Spring/Summer 2002 Newsletter

The International Society for Developmental Neuroscience consists of basic and clinical scientists from all over the world who, as educators, scientists or clinicians are interested in the development of the nervous system in its broadest sense. Thus, many of its members are also interested in aging phenomena and the neuronal dysfunctions associated with trauma and disease. The Society meets every two years and in the past meetings have alternated between Europe and the Americas. The Society has a journal called the International Journal of Developmental Neuroscience. Recently elected officers of the Society and their email addresses are listed below. The Society last met in Sydney, Australia from January 31 - February 4, 2002. The 2004 Meeting will take place from August 4-7 in Edinburgh, Scotland. The Society welcomes questions and comments from neuroscientists everywhere. Please feel free to contact the Secretariat if you wish to apply for membership, submit manuscripts to the Journal of the Society, or simply ask about the next meeting opportunity of the Society.

ISDN 2002 Meeting, Sydney

The 2002 biennial meeting in Sydney was really exciting. The science was great, the venue breathtaking, and the only complaint heard about was that there was too much to do. The Darling Harbor Conference Center was a real treat. There were perhaps too many things possible for the one free afternoon, so much so that it was tempting to sign up for more than one event but alas, no clones were available to make this possible. Clearly the hard work of Ian Hendry, Ralph Bradshaw and Phil Waite paid off. There was the added benefit and attraction, both scientific and social, of the shared venue with the Australian Society for Neuroscience Meeting, which in its own right is a major neuroscience society. The support and collaboration of Perry Bartlett made the transition through the shared one-day of sessions seamless and most enjoyable - yes two opening receptions to enjoy. One of the treats at ISDN and ANS also was the large number of neuroscientists who made their first visit to down under and ISDN both. Our society benefits from this increase in participation of outstanding scientists, which was also the result of the labor of the program chair Ralph Bradshaw. Professor Bashir, the first woman to be appointed Governor of New South Wales, a Psychiatry Professor at the Universities of Sydney and New South Wales opened the meeting most graciously, a scientist herself, who delighted us with an opening talk such as one expects not from a successful politician but from a colleague from the laboratory down the hall. It was both a treat and a tribute to Australia that in choosing its leaders it can look at academia for its choices. We all felt that maybe we can learn from the Australians in the rest of the world.

1. molecular basis of plasticity
2. neural induction and patterning
3. stem cell research
4. axonal guidance
5. inflammation and neurodegeneration

At the meeting the torch of the Presidency was passed, prematurely because our meetings typically take place in August, to John Edmond, who has plans for ISDN 2004 well in hand with its program chair Robert Miller. Please be sure and send them your suggestions for the Scientific Program. This will be an outstanding meeting in Edinburgh, Scotland within days of the famous Edinburgh festival. Also in Sydney the positions of Secretary General and Treasurer held by Gustav Moonen and myself were passed on to our colleagues John Steeves, Vancouver, Canada and Pierre LePrince, Belgium. They will be taking over the formal duties over the next month or so. I am sure that John will be issuing the next newsletter in the near future.

Included in this newsletter is a ballot for you to elect the new leadership taking the helm this summer. In order to stay within the confines of our Standing Rules, we will also be mailing hard copies of the ballot and newsletter. This will be most likely the last hardcopy mailing of the Society as we go to a WEB based platform for communications in the near future.

President's report

There were over 300 registrants at the meeting and over 30 registered exhibitors. Sessions were well attended and in spite of great concerns following 9/11, there was broad international participation. The venue on Darling Harbor provided a spacious and modern setting in the midst of glamorous Sydney. There was much interest by the National Press in the Proceedings of the meeting. Through the auspices of the International Society for Neurochemistry and the Institute for Developmental Neuroscience and Aging over 20 travel awards were given to students and postdocs. On behalf of all my colleagues and the Australian Society for Neuroscience with whom we overlapped one day of proceedings, I want to thank all of our colleagues who came from afar Down Under.

Treasurer's Report

The finances of the Society are in good order thanks to income derived from membership dues and income from the journal of the Society, the International Journal of Developmental Neuroscience. The bulk of the expenditures are related to the biannual meetings and their organization. At the present time the Society has a positive bank balance. Suitable advances will be made to the organizers of the ISDN 2004. Total financial commitment to any given meeting should remain in the $20,000 range to insure long-term solvency. At this meeting Dr. Gustav Moonen relinquished his duties as Treasurer and passed on the office to the choice of the Council and Officers, Dr. Pierre LePrince, also of Belgium.

