June 2015 - Society for the Study of Reproduction

President’s Spring Message: What if there is no IF?
In this, my final President’s message, I come full circle and return to a theme raised in my
Fall message, namely, IF. If you go to http://www.acronymfinder.com and type in IF and look
under Science and Medicine, you will quickly learn that Impact Factor is third on the list,
whereas immunofluorescence, a widely used method in the life sciences, is 19th (out of 28)
suggestive of the relative importance of IFs in our vernacular. IF, the impact factor, is
computed by dividing the number of citations in the Journal Citation Reports (JCR) year by
the total number of papers published in the prior two years. Thus, a journal with an IF of 3.5
means that on average papers published one or two years ago have been cited 3.5 times.
Likewise, the 5-year journal IF is the average number of times articles from a journal
published in the past five years have been cited in the JCR year and is calculated by dividing
the number of citations in the JCR year by the total number of articles published in the five
previous years. The IF and 5-year IF for Biology of Reproduction is 3.451 and 3.945,
respectively; three significant figures no less! The 5-year IF for Nature is >38. But note that
just because an IF is high does not mean that all papers are highly cited. Nature’s IF in 2004
was ~32 but ~90% of the IF is accounted for by only 25% of the papers published (Nature
435, 1003–1004, 2005).
The tyranny of IF is quite wide and as I wrote in Fall 2014 “[r]egardless of how we
individually may feel about IF’s, they are here to stay for the foreseeable future, because
they are deeply embedded in the culture of academia, from appointment and promotion of
faculty to department resource allocation within universities.” Mark Johnston, Editor-in-Chief
of Genetics, recently wrote a superb editorial (Genetics, 199, 637–638, 2015) entitled “A
Glaring Paradox” in which he noted the discrepancy between the IF of society-based
journals run by highly successful research scientists and high IF journals, e.g., Nature, that
often are not. I strongly encourage you to read his editorial. Unlike the Argonaut Orpheus,
who did not succumb to the lure of the Sirens beautiful voices by playing his own beautiful
music that drowned the Sirens’s voices, we as a community have succumbed to the lure of
IF, not finding the voices of our society-based journals to be beautiful and forceful.
Journal policies can increase their IF, e.g., by publishing review articles, which tend to be
cited more than the primary literature or by publishing fewer papers. The misplaced
emphasis on IF conveys the wrong message to young scientists and junior faculty that they
must hit a home run to advance their career rather than building a solid foundation that will
sustain their research program, which often lasts for decades. I do not see many old home
run hitters, but I do see many old singles and doubles hitters (who also hit home runs on
occasion) and still manage to reach the pinnacle of professional success. There is a growing
consensus in the research community that this undo emphasis on IF has led to an increase
in selective data presentation or worse, data fabrication, especially among younger
scientists, culminating in authorship for sale.
To paraphrase the words of one of my colleagues, “[t]he institutional emphasis on IF is an
abdication of administrative responsibility. To depend on evaluation by numbers and not take
the trouble to evaluate the actual skills and scientific competence or promise of a candidate
is a dereliction of duty and office.” So how do we liberate our community from the tyranny of
IF? I have often reflected/ruminated on this issue and realized some time ago that the
SSR News, June 2015
(cont.)
(cont.)
solution is obvious, namely, senior scientists must and can change the culture. Senior
scientists have the attention of faculty in their department, department chairs, deans,
provosts, and presidents. Senior scientists can start to promote change within their own
department when either hiring or promoting faculty by emphasizing the need to evaluate
the candidate’s science, i.e., what they accomplished and its impact on the field, and fully
recognize that such an evaluation can be totally uncoupled from where the research is
published. In my department the senior faculty recently led a conversation along these
lines when they stated that for promotion to tenure with respect to distinction and impact in
scholarly research, “there should be evidence of sustained effort and one should be able to
unambiguously defend the depth and the breadth of the candidate’s intellectual impact.”
When senior faculty assume administrative positions and have the ability to influence and
shape institutional policy and procedures, they must articulate forcefully the
aforementioned uncoupling, i.e., their ability to assess the caliber of science regardless of
where it is published. In a similar vein, when practicing and prominent scientists sit on
grant review panels, they must make certain that the conversation focuses on what was
accomplished and not where the findings were published. And last, when the opportunity
arises to publish a “home run” they need to consider seriously publishing in their societybased journal, i.e., walk-the-walk, and not talk-the-talk.
Unfortunately, young scientists and junior faculty will have to endure the current climate.
Should the proposed change in culture, however, become the norm, they will be well
positioned as senior scientists to make certain that it flourishes.
Changing a deeply ingrained culture takes time—“culture eats strategy for breakfast”
attributed to Peter Drucker—but as I quoted from Hillel in my Winter message, “if not now,
when?” Some will say that this strategy is a capitulation to mediocrity or regression to the
mean, but I believe it will allow practicing scientists to regain control of their enterprise and
not be held hostage to the whim of perception, and will in no way diminish the quality of
science. Indeed, some of the most highly cited papers in the field of reproductive sciences,
with profound impact on our field and beyond, have been published in Biology of
Reproduction. It is doubtful that they would have reaped greater glory if the work had been
published in Nature or Science.
