ISCB Newsletter v.6.2

We indeed, as the proverb says, “live in interesting times.” Two years ago, ISCB decided to add more realism to its role as an international society by approving a proposal to host the ISMB meeting in Brisbane, Australia. This represents the first time that the ISMB meeting has been held outside of North America and Europe, and is an expression of ISCB’s commitment to all regions of the world. Unfortunately, world events such as war, SARS, and increased fuel prices have created anxieties among many possible participants. This is unfortunate as the organizers have assembled an extremely strong program and have put in long hours to ensure that this year’s ISMB will be the best ever. It is even more unfortunate that a low attendance at this year’s ISMB might be used, in the future, to argue against holding meetings outside of North America and Europe. I personally think this would be a great mistake and I encourage you to show your support of the “international” in ISCB by voting with your feet and coming to Brisbane this summer.

ISCB has seen enormous growth over the last several years, growing from only a few hundred members to over 1700. This society has naturally experienced some growing pains, but now has an infrastructure in place to carry us into the future. The ISCB board of directors is currently formulating a strategic plan for the Society that will set our course for the next several years. Many of you participated in our recent survey (over 250 responses!) and this provides crucial information that the board will use in making a plan. However, this need not be your only involvement in the process. If you have ideas about what ISCB should be, where it should be going, or how it could change the world I encourage you to send them in by email to admin@iscb.org, or to myself or any of the Board of Directors.

The strategic planning process will be completed this summer and, I believe, will result in a stronger and more focused ISCB. In particular, I expect improvements in the benefits and services that we offer to our members, expansion in our support for scholarly conferences and publications, and a more stable model for funding society activities to result from our new strategic plan. As ISCB is a volunteer organization, there will be many opportunities for our members to take part in and shape the future of the society. I look forward to working with you in making ISCB stronger and better.