AChemS World Wide Web Site

What an honor to be President of AChemS as we move into the year 2000! I suspect that we will all tire of hearing about the new millennium by the time it arrives, but it serves to focus our thoughts on the past as well as on the future. It is no different for me, and these are the topics to which I would like to devote most of my comments.

AChemS has an incredibly rich history. It was through the foresight of the AChemS founders that we enjoyed the tremendous scientific growth as a research field, while under a well-designed organizational structure promoting involvement and the sense of community. I realize that it is my "generation" that has benefited the most through these years. Most of my contemporaries were just finishing Ph.D. work about the time that AChemS was formed (1979) and we were beginning to look for a place to call our scientific organization. (Ah, those were the days -- rock and roll, full head of hair, two young sons....Sorry). Anyway, I distinctly remember many, many members of this emerging society, which called itself AChemS, going out of their way to make life happy and intellectually stimulating for me. This not only included people that did gustatory research, but it also included people that studied that other sensory system. In short, I knew that this was the place for me and looked forward to the annual meeting in Sarasota. This has not changed in the past 20 years. It is principally through this organization that I have been able to grow scientifically, and I still look forward to attending the meeting as much as I did in the early 80's. So, here I am as a senior member and I look at my more junior colleagues wondering how they feel about the society.

So, what is the future of AChemS? There is little doubt that the more junior members are already making tremendous scientific contributions to our field. One needs to merely scan the work by our graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and assistant professors to realize that chemosensory research is alive and well. However, I am less certain if our junior AChemS members will derive the same benefit that we did in terms of mentoring and sense of community. In 1996, Judy VanHouten, while Executive Chair, initiated a mentoring network designed to provide information to "junior" chemoscientists from more "senior" AChemS members. This network is still in place, is available to everyone and I strongly encourage its use. For more information or to become part of the mentoring network, please contact Judy at jvanhout@zoo.uvm.edu I wish to add to this by encouraging many of you to become involved in the organization. Indeed, this newsletter contains a letter from Suzanne Sollars directed at our membership to foster this sense of community. I also welcome any suggestions and comments about how to effectively promote this distinct characteristic of our organization (email me at dh2t@virginia.edu). As a start, I wish to identify those of you who have received your Ph.D., M.D., or D.D.S. within (and including) the past five years. When you submit an abstract for the meeting, there will be a place to note this designation. I encourage you to do so. At the very least we will plan a social gathering at the meeting and I will be consulting with you personally about some of these issues. For those of you that are more "senior", I encourage you to join with me to do some of the things suggested in Suzanne's letter.

Now, let me attend to some other items. It is my pleasure to announce that Ms. Carole Burns at the University of Utah received last year's Donald Tucker Memorial Award for graduate student presentations. Please read her abstract later in the newsletter. There were many high-quality student presentations and I want to thank all of the student participants and the Awards committee consisting of Harriet Baker, Leslie Tolbert, John Glendinning and Bruce Bryant.

Stuart Firestein and his committee have been working hard to put together a program worthy of the year 2000. As if putting the annual meeting together was not enough of a job, Stuart will also be the first program chair to use electronic abstract submission and program generation. We recently signed a two-year contract with Carden Jennings Publishing to receive our abstracts and generate the program with Stuart and his committee. Our signing of the contract concluded a long process of testing and evaluating different sites and negotiating prices. In fact, it is this reason why the newsletter is later than usual this year. While there will surely be some rough spots in abstract submission, I am confident that the meeting will benefit significantly with this new procedure. Please, read Stuart's directions for abstract submission procedures carefully before getting online. The site will be available for abstract submission December 15, 1999 through January 21, 2000. Your abstract will then be assigned an ID number so that you can edit it at any time during this period. The program and abstracts will then be available online, once they are completed by the Program Committee. The unfortunate side of this advance is that the cost per abstract is $25 to defray the costs. This amount was recommended by last year's executive committee and passed by the membership at the annual business meeting. The other electronically related change in our operation is that Membership directories will be available online through AChemS website. They will not be sent as a book.

Let me close by thanking all of the executive committee for their efforts during the year. These are your elected officials that donate significant amounts of time to ensure that AChemS remains healthy. We also owe a great debt to Panacea Associates for their professionalism and dedication to our organization.

Best wishes as you close out the 1900's and begin year 2000.

