a diagnosis with good sensitivity and specificity in tissue. She also co-developed the first probe to measure Raman spectroscopy in vivo, and she established a well-developed and extensive network of clinical investigations for the cervix, ovary, and oral cavity, providing hypotheses across organ sites. Her research has resulted in nine awarded patents, with 12 applications in progress.
Richards-Kortum has approximately 50 publications resulting from her studies. She serves on the editorial board of Applied Optics, participates frequently in national review panels for landing agencies and regulatory bodies, and has given many keynote addresses. She has also received numerous research and teaching awards.
In addition to ASP, she is a member of the Optical Society of America, the International Society for Optical Engineering, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the American Society for Engineering Education.
Richards-Kortum received her B.S. degree in physics and mathematics from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln in 1985, and her M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in medical physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1987 and 1990, respectively. (from an ASME press release)
BYLAW AMENDMENT TO BE DISCUSSED IN SAN FRANCISCO
At its meeting in December, the ASP Council unanimously approved a proposal from the Membership Committee that the present requirement for sponsorship of applicants for membership be removed. Until such an amendment has been discussed and passed by mail ballot, as is required, applications will be accepted without naming sponsors, and members of the committee will provide the sponsorship. Questions concerning this matter should be addressed to me.
Also, the ASP Bylaws currently provide for Emeritus members, who have all the rights of full members except that they do not receive the journal and pay no dues. Members who qualify should return their dues notices and request that they be put on Emeritus status. At the same time, please update e-mail addresses, telephone numbers, etc.
Council discussed the possibility of providing access to the electronic version of the journal and referred the matter to the Membership Committee for a recommendation as to what charge might be made for such access. Look for more infor-mation in these pages.
Woody Hastings, Chair
Membership Committee
hastings@fas.harvard.edu
MULTISESSION SYMPOSIA AT NATIONAL MEETINGS
Symposia at the yearly meetings will no longer be limited to single sessions. ASP Council has approved the sponsorship of symposia extending for two days or more (four to six sessions) and invites members to make proposals for timely topics and suitable organizers. These symposia can be looked upon as "meetings within a meeting," where the mechanics of running the symposium will be handled by the Society and the organizers can concentrate on the science. Such programs should provide in-depth coverage in areas of intense activity and interest, and should attract workers in the areas of interest to participate and submit abstracts for poster or platform sessions. Contact President Chuck Gomer (cgomer @hsc.usc.edu) for the July 2001 meeting in Chicago or President-elect Woody Hastings (hastings@fas.harvard.edu) for the July 2002 meeting in Quebec City.
"All the news that fits we print." What doesn't used to get deferred or even lost. Fortunately, we now have the World Wide Web. We received some wonderful captions for the pictures that appeared in the Fall 1999 issue. These have been inserted into the graphics files and will soon appear on the ASP Website: http://www.POL-US.net. Also, look for an editorial on some inane policies of a certain federal agency that affect participation of its scientists in the affairs of their professional societies. -- Ed.
13th INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF PHOTOBIOLOGY TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
Visit Photobiology Online for the tentative schedule for the 13th International Congress of Photobiology.
For a six month trial period, the Education Section of Photobiology Online will test a new service, The Photobiology Hotline. Anyone with a specific question about a photobiological topic will be able to e-mail it in and get an answer from an expert in the field. Questions about individual medical problems will not be accepted. Tom Brennan will be the contact person and will refer the questions to an appropriate authority. We don't expect to be overwhelmed by this, and it can be a useful public relations device for the ASP and the ESP, so please be cooperative if you are called on to answer a question.
Photobiology Online, a joint presentation of both the American and European Societies for Photobiology, has recently updated its URLs to make them easier to remember. The old ones that you may have bookmarked will still work, but the more convenient forms are:
and
which will take you to the POL server in the United States and in Europe, respectively.
Dennis Valenzeno
dvalenze@kumc.edu
PHOTOPHYSICS AND PHOTOCHEMISTRY 2000
You are cordially invited to attend Photophysics and Photochemistry 2000, a conference to be held in Oeiras, Portugal, on October 19-21, 2000, in honor of the 75th birthday of Professor Ralph S. Becker. The conference will have a limited number of 120 participants. It will include five plenary lectures, 12 invited and contributed lectures, and two poster sessions. In addition, one contributed lecture will be selected from the submitted contributions.
The following have confirmed their participation:
Plenary Lectures:
R.S. Becker, USA; M.A. El-Sayed, USA; J. Jortner, Israel; J. Michl, USA;
and A.H. Zewail, USA
Invited Lectures:
V. Balzani, P. Barbara, V. Bonacic-Koutecky; S.E. Braslavsky, A. Horta, M.
Olivucci; J.C. Scaiano, G.B. Schuster, J. Waluk, U.P. Wild, and K.A. Zachariasse
To get more information and/or send your early registration, go to http://www.itqb.unl.pt/pp2000.
Josef Michl, Chairman
PHOTOIUPAC2000: JULY 22-27, 2000
The final registration and accommodations forms are now available on the conference Website:
http://www.chm.tu-dresden.de/photoiupac2000/.
You can download the forms and submit them either electronically or as hard copies.
The registration fee for active participants includes: book of abstracts, welcoming reception on Saturday evening, coffee and snacks during coffee breaks, beer and snacks during evening poster sessions, and the conference excursion on Tuesday afternoon. The registration fee for accompanying persons includes: welcoming reception on Saturday evening and the conference excursion on Tuesday afternoon.
Accommodations: Note that we offer hotels located within walking distance of the conference site.
Please return the forms as early as possible. Although the hotel capacity of Dresden is sufficient, the rooms offered at special rates on the accommodation form are limited. Late booking therefore bears the risk that your chosen hotel will not be available.
We shall also appreciate advance booking of tours, since a minimum number of persons is required for each tour to take place.
Contingent on our ability to raise funds, there is a possibility of partial financial support for some colleagues from less-favored research groups. This will depend also on the quality of the submitted abstract (content and presentation). If you feel that you need this help, please express this wish in a separate letter sent together with the rest of the materials.
Abstracts: The contributed program is limited and we shall give priority to colleagues (particularly young photochemists) in real need of financial support. We shall communicate individually by May 15, 2000, our decisions to those requesting support.
Please note the following deadlines: Abstracts: February 15, 2000 (hard copies only) or March 15, 2000 (hard copies and e-mail attachments; see "guidelines"). Registration and hotel reservations: April 30, 2000
We look forward to seeing you in Dresden,
Silvia Braslavsky and Thomas Wolff
photoiupac2000@chemie.tu-dresden.de
March 22-24, 2000: AIBS Symposium (see page 3)
April 30-May 5: Gordon Research Conference (see page 2)
July 1-6, 2000: Photobiology 2000 (13th ICP): Joint Inter-national Congress; San Francisco
July 22-27, 2000: XVIIIth IUPAC Symposium on Photo-chemistry, Dresden, Germany, http://www.chm.tu-dresden.de/photoiupac2000 (hyphen required)
Sept. 3-8, 2000: SEAWPIT 2000, Bali, Indonesia, http://www.userpage.fu-berlin.de/~xbiokw/seawpit2
Oct. 19-21, 2000: Photophysics and Photochemistry 2000, Oeiras, Portugal, http://www.itqb.uni.pt/pp2000/
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