—Richard M. Schultz (rschultz@sas.upenn.edu)
SSR President
Heritage Committee Report
The Heritage Luncheon is an event at the annual SSR Meeting that honors a pioneer in
reproductive biology. Dr. M.C. Chang will be the honoree and Dr. Ryuzo Yanagimachi will
provide the tribute. Dr. M. C. Chang was true pioneer in the field of reproductive biology!
His work focused on fertilization in mammals and he is best known for his pioneering work
with Gregory Pincus at the Worcester Foundation for Experimental Biology that contributed
to the development of the combined oral contraceptive. Interestingly, only about five years
out of his 45 year scientific career were focused on oral administration of steroids to
control fertility. Most of his career was devoted to understanding the biology of fertilization
and the development of the technique for fertilizing oocytes in vitro. We are fortunate that
Dr. Yanagimachi, who worked with M.C. Chang and is a pioneer in his own right, will be
making the presentation. The luncheon will be 21 June (Sunday) from 12:00 to 1:30 pm.
—Michael F. Smith (smithmf@missouri.edu)
Chair, 2015 Heritage Committee
Page 2
Dr. M. C. Chang
From the Program Committee:
Announcing Audio Presentation of Posters
Do you like to visit posters during off hours to avoid crowds and check out promising
presentations; but the presenter isn’t there? Do you hate to fight the crowd that mobs the
posters that you were the most keen to visit? Do you want to get a quick review of a hot
poster but the presenter is fully occupied by someone who wants seemingly endless
personal attention? The SSR meeting this year will feature an exciting new way to preview
poster presentations: a 5-minute QR-coded audio teaser that will not only encapsulate the
poster’s facts and figures but also give insights into how the poster presenters view their
conclusions, the surprises, and potential applications. We urge all poster presenters to
participate and let your personality, as well as your experimental results, draw attention to
you and your work.
Participant presenters will display a QR code in the upper right corner of their poster. You
will be able scan the QR code with your smart phone’s QR reader and listen to the
presentation with ear buds as you stand in front of the poster and follow along. You can
then plan to visit the poster or presenter at a more opportune time to get details,
clarifications, or just get to know the presenter better.
Scan this
QR code for
a message
from the
Program
Committee!
We suggest that you download the Kaywa Reader and/or QRReader to your smart phone
and bring ear buds to the poster sessions. If you forget your ear buds, free buds will be
available at the meeting. These QR readers are available for virtually all smart phones and
they work with the QR codes used for access the audio presentations. Most other readers
also work. There will be trainee volunteers available to assist you if you encounter any
difficulties. Here is a QRcode for you to scan and test your QR reader and smart phone
audio before you head out for the meeting. We recommend listening to the entire
recording.
We look forward to seeing you at the meeting in San Juan and hearing how you liked this
new feature.
—Sarah Kimmins (sarah.kimmins@mcgill.ca) and John Eppig (john.eppig@jax.org)
Co-Chairs, 2015 Program Committee
From the Local Arrangements Committee
Greetings from the Caribbean,
Here the temperature is getting higher, and the SSR'15 LAC is getting busier as we get
closer to our meeting June 18-22 in San Juan, Puerto Rico!
Our committee, composed of Puerto Rican scientists, professors, MDs, post-docs and
students from Puerto Rico, both living on the island and the US, is happy to report many of
our accomplishments with SSR members. We are especially pleased with the beautiful
logos and artwork created by local artists and which have been displayed in the website and
advertisements, and will be printed on the official T-shirts. We encourage you to fully
appreciate the symbolisms within these works of art, mainly related to what makes us
unique (the El Morro Fort, our own Coqui and Puerto Rican Parrot) and with a touch of
reproduction (the Caguana, Taíno fertility goddess, takes predominance in two of the logos).
Page 3
(cont.)
(cont.)
Music is our thing here in Puerto Rico, and we hope you can enjoy some of our musical
expressions during the meeting, and also around town. Ask any of us in the LAC for
suggestions on where to go after the meeting to enjoy not only local music and dancing, but
also our renowned cuisine – Latino fusion! Plantains and tropical fruits! Delicious coffee and
desserts! – Look for the list of restaurants, coffee shops, and bars that we will have
available for you at the registration desk.
The Sunset Reception, set to be overlooking the beach of the Caribe Hilton hotel, promises
to be memorable. Although it will take place earlier than the traditional SSR BBQ and
Dance, this activity will feature a fantastic band so there will be ample opportunity for
dancing and enjoying great music while watching the sunset and sipping on refreshing
drinks. Contact the LAC members for things to do in San Juan after the Sunset Reception;
there is plenty to do in San Juan after 9:00pm!