David L. Hill, President

Members in Attendance: Charles Greer (president), Tom Finger (Executive Editor, Chemical Senses), Wayne Silver (Treasurer), Susan Travers (secretary), David Hill (president elect), Steve Roper (president elect: 2000), Christine Byrd (councilor elect), John Scott (progam chair elect, 2001), Thomas Scott (past president), Stuart Firestein (program chair elect, 2000), Sue Kinnamon and Diego Restrepo (co-program chairs), Joseph Brand (membership chair), Robert O' Connell (public relations), Sue Lampman and Pat Meredith (Panacea Associates), Joel White, (councilor).

The meeting was called to order shortly after noon by Dr. Charles Greer. Dr. Greer reported on the NIDCD planning session that he had attended and made a presentation at in the spring. The case for priorities in chemical senses research appeared well-received, although Charlie noted that many other organizations employ professional public relations firms to present their case. We then discussed corporate support. AChemS very much appreciates the support of its corporate sponsors but it is troubling that the level of corporate support has not grown much recently. A related issue was whether there are any corporate sources from which it would not be appropriate to accept support. The Executive Committee (EC) agreed that, in principle, all legitimate corporations were appropriate sources. This issue was put on the agenda for the business meeting. With regard to Chemical Senses, we discussed whether the Society for Neuroscience guidelines for "Responsible Conduct Regarding Scientific Communication" should be adopted; there was general support for but no final conclusion. Several issues regarding editorial policy were considered. The benefits of establishing a senior or executive editorship position to facilitate consistency was discussed, but not acted upon.

Dr. Greer proposed that a 5-year planning committee be established so that adequate discussion could be given to issues important for the future flourishing of our society. The EC agreed that this was an excellent idea and Dr. Greer will proceed with organizing such a committee. Dr. Greer also proposed and the committee agreed that we establish a one-way mailing list for AChemS, managed by our webmaster, David Lowe (see below).

Panacea Report (Sue Lampman and Pat Meredith)
AChemS is already booked at the Hyatt for 2000-2001. Panacea reported that the Hyatt has changed hands and will be undergoing a needed renovation. The issue of whether to move to another venue was briefly considered and rejected. It was pointed out that our room rates at the Hyatt are very reasonable, relative to comparable hotels (approximately $114 per night compared to $180/night for rooms on the beach at other Florida locations). Although the meeting is continuing to grow and to stress the capabilities of the Hyatt, plans for construction of new hotels (e.g., Ritz-Carleton) nearby should make this a manageable problem. This discussion concluded with a vote to renew the contract with the Hyatt for 2002-2003. Panacea also reported that the annual meeting enjoyed a hearty increase in preregistration this year. The possibility of on-line registration and abstract submission was discussed and Panacea will investigate strategies for moving to such a system (see also below). Allen Nighhorn is replacing Joel White as the student coordinator for student assistance and audio-visual support. Panacea acknowledged Joel for his many selfless years of service.

Treasurer's Report (Wayne Silver)
The budget, as of April, 1999 was accepted with minor corrections. A copy of the budget appears later in the newsletter. Dr. Silver discussed the need to have more systematic and timely procedures in place to set up an annual budget. In previous years, the budget was discussed at the Fall EC meeting that takes place during the Society for Neuroscience Annual meeting. This was problematic since the AChemS fiscal year begins on July 1. To circumvent this, Wayne proposed a budget be prepared and voted upon by the EC members (via email) by July 1. Dr. Silver stressed that Panacea Associates should have a major role in providing relevant information since they are familiar with the budget and have the best "institutional memory". Estimates for "Income" and "Expenses" should be based on the previous year's budgets. It was also proposed that the outgoing and incoming treasurer overlap to assure orderly transition, specifically, that the outgoing treasurer stay in office from the time of the election (April) until the beginning until the beginning of the fiscal year (July 1). Finally, it was proposed that the policy regarding signature responsibility be changed. Currently both the past president and treasurer must sign checks and documents, which can be inconvenient. To circumvent this, it was agreed that the signature requirement be met if any two of the following three people signed: the current president, past president or treasurer.

