Greetings!

It was good to see many of you in Chicago for Botany 2007! There were several events for students that were very well attended. If you have any feedback about any of the events or the meeting in general, please don’t hesitate to share it with us. Please fill out the post-meeting survey that will be available soon. We can’t improve the meeting without your input!

We wanted to share some of the ideas that came up during the student meeting that we will be developing in the near future.

Student online forum – We will be adding a student forum to the BSA website. This will be a place where students can connect with each other, ask questions about programs or techniques, or discuss issues such as choosing and transitioning into a graduate program or post-doc position. The site will include some student blogs and profiles, so that people interested in Botany can get an idea of what being a student is all about. If you would like to submit a profile of yourself, email Andrew (aschwend@ku.edu) or Bill Dahl (wdahl@botany.org). Check out www.botany.org /bsa/careers/index.php to see some great examples written by professional members.

Student membership rates – There will be NO increase in membership rates for students. Better yet, be watching for early renewal opportunities. October 1 - December 31 we will be able to renew our student memberships for an extraordinarily great rate!!

Pre-conference workshops – We will be planning more of these for Botany 2008 in Vancouver!

Student chapters – It was great to have representatives from Plattsburg and Truman State in Chicago and these groups will continue to develop this program. If you are interested in starting a student chapter at your home institution, please email Bill (wdahl@botany.org).

Committee opportunities –Students will now be represented on most of the BSA standing committees! This is a great step toward increasing the student voice in BSA governance. If you are interested in serving, please email Mackenzie (mackenzie@utk.edu). This is a fantastic opportunity to become involved in a dynamic and growing scientific organization. For more information see www.botany.org/governance/committees.php.

Check out the "International Research Experiences for Students Project (IRES): Molecular Ecology and Evolution of Marine Photosynthetic Organisms" opportunity on the BSA Announcements page at www.botany.org/news/announcements.php. It may be of interest to some.

Cheers,
Mackenzie Taylor            Andrew Schwendemann
mackenzie@utk.edu         aschwend@ku.edu
Student Representatives
Botanical Society of America
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.