We worked hard to plan another activity that we hope many will enjoy: The 5K Run/Walk
Race for Reproductive Health. The race will begin in front of the Parque del Tercer Milenio
(3rd Millenium Park) in front of the Sixto Escobar Stadium, at walking distance from the
Caribe Hilton Hotel. This route will take runners along the Escambrón beach, continuing up
the Muñoz Rivera Avenue, past the Puerto Rico Capitol Building, border the Atlantic, and
past the San Cristobal Fort, until reaching the Plaza Colón, at which point runners will return
back to the 3rd Millenium park via Ponce de León Avenue, bordering the Muñoz Rivera
Park. The route will take runners along breathtaking views of the ocean, architectural jewels
(Casa de España, Capitol Building, Teatro La Perla), parks and town squares, and historic
buildings (San Cristóbal Fort). Here is a link to the flyer and the map of the route. You may
still register for the 5K at the Convention Center if you did not do so during pre-registration!
The LAC members have prepared a series of blogs that are available here, to help you plan
your visit to Puerto Rico and take advantage of all that the island offers. Also, I regularly
post information on Twitter (“What to do while in #PuertoRico”). Follow me at @zilahdi. Bear
in mind that Puerto Rico caters to all kinds of travelers, from the adventurous (Toro Verde
Zip Line Park), to the eco-tourist (Camuy Caverns, El Yunque Rainforest, Guanica Semidesert forest), to the beach bum (Isla Verde, Condado, Luquillo, Rincon, Cabo Rojo), the
food enthusiasts (www.sal.pr; search San Juan in http://www.tripadvisor.com), and the
history buffs.
The Outreach activity planned for this year’s SSR annual meeting has been called “A Day
with a Scientist” (Un Día con un Científico). We plan to impact selected High School
students by showing them what it is like to be a scientist by providing them with a variety of
activities, including shadowing a PhD student or post-doc during the poster session; handson and demonstrations on the science of reproduction; followed by talks and a panel on
careers in science. This is the link to the activity and application form.
In all, we as the LAC committee hope that your stay in Puerto Rico surpasses all your
expectations and that the meeting is a great success. Our goal is to complement your plan
to gather new scientific knowledge and to network with collaborators old and new, with an
experience for all your senses. We invite you to extend your stay before or after
the @SSRepro meeting and enjoy the sights, food, rhythms, and colors and the Many
Faces of Puerto Rico!
Hasta pronto!
—Idhaliz Flores (iflores@psm.edu),
on behalf of the SSR’15 LAC
P.S. Don’t forget your bathing suit and plenty of sunblock!!!!
Page 4
Check for
breaking news
on the 2015
Annual Meeting
News & Updates
Blog.
Status of the SSR Membership
In 2014, the society experienced a recession of ~10% in overall membership numbers.
However, there are signs of a rebound for 2015 with the overall number of members as of
May 1 being greater this year compared to 2014. The current breakdown of SSR
members by category is:
Regular: 767 (no change compared to May 2014)
Associate: 66 (~27% higher compared to May 2014)
Trainee: 373 (~19% higher compared to May 2014)
Total: 1,206 (~6% higher compared to May 2014)
Promotional Campaign
The Membership Committee is continuing to develop promotional strategies aimed at
bringing in new members to the SSR family and encouraging past members to renew.
We ask that all current members take part in advocating for SSR by urging colleagues to
renew memberships, help in identifying potential new members, and promoting the
benefits of membership within home institutions and beyond. Feel free to send names
and contact information of potential SSR recruits to Jon Oatley
(joatley@vetmed.wsu.edu), Chair of the Membership Committee.
SSR Fellows
In 2011, the membership committee launched a program to recognize individuals that
have had major influence on the society by naming them as SSR Fellows. The criteria for
an SSR fellow include 20+ years of membership in the society (including trainee status)
and major service to the society. Major service is defined as serving on the board of
directors, as an SSR officer, as a committee chair, or extramural activities that have had
a major impact on the society. All SSR members meeting the criteria were named in 2012
and individuals that reach the criteria are added to the fellowship every year. The Fellows
are recognized each year at the annual meeting with a ribbon on their name badge.
Please thank these individuals for their major contribution to the success of the society
and the field of reproductive sciences.
Attend the Annual Meeting
Our annual meeting is a highlight of the year for most members and this year will be no
different. San Juan promises a beautiful venue and the scientific program will
undoubtedly provide a rich scientific experience.
Committee Meeting
There will be a meeting of the Membership Committee at the Annual Meeting in San
Juan. The time and place will be posted in the near future.
—Jon Oatley (joatley@vetmed.wsu.edu)
Chair, 2015 Membership Committee
Page 5
Report from the Public Affairs Committee
Be sure to stop by the PAC booth at the annual meeting. We will once again have the
cool sperm and egg pens to give away. More importantly, we will have fliers and
information from the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, including
factsheets for each state that explain the impact of federal science funding. Armed with
this information (and the beautiful fliers), we can each do our part to convince the public
of the importance of supporting biomedical research. This information is also archived on
the PAC website. I urge you to check out the resources there.
We’d also like to urge trainee members to help out with “A Day with a Scientist.” This
activity is being planned by the Local Arrangements Committee, with some support from
PAC. Local science students who have excelled in their high school biology class will be
selected to participate in some hands-on reproductive science with members of our
Society during the Saturday of the annual meeting.
Finally, our PAC representatives and SSR President Schultz participated in the annual
Capitol Hill Day event to urge legislators to support science.