Membership Report (Joseph Brand)
(note: some of these statistics were updated after the EC meeting). Membership in AChemS continues to grow. As of December 31, 1998, AChemS reported the following membership statistics:

Regular Members: 532
Student Members: 133
Emeritus Members:   2
TOTAL: 667

Since these are mid-year numbers, they include both members paid from 1997-98 and new members who joined since October 1, 1998. For contrast, as of December, 1997, AChemS reported 582 total members. From October 1, 1998 until the writing of this report (05/17/99), a total of 111 new members joined AChemS in the following categories:

Regular Members: 57
Student Members: 53
Emeritus Member: 1
TOTAL: 111

It was decided that the membership year would now end on June 30 and begin on July 1. This was changed to make the membership year concordant with the fiscal year and to correspond to a traditional nadir in interest in becoming a member of AChemS, making it easier to track membership numbers. The EC also decided to create an AChemS e-mail list that can be used by AChemS to distribute announcements and reminders to all members showing email addresses. This will not replace the Spring and Fall Newsletters. Panacea Associates will keep this list. The list will be one-way only, and be used only for official AChemS business as decided by the EC.

The membership chair would like to remind the membership to be certain that the AChemS office has your correct email address. To locate the email address on file, check your membership description at the AChemS web site.

The EC decided to create an on-line Membership Directory to replace the current printed directory. This on-line directory will be down-loadable in a PDF-type file. There are several advantages: this directory can be updated frequently and will save the Association money. The EC requested that Panacea Associates develop the means for creating such an on-line directory for 1999. The Membership Chair wishes to remind every member that our science is becoming increasingly visible. Please invite your colleagues who show interest in your work to join AChemS. Our continued strength will be through scientific diversity. Joel White stressed the importance of soliciting corporate members. Note added on July 1, 1999: As of the end of the Membership Year, June 30, 1999, AChemS listed a total of 654 members.

Program Committee Report (Sue Kinnamon and Diego Restrepo)
The Program Committee reported that the total number of abstracts for the 1999 meeting was 367 and that pre-registration as of 4/2/99 was a whopping 460. Estimated costs for the meeting were $18,515 which (whew!) came close to the available funds, $18,265 (sources: $6,930 from industry; $6,635 from the NIH grant, and $4,700 from the AChemS treasury). The EC congratulated the Program Committee on the exciting meeting they put together. Sue and Diego had several comments regarding organizing the meeting. The presence of multiple abstracts with the same first author caused major problems in indexing the abstracts. Given that the total number of abstracts keeps growing , the program committee suggested limiting the number of first authored abstracts to one. Another suggestion was that it would be more efficient to have the abstract booklet prepared professionally. This issue will be discussed at the Fall EC meeting. The use of LCD screens was also discussed. Although this is expensive, there are more and more requests every year. The EC decided we should try to accommodate such requests. The issue of whether or not to continue the awards symposium was discussed. Previously, it had been postulated that this might be perceived as a burden by awardees, since it could be construed as placing an extra responsibility on them at an already busy time. However, since the last EC meeting, Dave Hill had surveyed previous awardees and received very positive feedback regarding this event. Therefore, it was unanimously decided that we continue the symposium. The Program Committee presented details of the program budget to the EC who agreed that the money had been well-spent. The Program Committee also welcomed our corporate members, Firmenich, SA and Unilever and expressed appreciation to our corporate sponsors, the Givadan Corporation, Takasago Corporation, Moskowitz Jabobs Incorporated, Ajinomoto USA, Unilever Research Vlaardingen, Chemical Manufacturers Association, Florida State University Sensory Research Institute, IMBIFO, International Flavors and Fragrances, Sales Advantage Group and Campbell Soup. The support of the National Institutes of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders was also gratefully acknowledged.

Public Relations (Robert O' Connell), Secretary's report (Susan Travers), Councilors' Report on Student Travel (Tim Gilbertson and Joel White), Travel Fellowships, Bob O' Connell reported he had sent 13 lay language summaries of AChemS presentations to the press. Susan Travers floated the idea of going to an all-Web newsletter but this was rejected on the basis that having a hard copy of this newsletter was useful. Ideas for making the newsletter more (even) more interesting were solicited and it was suggested that we might ask individuals to contribute short historical perspectives or to submit "fun facts" about the chemical senses. Tim Gilbertson and Joel White reported on student travel. Fifty-six students applied from 47 different labs. Forty housing awards, totaling $3160, were given, accommodating every individual requesting housing. Twenty-nine additional travel awards, totaling $6325 (averaging $218) were also issued. Amounts given varied somewhat with priority given to presenting authors and to those with no previous travel award or concurrent housing. Charles Greer reported for John Caprio, chair of the travel fellowship committee and committee members Nirupa Chaudhari, Julie Mennella, and Pamela Scott-Johnson. The travel fellowship committee received 9 applications for Minority travel funds and 3 for Clinical travel funds. Most requests were honored with a total of $7000 being spent on minority and $1800 on clinical travel.

