Fall 2001 Page 6

 

 

Past President's Report

Ruthanne Pitkin

 
ABLE 2001

The Biological Sciences Collegiate Division of the University of Chicago sponsored the 23nd Annual Conference. Our host, Roz Potter and her enthusiastic and capable assistants, arranged a stimulating and elegant conference. We were treated to an opening Master’s (Dr. Jose Quintans) Reception in the historic Ida Noyes Hall, great labs in the wonderful facilities in The Donnelly Biological Sciences Learning Center and to a closing banquet at the Field Museum.
I would like to say a special thanks to Roz. She started planning this conference at least three years in advance and her dedication and efficiency in coordinating the many necessary details made the conference run very smoothly with a quality program that offered many opportunities for learning and interacting with each other. This conference was a model of the "hands-on—minds-on" experience that is the very heart of ABLE. Roz also arranged for support for the conference from the following groups: Biological Sciences Collegiate Division, University of Chicago: The Field Museum of Natural History; McGraw-Hill Higher Education Group; and Hayden-McNeil Specialty Products, LLC.  

Roz Potter, our host for ABLE 2001, after receiving her "virtual plaque" at the closing banquet.

On a personal note, I was thrilled to see mitochondria, Golgi apparatus, endoplasmic reticulum, cytoskeleton and green fluorescent protein using a variety of techniques in a lab presented by Christopher Schonbaum of the University of Chicago. I have been talking about these structures for many years but never actually seen them before!


ABLE Business

ABLE has had a productive year. At last years meeting, Maggie Haag and the other Members-at-large, drafted 4 motions assigning specific duties for the members at large. These motions passed at the general business meeting and have help greatly in getting our work accomplished. The Scholarship Committee became the Grants-in-Aid Committee responsible for the Laboratory Initiative Grants and a new registration waiver program for graduate students or people just starting in careers. One registration waiver was granted this year. With the help of Todd Nickle, Doreen and Corey, we had our first balloting for officers on line. We increased the percent of our members voting from 20% in 2000 to 54% this year. We had $45,000 in assets as of May 31, 2001.

ABLE 2002 will be hosted by Bill Wischusen and Anne Jolisant LSU, Baton Rouge, LA. Roberta Williams is planning for the 25th Anniversary at UNLV in 2003.

Please make sure that the Membership Chair, Denise Martin has your email address so that you can vote, get registration alerts and get your membership list.

Thanks to each member of the executive committee for all their contributions and support. I have enjoyed my two years as President. Best wishes to Maggie Haag as the new president of ABLE.

Thanks to all the members of ABLE who go out of their way to share ideas, make new people feel welcome, pitch in when needed, and keep up the spirit that teaching is fun and rewarding.

Keep in touch.

Ruthanne B. Pitkin
rbpitk@ship.edu

 
 
 

 

ã 2001 ABLE. All rights reserved.