ISCB Newsletter 7-4

The ISCB Student Council (SC) is a new section of ISCB dedicated to facilitating opportunities of development for students and young researchers in the field of Computational Biology. We have had the chance to openly discuss our ideas both formally and informally with members of the ISCB Board of Directors as well as among ourselves, creating an atmosphere of mutual learning and scientific growth. Creativity and communication of ideas has been a constant characteristic of our internal email forum where everyone has a voice to contribute with whatever idea may enhance our plan of becoming truly a resource for the new generation of leaders in the field of Computational Biology.

Some of the highlights of the SC during its first year have been the creation of five subcommittees each one dedicated to a specialized area of action: Marketing, Operations, Outreach, Business Relations and Events. Each one of them has had its own challenges and outcomes. ISMB/ECCB 2004 in Glasgow, Scotland represented for us the fruition of many months of dedicated efforts to reach an official status within our parent society and the first opportunity to hold open meetings inviting young researchers to participate. This was also our first opportunity to gain feedback from the participants of our meeting and we were pleased to experience a three-fold expansion in the number of people actively involved in the SC.

The road ahead looks more exciting than ever, with our main goal of consolidating as the premier organization for young researchers in the area of Computational Biology. We are committed to achieving this ambitious goal in Detroit at ISMB 2005. It can be anticipated that we will offer a series of activities and career development sessions which are now being organized. These activities will include seminars such as “How to Write a Paper” or “Opportunities in Industry” given by prestigious scientific experts; a mentoring program where PhDs will have the opportunity to meet senior people one-to-one, a Student Council Dinner, the Open Meeting Forum and many others which we will announce as they are firmed up. Also on the website front, we recognize that this is our mirror to the world and our Website Management Team is building a resource containing the diverse activities being carried out by the SC. Finally, 2005 will see our first call for nominations in conjunction with the regular ISCB board and officer nominations. All positions of responsibility will be newly elected and the vote will be open for all SC members.

As we have shown here, our agenda is open, full of activities and opportunities. Our liaisons within the ISCB board of directors, Phil Bourne and Rita Casadio, have given their support to us, and ISCB has provided all the resources and contacts that we need to succeed. There is only one more thing that is required for the success of the SC, and that is your involvement if you think our efforts can be beneficial to you, and you, in turn, can assist in our efforts. We invite you to reinforce your own professional development by committing yourself to the ISCB SC. The next level of your research might just involve contacts you make through the SC community. Take new action now! Contact us by writing to admin@iscb.org and let us know of your interest to get involved.