Elections (Thomas Scott) and Awards (David Hill)
Thomas Scott reported elections for AChemS officers in 1999. Three offices were open: President-Elect, Program-Chair Elect, and Councilor. Dr. Scott convened an elections committee composed of Robert Gesteland, Julie Mennella, and Ann Noble, which reviewed nominations and offered suggestions for potential candidates. A call was placed in the AChemS Fall newsletter (Deadline: January 31). Six nominations were received for each position. The committee selected three from each list, with two designated as candidates and one as an alternate. Thomas Scott contacted each nominee and the slate was sent to the AChemS secretary, who requested a brief biography from each nominee, and included those biographies and a ballot in the spring newsletter. The deadline for receipt of ballots was March 29. Panacea Associates received 57 ballots and forwarded them to Tom Scott. They were opened and counted in the presence of four witnesses in Dr. Scott's lab at the University of Delaware. Gail Burd and Stephen D. Roper were nominees for President-elect (1999-2000), John I. Glendinning and John W. Scott vied for the office of Program Chair-elect (1999-2000) and Christine A. Byrd and Michael Naim ran for the position of Councilor (1000-2001). Stephen Roper, John Scott and Christine Byrd were elected as new officers. It was suggested that the deadline for nominations be moved forward to be commensurate with the deadline for receipt of abstracts. As president-elect for 1999, Dave Hill was charged with the responsibility of organizing an awards committee, which solicited nominations and made final decisions. Dave reported this as a very pleasant and interesting task. Other members of the awards committee were Harriet Baker, Leslie Tolbert, Bruce Bryant, and John Glendinning. Nominations were solicited in the Fall Newsletter and by email, with an initial deadline of January 31. The awards committee carefully considered the nominations. Congratulations are due to Scott Herness, (Ajinomoto Award for Research in Gustation), Pamela Dalton (the Moskowitz-Jacobs Inc. Award for Research Excellence in the Psychophycis of Taste and Smell), Gary Beauchamp (The AChemS Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Chemical Senses, Paul Moore (The Takasago Award for Research in Olfaction), and Carole Burns at the University won the Tucker Award. A practical suggestion for future years was that it would be useful better clarify who is eligible for particular awards. In addition, since the Tucker Award is not made until after the meeting, it would be appropriate to recognize that individual at next years awards symposium and by reprinting their abstract (by permission) in the Fall Newsletter. (see the Burns et al. abstract below).

AChemS XXII (Stuart Firestein)
Stuart Firestein reported that plans for the first meeting of the new millennium were underway. He urged all us to suggest symposia topics. The current plan calls for this to be the first meeting with electronic abstract submissions.

The meeting was adjourned in the late afternoon, but the Secretary forgot to note the precise time.

Dr. Charles Greer called the meeting to order using the traditional gavel, a beautiful object carved by Jim Smith from a tree in Lloyd Beidler's yard many years ago.

Treasurer's report (Wayne Silver)
Wayne reported that when he took over last year we were in good shape financially and is happy to note we still are (see Budget later in the Newsletter for details). Dr. Silver also reported that he decided to close both the savings and checking accounts and instead opened a "cap account", drawing 4% interest. Another beneficial change contributing to our healthy financial state is that our schedule of payment with Oxford University Press and Chemical Senses had changed to our advantage. Due to negotiations by Tom Scott, we now pay them once, in December. Because we collect about $25,000 to pay for subscriptions before this, the money draws substantial interest!

Membership report (Joe Brand), Secretary's report (Susan Travers)
"Dr. Brand had a "happy" report to give. Interest in membership to AChemS continues to grow at a healthy rate. As of December, 1997, when last totaled, we had 582 members. In December of 1998, we had 667 members. However this includes not only new members who joined since October 1, 1998, but also those who were members for the previous membership year. Some old members will not renew, making any estimate of total members for the end of the new membership year (which will now occur on June 30, 1999) only an estimate. If everyone does renew, our new total will be in the range of 700 to 720, an increase of 17 to 20%. It is likely, however, that we will loose about 50 members, bringing our actual membership increase to about 11 to 14%, still a respectable increase. Dr. Brand also reported that the EC had decided not to print the directory but to have it available on line.

Charles Greer noted that it was interesting to point out that the increase in membership is reflected in other measures-- in abstracts and in citations. Thus, the chemical senses are becoming increasingly prominent.

