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2003
Another year has passed by very quickly and now
it is time to prepare for the Florida Branch meeting. This year the
meeting will be held in
There will be a number of vacancies on the committee as of June 2003. If you are interested in becoming more involved in Branch activities, make sure that you attend the Business Meeting which will take place on the Saturday of the meeting. I'll see you in St. Petersburg! Peter McCarthy
For those who haven't heard, Dr. Joan B. Rose, Professor at USF's College
of Marine Sciences, has accepted an Endowed Chair position at Michigan
State University in East Lansing, Michigan. Our Branch will miss
her support which has included numerous appointments as a Branch Officer
(Councilor through President) in addition to the many research talks that
her students have presented at our meetings over the years. For those
of you who would like to keep Joan posted on how nice and warm it is in
Florida during those frigid Michigan winters, her email address is 'rosejo@msu.edu'......all
kidding aside......Joan, we'll miss you.
2001 Annual Branch Meeting The annual meeting of the Florida Branch was held February 15 - 16, 2002 at the Holiday Inn-Cocoa Beach Oceanfront Resort in Cocoa Beach, Florida. Once again we were presented with a wide variety of topics, which included current research being conducted in the fields of clinical and environmental microbiology. Student Presentations And Awards The centerpiece of Saturday's activities at the branch meeting was the presentation of research by students from around the State. The finest of these were recognized by the presentation of student awards. The first place graduate presentation , and recipient of the Bennett Sallman Award, was David John of the University of South Florida, and his talk was titled "An Evaluation of Factors Affecting Microorganism Survival in the Florida Aquifer." The second place graduate presentation was awarded to Johnny Davis of the University of Florida. His talk was titled "Bacterial Indicator and Pathogen Reduction in Anaerobically Treated Flushed Dairy Manure." The graduate presentation awarded third place was that of Stephaney Shehane of the University of South Florida. Her talk was entitled "Incidence and Distribution of Indicator, Aeromonas, and Vibrio Species Isolated From the St. John's River Basin, Florida." The first place undergraduate award went to Andrea Echeverry of Florida Atlantic University and her talk was titled "Incidence of Antibiotic Resistance in Bacteria Isolated From Beansprouts, Lettuce and Poultry in Grocery Stores." The second place undergraduate award went to Kristen Gibson of the Orange County Utilities Laboratory, Orlando, Florida, and her talk was titled "Diel Study of Pathogen and Indicator Organisms in Municipal Reclaimed Waste Water." All the student presentations were top-notch. Judging presentations for award selection has become quite difficult the last few years as our student members have become more and more versed in the effective use of MS PowerPoint in educating audiences about cutting edge research projects. Congratulations to all for a job well done. 2003 Branch Meeting The 2003 Florida Branch ASM Meeting will be held at the Trade Winds Beach Resorts and Conference Centers, 5600 Gulf Boulevard, St. Pete Beach, Florida 33706 on February 21st and 22nd. We have blocked 15 rooms for the meeting and more are available if needed. The phone number for reservations is (727) 562-1240. Be sure to mention that you are attending the Florida Branch ASM Meeting when making reservations. If you have any problems making reservations or need directions, please give me a call or contact me via elm. An ASM Foundation speaker and variety of other guest speakers will conduct presentations on a variety of scientific topics on Friday afternoon (the meeting will start at 1:00pm). Undergraduate and Graduate student presentations will be held on Saturday (the sessions will start at 8:30am). Each student presentation is limited to 10 minutes with an extra 5 minutes for questions. Keep this in mind as this is one of the areas used to judge talks. The Branch will also sponsor a Friday night mixer (6:00pm) Once again Florida Branch ASM funds are available to support undergraduate attendance (registration and hotel costs). The National Organization has provided funding in support of our initiative to promote undergraduate participation in ASM. Please spread the word to any colleagues who may be interested in sending undergraduates to our meeting. Support is offered to all undergraduates regardless of whether they are presenting or not. Any member who wants to sponsor an undergraduate (you may sponsor more than one) should contact me by phone (727-803-8747 ext. 3113) or e-mail (dgriffin@usgs.gov). Please contact me prior to the meeting so that the correct number of hotel rooms can be booked in advance. The abstract submission form is attached to this newsletter and is also available on our website http://www.asmusa.org/branch/brFl/indexd.htm. Thanks once again to Chris Kellogg (please contact Chris at microocean@aol.com with any suggestions for improving our website) for keeping our website up to date (the newletter and updated forms will be posted this week). Finally, please encourage all of your colleagues to attend the Florida Branch meeting--it is always good to see new faces and to be able to network with microbiologists from other institutions. See you at the Trade Winds! Dale W. Griffin