—Laura Schulz (schulzl@missouri.edu)
Chair, 2015 Public Affairs Committee
Report from SSR’s FASEB Board Representative
This has been a very busy late winter and spring for FASEB work. For 2014-2015,
she is also the FASEB Board representative to its Public Affairs Committee,
attending each meeting once a month by teleconference, or quarterly face-to-face
meetings, to discuss FASEB responses to requests for information (RFIs) by the US
government and research policy statements. During this reporting period, emphasis
has been on addressing the issue of gender in animal experimentation,
reproducibility, and travel restrictions for federal intramural employees. Following the
more than year-long writing, convening three roundtable discussions and initial
public release of FASEB’s Sustainability Report for the U.S. research enterprise,
including STEM education, NIH, NSF, USDA, DOE, and other federally supported research,
FASEB Board and PAC embarked on a period of feedback discussions and updates. A visit to
Capitol Hill for advocacy of Congressional funding on behalf of biomedical, agricultural,
veterinary medicine, basic science related research was held on 14 April 2015. Joanne
Fortune, FASEB Animal Research Subcommittee, and Patricia Morris participated and jointly
visited seven legislative offices, in meetings formatted in 30 minute discussion sessions with
health and science policy advisors for their New York State Senators and Representatives
(photo at left; additional photos on the FASEB website). Importantly, eight FASEB executive
officers and two Board Representatives to PAC met with Dr. Francis Collins, NIH Director on
the morning of 6 May 2015 to discuss sustainable funding for 2016 for NIH, the Precision
Medicine initiative, cuts in the intramural program and the mandated NIH overall strategic plan
due to US Congress in December of this year. FASEB was thanked for its robust and
significant contributions, including advocacy efforts for biomedical research. Then the FASEB
group split into 3 scientist-member teams to visit individual Institute Directors. Dr. Morris
(Reproduction; gender differences; sexual health) visited Drs. Anthong Fauci (NAID), Alan
Guttmacher (NICHD), Lowy (NCI), Hodes (NIA), and several branch directors and senior
policy staff members (NHLBI). Specific issues related to the particular Institute were discussed
in each meeting. Relevant reports to the Board are being generated for our Science Policy
meeting (31 May) and Board meeting (1 June) in Washington, DC.
—Patricia L. Morris (p-morris@popcbr.rockefeller.edu)
FASEB Board Member (representing SSR)
Page 6
Report from the Trainee Affairs Committee
We can hardly believe that in 2 short weeks we will all be together in sunny Puerto Rico
for the 48th Annual Meeting of the Society for the Study of Reproduction! Pre-registration
closed on 29 May, but you can still register for the meeting on-site at the Convention
Center. Please read below for several updates on the upcoming meeting.
Trainee Volunteers Needed!
Volunteering as a part of the SSR 2015 meeting in Puerto Rico is a great way to meet
your peers and network with influential scientists in your field! If you already registered
but did not check the box to volunteer on your Annual Meeting registration form and are
interested in volunteering, please contact the Trainee Volunteer Subcommittee Co-Chairs
Niraj Joshi (Michigan State University) and Veronica Negron-Perez (University of
Florida). You even get a free t-shirt for volunteering, so sign up today! You will receive an
email from Niraj and Veronica closer to the meeting asking you to sign up for volunteer
tasks.
LEMTTF
We had over 160 successful
applicants for the LEMTTF travel
award this year! We increased award
amounts for international travelers to
help offset the rising cost of travel
and encourage trainees to attend the
Annual Meeting. For the second year
in a row the LEMTTF deadline was
synchronized with the abstract
deadline. This year we ran the
LEMTTF application through a
Google Form, which helped to speed
up the data management process
and allowed us to get notifications of
awards out a full month earlier than
has been done in previous years! All
LEMTTF grant notifications have
been released via email. If you have
not received an email and you
submitted an application, please
email trainees@ssr.org.
In support of LEMTTF, this year we will be holding a raffle with five prizes: i) an iPad mini
with WIFI and cellular capabilities, ii) a $100 VISA gift card, iii) one year of free
membership to SSR, iv) a plush testis with epididymis, and v) a plush female reproductive
tract! All SSR members are encouraged to buy as many tickets as they want. Each prize
will have a separate raffle ticket box. Tickets may be dropped into individual boxes for the
prizes you desire. The drawing for the prizes will occur at the Trainee Research Award
Competition the night of Saturday, 20 June. You must be present to win! The raffle
boxes will be available at the TAC booth and the on-site SSR business office.
Trainee Forum & Trainee Mixer
This year’s Trainee Forum: The Science of Grantsmanship Around the Globe, which
will take place Friday 19 June 7-9pm, is completely sold out! For the first time, we will be
(cont.)