As secretary, Susan Travers requested items of interest for this publication. Tim Gilbertson, gave the councilors' report on student travel. AChemS offered awards to 52 students (probably a record!). All students requesting housing awards, received them. We also benefited from relatively low air fares and were able to offer 25 travel awards. All totaled, $ 9500 was spent in student travel for 1999. Tim (reporting for John Caprio) also gave the report on Minority and Clinical Travel Fellowships. There were 7 minority and 3 clinical travel fellowships given. It was noted that there is a problem in getting clinical participation in the meeting and members were urged to influence this whenever possible.

Elections (Thomas Scott), Awards (David Hill), AChemS XXI (Sue Kinnamon and Diego Restrepo), AChemS XXII (Stuart Firestein) There were three positions to be filled: President Elect, Program Chair Elect, and one of two councilors. Nominations were solicited in the Fall newsletter, received by Panacea and mailed to Tom Scott . Dr. Scott composed an Election Committee including Ann Noble, UC Davis, Bob Gesteland, University of Cincinatti, and Julie Mennella at Monell. The committee studied the nominations, solicited more from the EC and generated a few of their own own. The slate included Stephen Roper and Gail Burd for President Elect, John Scott and John Glendenning for Program Chair Elect, and Michael Naim and Christine Byrd for Councilor. The new officers are Stephen Roper, John Scott, and Christine Byrd. David Hill urged everyone to consider nominating awardees. In his opinion, this is one of the most important things AChemS does. Dave thanked both those persons who nominated candidates as well as the candidates who allowed their names to be put forward. Sue Kinnamon reported that our current meeting was the biggest AChemS meeting ever: 587 attendees and 367 abstracts! Stuart Firestein urged the membership to submit ideas for symposia for AChemS XXII. He reminded everyone that ideas for special symposia incorporating outside speakers would be most likely to be successful if accompanied by ideas for special funding. He commented that next year, the intent was to attempt to move to the electronic submission of abstracts. A member of the audience asked whether it would be possible to have the programs out before meeting? Dr. Greer replied that this was the intention and that the delay this year was due to the first-time use of color printing. It was asked whether the abstracts could be mailed before the meeting. It was pointed out that mailing was too expensive, but that with the new electronic effort, these probably would be available on-line.

President's Comments (Dr. Charles Greer)
Dr. Greer continued the theme of moving to an electronic mode of communication. In the coming year email will be used more frequently to communicate with the membership, including general announcements, reinforcement of the call for nominations for elections and awards, an on-line directory and electronic registration and submission of abstracts. Of course, a caveat is that there are potential problems and things might not happen as quite as quickly as planned. These efforts will ultimately be more efficient and save money but there will also be certain additional initial costs, e.g., we may need to rent more server time. This brings up a proposed change of importance to the membership. Historically AChemS is in the minority in not having an abstract fee. To pay for electronic submission, the EC agreed on the need to charge an abstract submission fee. There is not a specific figure at this time, but $25 is a ballpark estimate. Dr. Greer welcomed the membership's comments. Surprisingly, there were no comments or complaints. In addition, Charlie mentioned that at next year's AChemS, the plan is to incorporate data projectors and alerted the membership to watch the abstract submission form for a place to indicate data projector needs. Despite the increased cost for submitting abstracts, there will be no dues or registration increase. Charlie next turned to corporate donations. He commented that "we do great and that our corporate sponsors are wonderful". However, he also reminded us that we could do better. There are a number of other companies throughout the world whose business is intimately related to, or impacts on, the chemical senses. He urged members in any position of influence to urge corporations to become corporate members, make donations or to sponsor a symposium or an award. Dr. Greer then asked the membership to bring up any new business. One participant mentioned that the Hyatt was starting to get crowded and asked if there had been any mention of a change. Dr. Greer replied that the Hyatt is anxious to retain our business and remarked that it is under new management and is beginning renovation. Sue Lampman expanded on this. She also mentioned that a Ritz-Carlton was to be built on other side of shopping area, which could accommodate any spillover. Sue reminded the membership that our fees for rooms are 30-40% below typical prices. There are several possibilities regarding additional smaller spaces for expanding the meeting but what we really need is additional large space. The discussion concluded by agreeing that this problem had not reached a critical stage yet, but would eventually have to be dealt with.