News From ASM National and Around the World ASM Global Outreach Membership Program The new ASM Global Outreach Program offers free ASM membership and full online journal access to qualified candidates in developing countries without regard to financial need. Currently, scientists from the following countries are eligible for the program: Angola, Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Cote d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Lao PDR, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Yemen, and Zambia. For additional information and to enroll in the Global Outreach Program, contact Tina Blume, Manager, Membership Processing and Subscription Claim Systems at tblume@asmusa.org. West Nile viruse news from the World Health Organization's 'Communicable Disease Surveillance and Response.' Disease Outbreaks Reported --27 November 2002--Update 10 As of November 2002, the WHO Collaborating Centre for Arthropod Borne Viruses - Western Hemisphere, at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported 3 737 human cases of the West Nile virus, with 214 deaths occurring in 39 states and the District of Columbia. During 2002, West Nile virus activity (evidence of infections in birds, humans, mosquitoes, and other animals - primarily horses) has been documented in 43 states and the District of Columbia --Florida reported 23 cases for 2002 through the listed date. Thinking Small: National Daily Radio Series to Explore our MicrobeWorld Contact: Barbara Hyde
Washington, DC ? December 10, 2002 -- Here’s a riddle. It’s something that you’re born without, that enters your body soon after birth and sustains you the rest of your life. What is it? The answer is Microbes. In fact, microbes are the centerpiece of life ? large and small ? and are found all around you. Soon they’ll be found on the radio dial, too. The American Society for Microbiology (ASM) has teamed with Finger Lakes Productions International (FLPI) to produce a nationally syndicated daily 90-second radio show called MicrobeWorld. The program is designed to increase public appreciation of all things microbial. Public and commercial news/talk radio stations will be the primary venue for the series. After listening to MicrobeWorld, you’ll know the tale of Planetary Protection Officers; scientists charged with screening for microbes as we explore other planets. You’ll understand what it is in the saliva of the Komodo dragon that renders its prey lifeless. You’ll appreciate how microbes enter the initially sterile bodies of infants just hours after birth, establishing the microbial community that stays with them for life. MicrobeWorld will explain why the overuse of antibiotics is a growing problem, how microbes are key in the making of chocolate, and how microbiologists are on the front line in the war against bioterrorism. Indeed, for things so small, microbes cut a large swath through our lives. Ronald M. Atlas, the president of ASM, says “ASM is committed to engaging in vigorous research for the betterment of humankind and to improving the public’s understanding of how microbes, good and bad, affect our lives. The MicrobeWorld radio series is a key component of this communications effort.” To learn more about MicrobeWorld and to hear a sample of the program, visit the FLPI website at flpradio.com. Those interested in having the series heard on a local station are encouraged to call FLPI at 607-275-9400. About ASM The American Society for Microbiology is the oldest and largest single life science membership organization in the world. Membership has grown from 59 scientists in 1899 to over 42,000 members today located throughout the world. ASM represents 25 disciplines of microbiological specialization plus a division for microbiology educators. The ASM can be found online at www.asmusa.org. The ASM also has an educational site for the general public at www.microbeworld.org. About FLPI Finger Lakes Productions International, based in Ithaca, New York is
an industry leader in the production and distribution of radio programming.
FLPI is in its 15th year of operation and currently serves more than 500
stations with 60 and 90-second environmental, scientific and lifestyle
radio features.
ASM
Meetings
Information on a variety of national and international meeting/workshops can be found in the ASM web site --http://www.asmusa.org/ MICROCOMM is published as an annual newsletter of the Florida Branch ASM. Besides meeting announcements, we will endeavor to bring you local branch news and items of interest. We welcome contributions to the newsletter from our members. Anything that you feel would be of interest to other microbiologists in Florida is welcome. Please Send your input to: Dale Griffin, US Geological Survey, 600 4th St. South, St Petersburg, FL 33701 or e-mail to dgriffin@usgs.gov |
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