Secretary's Report

Yes I know, this issue of the ISDN newsletter and the ballots for the spring election of 2002 is about a month late. Your Secretary indulged in a ski vacation and was caught in a storm, a fall and a broken knee. This slowed him down. The office of the secretary has continued to process applications for membership and spent part of the time since the last meeting seeking candidates to take on the job of Secretary General, due for change in 2002. In consultation with the Council and Officers, Dr. John Steeves was asked to take over the position. This is a good time for a change in leadership for this office. There have been increasing applications to join the Society from a younger contingent and it is right that this is reflected in the leadership. Over the remainder of the summer John will be taking over the office of Secretary General and I am sure he will far exceed all of our expectations, knowing his energy and enthusiasm. As of this election, expansion of Council to insure appropriate representation is being accomplished. Elections are being carried out via electronic balloting although this will be last time we offer a hardcopy ballot and newsletter to all members. The Secretary's Assistant will count electronic ballots, Ms. Donna Masters, as a last service to the Society. It has been a privilege to serve the Society these last few years and I wish John Steeves and Pierre LePrince all the success in the future. I hope you all join me in working with the new leadership and making our Society grow with the times.

As a parting personal statement, I would like to say in the wake of 9/11 that it has been a year of tragedy and also enough of a return to normalcy to make hope for the future a tenable thought. As an international scientific society dedicated to the study of the development of the nervous system and the understanding of the impairments to that development, we persevere in supporting international cooperation and understanding in a peaceful and tolerant environment. The attendance in Sydney of young scientists from all over the world was an encouraging sign.

IJDN Editor's Report

Over the last year and as a result of discussions among several members of the Editorial Board, the Publishers and interested members of the scientific community and NICHD staff, it became clear that there is a serious need for a venue for manuscripts addressing the more recent developments in behavioral disorders with a developmental etiology. In many instances, new techniques and models, as well as a new understanding of genetic mechanisms and the promise of the "genome" project, would suggest that a shift of the International Journal of Developmental Neuroscience to a more translational approach would be welcome and appropriate. In discussions with at the Neurosciences Meeting in San Diego with both American and European colleagues in the area, there was also enthusiasm for this shift in focus for the journal. To that end, we commissioned a very successful special issue with the directors of the 14 NICHD-sponsored Mental Retardation Research Centers, which will be an early issue for 2002. The MRRC Special Issue has 28 outstanding papers. We have also begun an effort to carry out a similar issue with European Guest Editors and participation.

As part of a restructuring effort, we will accelerate efforts to give IJDN a stronger "cyber" presence with broader distribution. We will also restructure the Editorial Board to reflect the expansion plans. Already several Directors of MRR Centers have accepted our invitation to join the IJDN Editorial Board. Finally, Dr. Norbert Koenig has agreed to serve as Editor in charge of accelerated short communications. You can reach Norbert at . Make sure to contact him; he has my full support in this venture, critical to many of us in these very competitive times.

I also want to personally encourage you to communicate with me your ideas on our plans for 2002 and beyond. Please feel free to make suggestions that you feel will serve the Developmental Community and the Journal. Again, over the next few months please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about the status of your papers, the issue in general, the Journal, or the Society.

ISDN 2004

Dr. John Edmond, President, discussed with Council plans for ISDN-2004 to take place in Edinburgh, Scotland at the end of beginning of August (the week before the Edinburgh festival) of 2004. The meeting will take place at the Edinburgh Conference Center a short 11 km from the heart of the City. Dr. Robert Miller has agreed to serve as Program Chair and appropriate committees are being formed.

The coming year will be a critical one for the Society and the Journal it sponsors. It is perhaps more important than ever that you let us know your thoughts as to what direction you think our Society should follow. The Secretariat will transmit all messages received on a monthly basis to the Officers and Council of ISDN and will strive to provide answers, when possible, to all queries posed. We look forward to hearing from you.

ISDN 2006

At this time, Council has settled on the Northeast of North America as a venue for 2002. Suggestions are welcome. Please submit them to any of the officers of the Society.

ISDN Task Force

Given that the institutions housing, researchers, physicians, and educators are undergoing changes to match the revolution in communication, technology and ways of educating students, there are bound to be changes in national and international societies that should result in better services to the membership and society at large. In consultation with Council, the Officers of the Society have appointed Dr. Norbert Koenig of Montpellier as the Chair of a Task Force (Norbert Koenig, Arne Schousboe, and Vittorio Gallo) that is to assess the present state of the Society and devise strategic plans for the future. The 3 person Task Force will meet on a regular basis via email and will seek information as required from the membership at large or via bilateral discussions with similar task forces of other societies. At the Sydney Meeting the Task Force reported on the results of a survey of the membership. The results would suggest that while many are pleased with the informal atmosphere of our Society and Meetings, there is a perceived need to bring in younger members into the leadership. The Council concurred with this criticism and would like to encourage young members to volunteer for service to the Society. Please contact the President, in Incoming Program Chair for 2004, or the Secretary.

Closing Comments

Our Society and the Journal it sponsors can proudly point to a string of successful meetings and filling a niche in the neurosciences outside of the more profession-oriented or mammoth meetings that tend to fill our calendar. The Secretariat will transmit all messages received on a monthly basis to the Officers and Council of ISDN and will strive to provide answers, when possible, to all queries posed. Please feel free to communicate with any of the officers. Specifically, do contact Robert Miller or John Edmond if you have ideas or questions about the 2004 Meeting in Edinburgh, this is specially true if you are planning to bring your golf clubs. I know they look forward to hearing from you. Also, it is not too early to start thinking about 2006 to a venue on this side of the Atlantic Ocean.