ISOT & ECRO, 2000, Steve Van Toller, President of ECRO
Steve Van Toller reminded everyone that ISOT time was fast approaching and would incorporate the Biennial meeting of ECRO. It will be held July 20-24 in Brighton, south of London. Brighton is an exciting, cosmopolitan, seaside town. All accommodations will be within a half mile of the meeting site and will include inexpensive bed and breakfasts to 5-star hotels (see notice later in the newsletter). A new train line from London is planned. Consult the Website for more information.

Judith Finkelstein, National Institutes of Aging (NIA)
Dr. Finkelstein told us that she heads a program at NIA called "Sensory and Motor Disorders of Aging", which includes taste, smell, somatosensory and related sensorimotor changes occurring that occur during aging. NIA funds about one million dollars yearly in research areas relevant to members of AChemS. Dr. Finkelstein reminded us of a special application available for funding: the RO3 small grant mechanism. At NIA, these grants are for $50,000/year. They are available either to new investigators or to established investigators new to the field of aging. Two program announcements are also of special interest: (1)age-related changes in multiple sensory systems. This announcement is geared to studies focused on commonalities among different senses and how they change together during aging. A second program announcement is on medications and the elderly. This program announcement was initiated from a "behavioral/social" perspective, focusing on compliance. However, because sensory side-effects may affect compliance, this announcement should be relevant to AChemS members.

Dr. James Battey, NIDCD.
Dr. Battey began by telling us about the NIDCD's workgroup on single and multiple project grants. A workgroup was organized to explore benefits and drawbacks of single- compared to multiple-project award mechanisms. The workgroup was composed of nineteen distinguished clinical and basic scientists. The group met last summer and was chaired by Bronya Keats and Tom Hixon. First, the group consulted PI's with multiple-project awards. Responses were uniformly positive, citing synergy, collaboration between basic and clinical scientists, flexibility, visibility of the university to the outside community, cohesion. The single most positive feature was shared core facilities. When the workgroup talked to the general research community, they heard many of the same comments but other ones too. Many researchers opined that that the RO1 was the "gold standard" for research support at their University and that most scientists would rather put their best ideas in an RO1 than a sub-project of a PO1 grant. Some also commented that the multiple-grant mechanism tends to favor a subset of scientists at a limited number of institutions, making for a less level playing field. Another concern was that that there was a different review procedure for P series than for RO1s proposals and many felt there was a potential for disparity in stringency. As a result of their deliberations, the workgroup established several principles. First: collaboration is now and will continue to be a crucial aspect of modern science and needs to be fostered within and between RO1s as well as in multiple project grants. They also felt that whenever possible that NIDCD extramural research should be supported by individual RO1s. Resources available to enhance collaboration should be available to as broad a segment of the research community as possible and any real or perceived inequities between NIDCD and CSR-based review be resolved. The workgroup recommended NIDCD restructure multiple project activities: (1) All multiple project awards should involve subprojects with ndividual projects that are interrelated and multidisciplinary. The feasibility of a subproject in a multiple grant mechanism would be diminished if the project were drafted as an a RO1. In other words, the preferred mechanism of funding is the RO1. The P mechanism should only be considered under special circumstances. (2) The NIDCD should establish a core grant program, like those existing in many other institutes. These are mechanisms to support core facilities shared among a number of existing RO1 holders at an institution and would be the "glue" to support interaction at an institution. Core grants have discrete units or modules to support certain activities.. Examples: EM, image analysis, biostatistics facilities, mechanical or electronic shops, photography, molecular biology, genotype analysis. Dr. Battey stressed that these are just a few of many possibilities. The NIDCD is currently establishing guidelines for this P30 mechanism (see related information later in the newsletter). These grants would require preexisting research resources in a cluster of NIDCD grants at a given institution or at neighboring institutions. The inclusion of non-NIDCD grantees in relevant areas was also deemed desirable. Another mechanism highlighted was the interactive research project grant (http://www.nih.gov/nidcd/funding/grants/grntmchs.htm ), involving involves a coordinated submission of two or more RO1s on related topics with a formal agreement to collaborate. These can be in geographically distinct locations. Advantages are that each PI retains recognition for obtaining an individual award, collaborates on an equal footing and that the projects are portable, moving with the individual PI from one institution to another.

Dr. Battey next turned to review. In the new order most NIDCD grants will be reviewed in CSR study sections. Institute-based review in the CERC will be retained for P50s, the remaining multiple-project grant NIDCD will support. Each subproject will receive a score and the overall score would be reduced by a poor subproject score. The institute will also review, probably in a special emphasis panel, P30 applications. Interactive RO1s will be reviewed in the CSR study sections.

