SCASM members represent the many diverse areas of microbiology, including: clinical, public health, environmental, basic research, education, industrial, food safety, veterinary, and many others. We live and work in Southern California, from Santa Barbara to the Mexico border.
The Southern California branch of the Society of American Bacteriologists, or S.A.B.,(now known as the American Society for Microbiology) was founded in 1936. Dr. T.D. Beckwith, Department of Bacteriology at the University of California, Los Angeles, agreed to become the branch's first president, and Dr. John Kessel from the University of Southern California, was elected as the "second officer." A distinguished group of 25 members of the national society petitioned to become a new branch, and in December of 1936, the S.A.B. Council formally approved the branch. Since that time, the membership has grown to almost 1100 members, with responsibility for the territory encompassing California zip codes 90000-93599.
SCASM Constitution and Bylaws, July 2008: Constitution