Page 7
(cont.)
hosting two concurrently run trainee forums. One forum will focus on research grant
applications and the other will focus on fellowship grant applications. Due to the increasing
international focus of SSR, we will have panelists in each forum from the following regions:
USA, Canada, Europe, Australia, and Asia. The Forum on Research Grant Applications
will be chaired by Dr. Annie Newell-Fugate and will include: Dr. David Miller (University of
Illinois at Urbana-Champaign), Dr. Janice L. Bailey (Université Laval), Dr. John Carroll
(Monash University), Dr. Moira O’Bryan (Monash University), and Dr. Masahito Ikawa
(Osaka University). The Forum on Fellowship Grant Applications will be chaired by Dr.
Jenna Haverfield and will include: Dr. Karen Schindler (Rutgers University), Dr. Miranda
Bernhardt (National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences), Dr. Andrew Childs (The
Royal Veterinary College), Dr. Pavine Lefèvre (McGill University), and Dr. Tod Fullston
(University of Adelaide). We look forward to seeing registered trainee members at this event!
The Trainee Mixer, which will be held immediately following the Trainee Forum on Friday,
19 June 9-11pm, has also sold out! The mixer will take place on the terrace of the Puerto
Rico Convention Center, which overlooks the ocean. This is a wonderful opportunity to get
to know your fellow trainees!
Trainee-Mentor Luncheon
The Trainee-Mentor Luncheon coordinator, Miranda Bernhardt (post-doc at the National
Institute of Environmental Health Sciences), has lined up an enthusiastic and experienced
group of Regular member mentors for this luncheon in Puerto Rico. We have expanded the
number of mentors this year to a total of 32. This larger number of mentors will enable each
table at the luncheon to have a lower trainee-mentor ratio and will encourage more dynamic
discussions. This event is an excellent way to network with your fellow trainees and regular
members in a casual setting. Tickets for the luncheon are $15. For more information about
the event and Mentor biographies visit the Trainee Mentor Luncheon webpage.
In-coming Junior Trainee Representative to the Board
We had a tight race for the incoming Junior Trainee Representative to the Board this year
with three very qualified candidates! We are pleased to announce that the newly elected
Trainee Representative to the Board of Directors is Dr. Patrick Hannon who is currently in
the lab of Dr. Jodi Flaws at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Dr. Hannon will
be starting as a post-doc in Dr. Tom Curry’s laboratory at the University of Kentucky starting
this July. Please congratulate Dr. Hannon when you see him in Puerto Rico!
Lastly, this is Annie’s last newsletter as the Chair of the Trainee Affairs Committee. The last
two years have flown by for Annie! She has had a wonderful time working with Drs. Tony
McNeel and Jenna Haverfield, the Trainee Affairs Committee, the SSR Business Office, the
various committees of our Society, and the Board of Directors. She has learned so much
about SSR and about the inner workings of scientific societies. She would highly
recommend that trainees interested in the pursuit of a career as a principal investigator
become involved in SSR or other scientific societies. If you want to be involved with our
society, the TAC is always looking for more collaborators. Contact Jenna and Pat via email
at trainees@ssr.org.
Have a good start to your summer and we'll see you in Puerto Rico!
—Annie Newell-Fugate (ANewell-Fugate@cvm.tamu.edu) & Jenna Haverfield
(jenna.haverfield@umontreal.ca)
Senior Trainee Representative & Junior Trainee Representative
Page 8
Patrick Hannon, incoming
Junior Trainee
Representative
Attention ALL SSR women!
You are cordially invited to join WinRS (pronounced “winners”).
WinRS stands for Women in Reproductive Sciences and is a grassroots
initiative amongst the female SSR membership that aims to support the
professional development and advancement of Trainee, Associate, and Regular
female members within the Society.
We will hold our inaugural planning session at the 2015 SSR meeting in
Puerto Rico at 6:30 pm on Thursday June 18th, immediately after the Awards
Ceremony, which follows the Historical Perspectives Keynote Address. We ask
interested individuals to gather in the same room (Level 3, Ballroom A, Puerto Rico
Convention Center) as the Keynote Address and Awards Ceremony. Stay tuned for
more updates and details as the 2015 SSR Annual Meeting approaches! We look
forward to seeing you in Puerto Rico!
If you can’t attend the planning meeting but are keen to be informed and/or
involved in this organization please email: ssrwinrs@gmail.com
Kate Loveland, Janice Bailey, Sally Darney, Annie Newell-Fugate, &
Jenna Haverfield
From the Future Meetings Committee
Have you looked
at the 2015
Annual Meeting
Scientific
Program?
Are you and your colleagues interested in hosting the SSR Meeting? Do you have a dream
destination for the SSR Annual Meeting? The annual meeting is a vital component of our
society. In addition to the awesome scientific presentations, our annual meetings provide
exciting training grounds for our trainees and opportunities to build lasting relationships in
the scientific community. It is important that we identify meeting sites that are attractive to
our membership.
The SSR currently identifies and approves meeting locations three (3) years in advance. We
have some excellent destinations lined up. The table below shows approved meeting
locations through 2018. With input from the membership, the Future Meetings Committee
(FMC) identifies attractive locations based on a rotating schedule from Eastern, to Central,
to Western North America. We also consider attractive off-shore meeting locations as
proposals are developed. For example, our meeting site this year (2015) is being held in
Puerto Rico. We are currently considering locations in Western North America for the 2019
SSR meeting.
