Dear BSA Members

Good afternoon! June BSA eNewsletter - 80° and sunny in St. Louis!

We have had a busy May. A great deal of effort has gone into the final preparations for Botany & Plant Biology 2007. This will continue through June. We trust your experience in Chicago will be a good one. Chicago is a great venue and we are aware that locations of this type can seem a bit pricey. The opportunities for botanical exploration and just plain having fun are too numerous to list. Please take the time to enjoy the local attractions including the Field Museum, Chicago Botanical Gardens, Morton Arboretum... visit the Botany 2007 website for more at least 9 more reason why Chicago is such a a great, green city to visit. Now, some news...

1. Congratulations to Karl Niklas and Laura Galloway. You have spoken, and Karl will become President-elect and Laura Treasurer at the meeting in Chicago. As a Society we are in an extremely exciting period of development as we focus on laying a solid foundation for the next 100 years. We are looking forward to their leadership and participation on the Executive Committee.

2. We are pleased to announce The Monsanto Fund has awarded PlantingScience an $80,000 development grant. The funds will be used to expand the inquiry topics available for educators to fit into their programs. Claire and the PlantingScience team are in the process of scheduling development of units in genetics, ecology and economic botany. Monsanto Fund President, Deborah Patterson, stopped by the BSA office and was presented with her very own PlantingScience "master plant science team" tee-shirt. I'm not sure the trade was equitable in the short-term, but they see the longer-term potential and value our commitment to improving science literacy. We are extremely pleased to have the Monsanto Fund as part of the team!

We are now building the list of mentors for the Fall 2008 program. Please take a few minutes and consider how you, your students or your lab might become involved. www.PlantingScience.org

3. Botany 2007 Update
» MINORITY UNDERGRADUATE PARTICIPATION TRAVEL & CONFERENCE GRANTS - We have several grants remaining. This is a fantastic opportunity to receive support to attend the conference. For more information go to the Botany 2007 website.
» An invitation from ASPB to a new pre-conference Laboratory Leadership Workshop. See the BSA website.
» Recent Topics Posters will be accepted until June 30^th.
» The Botany 2007 component of the meeting has over 1,000 abstracts. This will be a large scientific meeting. View the entire meeting at www.2007.botanyconference.org/engine/search/.

4. The American Journal of Botany is in the process of moving its printing operations to Sheridan Press. We have had a long association and rewarding relationship with Allen Press and thank them for their support over the years. In the review process for our printing contact, we went to a "Request for Proposal" process in which Sheridan provided significant advantages for the Journal and BSA members. We anticipate only improvement in the process for you as an author. There will also be several noticeable benefits for the AJB. Amy will provide you with more details in the July newsletter. I also encourage you to stop by the BSA booth and/or the various journal related workshops/exhibits at the meeting in Chicago.

5. BSA Student Membership - Thanks to your participation and some great programs by the Membership Committee, student membership is up over 60% in 2007. We want your ideas to keep this positive trend moving forward. Please forward your thoughts to wdahl@botany.org (acting on behalf of the Committee).

6. International Members - please note the BSA International Outreach Committee meeting on Monday, July 9^th, 4:30 to 5:30 pm , room PDR 6, at the Hilton in Chicago. If you are a member and located outside of the US, we look forward to seeing you there.

Thank you for your time!

Sincerely,

William M Dahl
Executive Director
Botanical Society of America
4475 Castleman Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63110

PO Box 299
St. Louis, MO 63166-0299

Ph: 314-577-9566
FAX: 314-577-9515
www.botany.org
www.BotanyConference.org
www.PlantingScience.org

Mission: The Botanical Society of America exists to promote botany, the field of basic science dealing with the study and inquiry into the form, function, development, diversity, reproduction, evolution, and uses of plants and their interactions within the biosphere.

The objectives of The Society are to: sustain and provide improved formal and informal education about plants; encourage basic plant research; provide expertise, direction, and position statements concerning plants and ecosystems; and foster communication within the professional botanical community, and between botanists and the rest of humankind through publications, meetings, and committees.