I hope that everyone is gearing up for a busy summer and preparing for the Chicago meeting. I have a few pieces of business to share with you.

At the March meeting of the Executive Committee, it was decided that the student representative will serve a rotating 2-year term, with a new representative replacing an outgoing rep every summer. This means that we need to select a second representative to serve July 2007-July 2009. Responsibilities include attending the EC meetings just before and after the Botany meeting, as well as a meeting in mid-March. If you are interested, or know someone else who is, please send your nominations to wdahl@botany.org. We will have an election in mid-May. If you want more information about this position, please feel free to email me (mackenzie@utk.edu). I've found involvement with the Executive Committee to be very interesting and rewarding!

If you are interested in serving on a BSA committee, please email me at and I will pass along your interest. This is a way to get involved in a particular area that you might be particularly interested in. Committees with a potential spot include the membership, meetings, conservation, web page and education committees. For more information see www.botany.org/governance/committees.php.

Remember to VOTE for BSA President-elect and Treasurer in the BSA election! You should have received an e-Ballot from wdahl@botany.org on Tuesday, May 1. If you did not, send Bill a note and he'll make sure you do.

Karl Niklas is working to initiate a mentor network for students, post-docs, and young faculty and is asking what our vision of a program mentor is. If you have any feedback, please share it with me. What kind of questions do you have. What kinds of advice do you currently get and not get?

If you are planning to attend Botany 2007, check out the MORPH student travel grant application at:
http://www.botany.org/awards_grants/MORPHtravelgrant07.pdf .

We are working hard to bring you more student-oriented workshops at Botany 2008 in Vancouver. In the meantime, there are several workshops that are part of the educational forum that may be of interest:
http://www.2007.botanyconference.org/workshops/

Our meeting partner, ASPB, have invited BSA members to attend the first of a new workshop they are offering in 2007, just prior to the conference itself. For more information go to http://www.botany.org/news/newsletters/botany2007-070501.php.

Over the past two months, student chapters of the BSA have sprung up at Plattsburgh State University (NY) and Truman State University (MO). Do you feel this might be a good link for Botany Clubs at your University? Would there be benefits we might gain by organizing through the BSA? I'd like to hear your ideas and how we might approach the society and staff in supporting such an effort.

We will have several student gatherings at the meeting is Chicago. I'll come back to you with dates, times and locations in the near future. I look forward to seeing you there.

Cheers,
Mackenzie Taylor
Student Representative
Botanical Society of America
mackenzie@utk.edu
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.