SSR Annual Meeting Locations
Year
Location
2015
Puerto Rico
2016
San Diego
2017
Washington, DC
2018
New Orleans
2019
Western North America
2020
Eastern North America
2021
Off-shore?
Did you know that any SSR member can propose a meeting location? If you have a
great venue and would like to be involved with our annual meeting, the FMC invites you to
submit recommendations to John Davis, Chair of the FMC (jsdavis@unmc.edu) or Gwen
Abramson (ssr2@ssr.org) in the SSR Business Office.
—John S. Davis (jsdavis@unmc.edu)
Chair, 2015 Future Meetings Committee
Follow SSR on social media for critical news and updates
during the Annual Meeting!
•
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SSRepro
•
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SSRepro/
•
Blogger: http://ssr2015news.blogspot.com/
Page 10
From the Publications Committee
The Publications Committee recently conducted a survey of SSR members, assessing
opinions on several aspects of author and reader experience with Biology of Reproduction
(BOR). We are pleased to report that the response rate was high and the results
informative. To capture a few of the highlights:
• 73.4% of respondents thought that being a member of the SSR provided inducement to
submit their work to BOR. Many feel that the journal is among the top in the field of
reproductive sciences; this is corroborated by impact factor and similar ratings.
• In spite of much public debate about the true value of journal impact factor, it is still the
top factor driving choice of where our respondents submit their manuscripts, whether to
BOR or elsewhere. Other highly rated considerations include page or word limits, open
access fees, speed of reviews, and past experience with the journal.
• Overall, the logistics of the submission and review experience were rated as “good.”
• 88% of respondents thought that subject matter coverage by BOR was appropriate. That
said, there were about equal numbers of respondents who would like to see more largeanimal and physiology papers versus those who would like to see more mechanistic,
molecular, and genetic papers. These mixed opinions suggest that the journal is
providing something for everyone but that careful attention should be given to soliciting
diverse content.
• There was great enthusiasm for enhanced features such as graphical abstracts,
interactive commentaries, and teaching modules.
• Several individuals mentioned the value of a trainee workshop on submitting to BOR at
the annual meeting.
The Publications Committee invites more of your ideas and vision for the future of BOR.
Please send us your thoughts!
—Mary Ann Handel (maryann.handel@jax.org) and
Dan Bernard (daniel.bernard@mcgill.ca)
Chair and Co-Chair, 2015 Publications Committee
Annual Meeting Links
• Home Page: http://www.ssr.org/15Meeting
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Schedule of Events: http://www.ssr.org/15Schedule
Scientific Program: http://www.ssr.org/15SciProgram
Featured Speakers: http://www.ssr.org/15Plenary
Diversity Committee Activities: http://www.ssr.org/15Diversity
Trainee Information: http://www.ssr.org/15Trainees
Travel and Transportation: http://www.ssr.org/15Travel
On-Site Information: http://www.ssr.org/15OnSite
Support and Sponsorship: http://www.ssr.org/15Support
Page 11
Submit your
best work to
Biology of
Reproduction.
Local Arrangements Committee: Old San Juan
By Rocío Melissa Rivera
Oh, Old San Juan! The one place I must visit each time I am in
Puerto Rico is Old San Juan. San Juan is the capital of Puerto Rico
and is always buzzing. It is the island's main manufacturing,
financial, cultural, and tourism center. Old San Juan is its oldest
sector, and contains amazing architectural beauty with narrow
cobblestone streets and several storied masonry houses with
Spanish influence. This walled city was built in 1521, and it is the
second-oldest European-founded city in the Americas.
Old San Juan is small in area, 3 mi² (7.8 km²), but is filled with
historic sites that are open to the public. One such piece of history
is Castillo San Felipe del Morro (Fort San Felipe del Morro or Morro
Castle), a 16th-century citadel and UNESCO site. Please visit this
site for a National Geographic special on old San Juan. A very nice self-guided walking tour of old San Juan and its
historic buildings may be found at this site.
To us Puerto Ricans, especially if we find ourselves living abroad, one thing that comes to mind when we hear San
Juan mentioned is its namesake song – “En mi Viejo San Juan” (In My Old San Juan”). Follow this link to hear this
melancholic song as interpreted by Jose Feliciano (the composer and singer of the popular Christmas song – “Feliz
Navidad”). Follow this link for the lyrics in Spanish and English.
To learn more about Old San Juan and Puerto Rico please visit this site.
The SSR LAC looks forward to WELCOMING YOU TO PUERTO RICO: The Enchanted Island.
Enjoy San Juan!
—Rocío Melissa Rivera (riverarm@missouri.edu)
SSR 2015 Local Arrangements Committee
Continued on the next
page with more pictures
of Old San Juan!
Page 12
(cont.)
Castillo San Felipe del Morro - UNESCO Site
La Rogativa. Legend has
it that in 1797 a British
attack on San Juan was
averted by the women of
the city, alongside the
Bishop, who took to the
streets at night with
torches in a religious
procession pleading for
salvation of the city. The
British general,
Abercrombie, mistook the
procession as
reinforcement of troops
from the countryside and
left from the site without
causing harm to the city.
