IUSSI-NAS

2012 Nutting Research Grant Recipient Announced

This year Tamara Hartke, a postdoc at the University of Western Australia (but a long-time NAS member), was selected as the recipient of the 2012 William L. and Ruth D. Nutting Research Grant in support of basic biological research on termites. The $2500 award will help fund her project on “The secret life of termite sperm: Exploring the interactions between male and female reproductive traits in termites.” More information can be found here.

Registration Now Open for IUSSI-NAS Meeting

You may now register and submit your abstract for the upcoming 5th quadrennial Meeting of the North American Section of the IUSSI.

Nominations Committee Being Formed

Dear NAS IUSSI Members,

As you know, at our last business meeting in Reno, NV at the ESA meeting, the decision to elect a nominating committee of three people was announced. Now we need to move on that election procedure so that the Committee can perform its duty to find a candidate for 2013 President-Elect.

*First, we need candidates for the Nominations Committee*. You can nominate yourself or others. You can also ask one of the IUSSI officers to make the nomination or to approach a suggested nominee about a nomination (see other officer contacts below).

Here is the change to the constitution regarding the Nominating Committee:

Option A – elected Nominating Committee; 1-3 nominees for each office ARTICLE VI: Elections A Nominating Committee will be elected not less than six months before the election. The Nominating Committee will consist of three members, each serving a three year term. The Committee shall solicit by mail from the membership proposals for nominations for each office to be filled, nominate one to three candidates for each office, ascertaining whether proposed nominees will accept office if elected. Election shall be by mail ballot through the office of the Secretary-Treasurer prior to November I. New officers shall take office January 1.

*I am setting the dead line for Committee nominations as April 30. Send your nominations to me. A nomination should include name, affiliation, position at affiliation, phone and email contact info, and 1-2 sentences supporting your selection of this person. * We will hold an election for the committee in May, which is approximately 6 months prior to the Nov. ESA meeting in Knoxville, TN.

If no nominations are received, then the current officers will be compelled to find Committee nominees, which is contrary to the idea of having the membership select this committee. So, please, take just a few moments to make nominations!!!!

Secretary-Treasurer: Jay Evans iussi.nas@gmail.com
President-Elect: Colin Brent Colin.Brent@ars.usda.gov
Past-President: Terry McGlynn Terry.McGylnn@gmail.com

Thank you for your attention and active membership.

Sincerely,
Theresa Pitts-Singer, 2012 President NAS IUSSI (theresa.pitts-singer@ars.usda.gov)

Visitor Count & Locations

Eickwort Award Announced

This year Sandra Rehan of Brock University in Ontario, Canada was selected as the recipient of the 2011 Eickwort Student Award in recognition of her exceptional research and scholarly activity on the social evolution in the ceratinine bees. More information can be found here.

Changes to the Executive Committee

Following this year’s elections, there have been changes to the executive committee for the North American Section. For 2012, our officers will consist of Theresa Pitts-Singer(president), Colin Brent (president-elect) and Jay Evans (secretary/treasurer). Our thanks go to our outgoing president, Terry McGlynn, for his dedicated service.