With regard to training support, currently about 75% of the NIDCD's postdoctoral training budget is in institutional training awards, T32s. A little under 25% of the training budget is in individual training awards, F32s. Dr. Battey wondered whether this division was optimal and this issue will be discussed by a new working group to be convened during summer, 1999. From his perspective, there are significant advantages to individual awards: preparing the application creates a solid bond between trainee and mentor and it is a very useful training exercise in procuring grant funds.

Dr. Battey next turned to a trans-NIH initiative NIDCD has been very involved with-- making the mouse a more powerful animal model. In March, 1998, Harold Varmus gathered a group of about 60 leading mouse biologists to discuss how the mouse could be turned into a more powerful model for studying normal physiological processes as well as diseases and disorders. The group issued a report indicating some infrastuctural resources that would accelerate mouse genetic and genomic research (http://www.nih.gov/nidcd/funding/opps.htm ) The short version: The group advised that high resolution and hybrid maps and a draft sequence of the mouse genome be generated. In addition mutagenesis and phenotyping centers like those in the UK and Germany need to be created in the US with NIH support to expand the number of mutant strains available. Regional repositories, in addition to the Jackson Labs, also need be created to distribute and preserve interesting mouse strains, in particular to accelerate the technology of cryopropreservation that has become increasingly important given the increase in the number of mouse models. Finally, that training be provided to increase the pool of experts in mouse pathobiology who can analyze phenotypes. In response, NIH has begun an effort with an RFA this year to define the mouse genome in 5X coverage, generating a draft sequence which will define better than 98% of the genes with very few sequencing errors or holes. This will be done principally by NIH but with help from National Research Council in the UK and the Department of Energy. RFAs for the mutagenesis and phenotyping center were published in April with a scientific theme of neuroscience and will be sponsored by clusters of institutes with an interest in these centers. An RFA was issued by the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) to support 3 repositories for preservation and distribution of strains. In addition, NCRR and other institutes have provided training mechanisms for postdoctoral and mid-career training support in mouse pathobiology. Dr. Battey felt that NIDCD has been very responsive to the recommendations and predicts that this will result in a tremendous acceleration of research in the mouse, which will become an powerful, useful model for dissecting chemosensation.

Next, Dr. Battey announced the appointment of a new director of the division of intramural research at NIDCD, Dr. Bob Robert J. Wenthold, Ph.D , who is internationally recognized for his studies of glutamatergic transmission, including development of antibodies to glutamate receptors. Dr. Wenthold has authored over 140 original articles and has been a PI at NIDCD since it was founded in 1988. Dr. Battey updated us on the search for a new extramural director of research at NIDCD, which will merge the Division of Extramural Activities (DEA) and the Division of Human Communication (DHC). The search committee met in November and December of 1998 and a decision was expected shortly (An announcement appeared on the NIDCD website in August. Dr. Robert Dobie, MD, was appointed, http://www.nih.gov/nidcd/news/releases/dobie.htm ). Finally, Dr. Battey presented the NIDCD budget, pointing out that research projects have the lion's share and that NIDCD is well above the NIH average in terms of proportional commitment to research projects. Comparing 1998 to 1999, there was a 15% increase in funds the institute received. This is reflected in a considerable increase in the amount available for research projects and grants, a modest increase for centers and other research, and an increase in training dollars from about $7 to $7.9 million. There was also an increase in R&D contracts, intramural research, and research management support. Dr. Battey asked for questions. Q: "Have the mid-career fellowships been announced?", A: "Yes, a program announcement co-sponsored by NCRR and several other institutes."

Closing Remarks, Charles Greer and Dave Hill
Charles Greer commented on the importance of supporting our colleagues when they venture out into broader horizons and can represent our interests to a larger audience. He specifically noted the candidacy of John Hildebrand as President for the Society for Neuroscience . Charlie thanked the outgoing members of the executive committee: Sue Kinnamon and Diego Restrepo as outgoing program chairs, Tim Gilbertson as councilor, and Tom Scott as Past President. All have given repeatedly of their time and sometimes financial resources to meet the needs of the organization! A hearty round of applause was heard. Dr. Greer also thanked Sue Lampman and Pat Meredith of Panacea Associates for their help throughout the year, and during the meeting. Next, the incoming president, Dr. David Hill presented our outgoing president, Dr. Charles Greer with a plaque in appreciation of his service. Charlie handed over the famous gavel to Dave, assuring us that AChemS was in good hands. As his first act, Dr. Hill called for a motion to adjourn, someone moved and seconded. The meeting (at long last) adjourned.