Page 13
Local Arrangements Committee: Get Out of San Juan
and Discover Puerto Rico—Southwest
By Zelieann R. Craig
There is no doubt that San Juan has a lot to offer: great restaurants,
beaches, and historical places among other wonderful attractions.
Most will fall in love with this city and spend most of their time there;
however, I know there will be many who will rent a car and wonder
“what’s beyond this great city?” Yes, I’m writing to you, the ones who
are planning to drive away from the hot spots and find the hidden
gems! There is much to see and experience but I have limited this
list to some of my favorite spots. Therefore, I highly recommend
visiting websites such as Islands of Puerto Rico and TripAdvisor,
among others, to explore more of what this beautiful Island has to
offer. I have also included hyperlinks to useful websites related to
each attraction. See you in San Juan!
Beaches
The west coast of the island is known as Porta del Sol and is
only a 2.5-hour drive away from San Juan. According to many,
the best beaches on the main island of Puerto Rico are on the
west coast based on their beauty and more natural feel. Porta
del Sol also has the best sunsets in the Island! By far, Playa
Sucia/La Playuela (Dirty Beach/Little Beach) in Cabo Rojo is
my favorite beach of all! This beach has such a natural,
unspoiled quality that makes you feel like you just landed on another planet! On your way to Playa Sucia you will also
find the Los Morrillos Lighthouse and Las Salinas (The Salt Flats)!
If you prefer to have facilities available when you go to the
beach, the Balneario de Boquerón (Boquerón Beach) in
Cabo Rojo is right for you! This beach is very family friendly,
and although it is pretty busy in the summer, there’s plenty of
space to accommodate everyone. You will find shallow clear
water in some spots that are perfect to enjoy with children
and, on days with clear skies, you can see little schools of
fish. Great for snorkeling with kids! Facilities include
lifeguards, picnic tables, parking, and restrooms.
For those who are more into soaking in the views and
breeze rather than swimming, Bahia de las Ballenas
(Ballenas Bay Beach/Whales’ Bay Beach) in the town of
Guánica is a great place to visit. Depending on the time of
the year, the waters are calm enough to enjoy a little dip
or wild enough to not risk getting in (trust me, tumbling up
to shore and ending with a mouth full of sand a few times
as a kid taught me that!). It’s the perfect beach to enjoy
when not in the mood for swimming. I have seen a few
surfers there too!
(cont.)
Page 14
(cont.)
Finally, one of my childhood favorites is Playa Santa (Holy Beach) also in the town of
Guánica. This beach is characterized by calm waters and a low-key environment that is
great for families. There is a watersports concession that offers banana boat rides, jet ski
rentals, pedal boats, and kayak rentals. You will also see the Playa Santa Vacation
Center, a large apartment complex that Puerto Rico government employees can rent for
their vacations.
Porta Coeli image courtesy of
Flickr user davsot.
Historic Attractions
The southwest of Puerto Rico also has plenty to offer to history
lovers. My favorite, the Museum of Religious Art Santo
Domingo de Porta Coeli, in the town of San Germán. Commonly
known as the “Porta Coeli,” which means “Doorway to Heaven,”
this is the oldest church on the Island and one of the oldest in the
Americas. I spent most of my childhood driving past this church
and admiring its beauty. A fun fact, according to my family’s
historians: my great grandparents on my mother’s side were one
of the last couples to wed in this church. San Germán is a very old
town with many beautiful historic buildings; thus, it should be high
up in your list of historic places to visit while you are in the Island.
—Zelieann R. Craig (zr.craig@arizona.edu)
SSR 2015 Local Arrangements Committee
Page 15
Welcome to the SSR!
Change of Status
Associate
Burkin, Heather R
de Souza, Danielle Kaiser
Lim, Jinhwan
Emeritus
Brown, Barry L
Hashizume, Kazuyoshi
Hess, Rex A
Huszar, Gabor
Ivell, Richard
McIlroy, Patrick J
Norman, Reid L
O'Rand, Michael
Rebar, Robert W
Stocco, Douglas M
Regular
Andric, Nebojsa
Antoniazzi, Alfredo Q
Bartolomei, Marisa
Braundmeier Fle, Andrea G
Carlson, Anne E
Chellakkan Selvanesan, Blesson
Duncan, Francesca E
Erikson, David W
Garcia, Thomas
Jorgez, Carolina J
Newell-Fugate, Annie E
Racicot, Karen E
Ross, Pablo Juan
Summers, Adam F
Wang, Ning
Zhang, Honghai
New Members
Associate
Arcelay, Enid
Barentsen, Kenneth C
Calloway, Elissa M
Chung, Jean-Ju L
Lafleur, Christine I
Latorre, Jose R
Pyzyna, Brandy R
Rodriguez-Salla, Carlos J
Skees, Cody R
Tisch, Nancy A
Regular
Barfield, Jennifer P
Bolcun-Filas, Ewelina M
Cohen-Tannoudji, Joelle
Coss, Djurdjica
DeMeestere, Isabelle
Feng, Yun
Guarraci, Fay A
Heaney, Jason D
Hortova, Katerina
Kaczmarek, Monika M
Liu, Mingxi
Mason, Melissa C
Pisarska, Margareta D
Qiao, Zhongdong
Rodrigues, Jose Luiz Rigo
Ruan, Ye-Chun
Seandel, Marco
Sun, Jianjun
Zhang, Jian
Trainee
Aasa, Kristiina L
Abedal-majed, Mohamed Ayoub
Al-Shaibi, Ahmad A
Andrade, Gabriella Mamede
Araujo, Estela Rose
Asghar, Zeenat A
Baena, Valentina
Baracho, Amanda
Berger, Amelia J
Berneau, Stephane
Biswas, Barnali
Borgbo, Tanni
Borges, Cibele S
Boudoures, Anna L
Bynum, Seth
Caldwell, Aimee SL
Castaneda, Julio M
Charette, Pascale
Chiang, Catheryne L
Cook-Andersen, Heidi L
Cote, Nancy
Cruz, Anamaria
Cudiamat, Jonathan J
D'Angelo, Laura A
Dawson, Emily P
de Castro Diez, Cayetana Vazquez
Demczuk, Michael M
Detwiler, Ariana C
Dillon-Fuentes, Lisa M
Dorosh, Andriy
Dostalova, Pavla
Easterling, Marietta
Elahi, MD Fazle
Elliott, Maeghan
Eymery, Angeline
Farahbakhsh, Mina
Farlora, Rodolfo
Felker, Allison M
Fellmeth, Jessica E
Ferder, Ianina C
Ferraz, Marcia AMM
Fitzgerald, Harriet C
Fleck, David
Flowers, Amy E
Franasiak, Jason M
Francois, Charlotte
Fu, Anqi
Furlong, Hayley
Gales, Dominique N
Garcia-Guerra, Alvaro
Garwin, Seth A
Gill, Mark E
Goissis, Marcelo D
Graham, Peter E
Graubner, Felix
Gupta, Alisha
Hadas, Ron
Han, Jisoo
Hassaneen, Ahmed Saad Ahmed
Helsel, Aileen R
Heng, Sophea
Heras, Sonia
Hogg, Kirsten
Holden, Lindsay A
Hornung, Megan L
Hu, Jianjun
Hubbard, Nisan M
Indumathy, Sivanjah
Ishak, Ghassan M
Jang, Hwanhee
Juna, Jacqueline S
Kahlon, Nina
Karvas, Rowan M
Katen, Aimee L
Kaur, Kirtan
Kay, Vanessa R
Kim, Minjeong
Klein, Britta
Landry, David
Lannes, Jerome
Law, Nathan C
Leemans, Bart
Legeza, Alexandra A
Lenis Sanin, Yasser Yohan
Lenz, Katherine M
Lesch, Bluma J
Lim, Jung Jin
Lin, Yan
Madanayake, Thushara W
Matson, Brooke C
Mazier, Hannah L
McRae, Karalyn E
Medeiros, Lea
Meisner, Eleanor F
Mekonnin, Alemselam Birhanu
Merrill, Casandra L
Micati, Diana
Mohammad, Shuhiba
Nakagawa, Shoma
Nguyen, Hieu T
Oliver, Elizabeth M
Ortega, Egle A
O'Shea, Lynne C
Page-Larivere, Florence
Palin, Victoria
Patel, Saloni H
Pennington, Parker M
Perez Monsanto, Stephany L
Plewes, Michele Renae
Poncil, Sharra A
Prasasya, Rexxi D
Pressley, Ayana B
Prokopuk, Lexie A
Prunskaite-Hyyrylainen, Renata
Qiao, Huanyu
Rasmussen, Lindsay Marie
Rhodes, Danielle A
Page 16
Rink, Elisabeth
Rodriguez Jirau, Cesar G
Romereim, Sarah M
Salehi, Reza
Sanoguet Crespo, Edith N
Schroeder, Stephanie
Scott, Regan L
Shah, Tauseef B
Sheridan, Megan A
Smith, Arianna
Smith, Taylor M
Smoak, Evan M
Sousa Martins, Joao P
Spuri Gomes, Renata
Stringer, Jessica M
Swegen, Aleona
Taguibao, Candice M
Tenley, Sarah C
Terzaghi, Laura
Thomas, Porsha
Thomson, Kacie R
Toufaily, Chirine
Tsai, Tina
Tsoi, Mayra F
Tsoulis, Michael
Tung, Chih-kuan
Ulrich, Craig C
Valerio Pinaffi, Fabio Luis
van Bragt, Maaike
Van Sinderen, Michelle L
Ventura, Nicole M
Villarroel-Espindola, Franz
Wang, Hui Li
Wang, Lei
West, Rachel C
Whidden, Laura M
Wijayarathna, Rukmali V
Winship, Amy L
Wolfenden, Emily E
Xin, Frances A
Xiong, Mulin
Xu, Bao-Zeng
Yabe, Shinichiro
Yoon, Junchul David
Yoshida, Koki
Yuan, Shuiqiao
Zatecka, Eva
Zhou, Jun