Sarasota: the Olfaction Ogres broke the long winning streak by the Gustation Gurus winning by 19 runs. The hypothesis that "This was a fluke" will be tested next April, again in Sarasota. Be there.

With the current issue of the newsletter, we introduce a new feature-- editorials by the membership. If you have an issue, opinion, or idea that you would like to discuss, please send your editorial to the ACHEMS secretary when material is solicited for the upcoming newsletter.

OPINION!
By Suzanne Sollars
Who is the next generation of AChemS? It is obvious, given the many outstanding presentations by our colleagues who are relatively new to the field, that the scientific mission of AChemS transcends generational boundaries. But, is that new generation obtaining the support and camaraderie that will compel them to keep AChemS a vital Society in the years to come? Too often, it seems the answer to that question is uncertain. As one on the late edge of that new generation, I have struggled with this issue for several years. Much of what I have observed may simply be the result of growing pains that any Society tends to go through as the years progress and the number of members increase. I propose that AChemS is now in a good position to energize the future of the Society by tapping into and supporting the vitality of all its members.

Here are a few specific proposals and suggestions:
• Establish a database of those members who are "junior investigators" -- those who have received their advanced degrees within the past five years. This can be done on the abstract form and/or the membership form and will be strictly voluntary.
• Establish a Junior Investigator Award and/or symposium that highlights the research of members who have only recently attained their advanced degrees.
• Incorporate newer members into committees and service duties -- whether it is a position on the Program Committee, or chairing a symposium, or incorporation into any of a dozen other sub-committees that are routinely formed.
• Organize individuals from the "senior" ranks who wouldn't mind inviting a junior member along to lunch or dinner with the group.
• Create an area on the Web site that will provide links to items of special interest to junior members.
• Junior members -- get involved. If you have been a member for a while, yet haven't been involved with the organization of the conference, ask what you can do to help with the next meeting. For example, ask the Program Chair if there is a slot on the Program Committee or if there is a session that you can chair. Ask if you can help with the Web site or newsletter. Find out what you can do to help with the Education Outreach.
• Have an AChemS-sponsored gathering (a "party-by-the-pool") for junior investigators.
• Highlight the year-round mentoring aspect of AChemS. Re-establish the Mentoring Network and make it a freely accessible component of AChemS' mission.
• Create a student/junior investigator committee that will help to keep the interests of these members at the forefront.

These proposals are far from an exhaustive list and are meant to start an exchange of ideas. I thank those of you who have already contributed to this list. I would be pleased to hear many more comments and suggestions. Contact me (Suzanne Sollars) at sis2n@virginia.edu or through the AChemS list-server at listserv@wfu.edu (if newly subscribing type "subscribe chemsenseslist" in the main text area).

$$$$$$$$$$Budget Planning for 1999-2000$$$$$$$$$$
1988-1999 Actual Income					1999-2000 Estimated Income
Membership					Membership
Regular	505 x $45		$ 22,725		Regular	500 x $45		$ 22,500
Student	129 x $25		$ 3,225		Student	125 x $25		$ 3,125
Corporate			$ 2,500		Corporate			$ 2,500
Total Membership			$ 28,450		Total Estimated Membership			$ 28,125
Conference					Conference
All fees			$ 94,035		All fees			$ 89,700
Corporate Donations			$ 6,550		Corporate Donations			$ -
Total Conference			$ 100,585		Total Estimated Conference			$ 89,700
					Abstract Fee		325 x $25	$ 8,125
Grant			$ 27,521		Grant			$ 28,622
Interest			$ 7,128		Interest			$ 7,000
Total of all Funds 1999			$ 163,684		Total of all Funds estimated 2000			$161,572
Note: Money received from Chemical Senses subscriptions is not included since it will be sent to OUP in December

$$$$$$$$$$BREAKDOWN OF EXPENDITURES/1999$$$$$$$$$$
TOTAL EXPENSES				$ 156,203
Membership				$ 38,537
President	Communications, NS & Achems lunch, Awards, Office Supplies	$1,500
President Elect	Awards plaques, Office Supplies	$600
Past President		$100
Secretary		$100
Membership		$300
Treasurer	Charge Card Fees, Communications, Office Supplies, Accountant, Misc. Bank Fees	$4,200
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