The 90th Annual Meeting of the American Phytopathological Society was held jointly with the Entomological Society of America in Las Vegas, NV, November 8-12, 1998. Meeting participants enjoyed various forms of entertainment available in the city of Las Vegas, and many chose to visit nearby scenic sites such as Hoover Dam, Red Rock Canyon, and Lake Mead. The official headquarters for the meeting was the Las Vegas Hilton Hotel adjacent to the Las Vegas Convention Center. A total of 1,825 meeting registrants gathered to share research results, discuss new ideas, and meet with colleagues to consider issues of concern to plant pathologists.
The APS Plenary Session was opened by George Kennedy, president of the Entomological Society, who welcomed everyone and acknowledged Carol Windels, APS president-elect, and Mary Barbercheck, ESA program chair, for their hard work to compose and implement the program for the joint meeting. Keynote speaker Sam Smith, president of Washington State University at Pullman, described the Land Grant University of the 21st century. He proposed that the mission of land grant institutions "to produce an educated citizenry" remains the same as when the Morrill Act was passed in 1862, but that we are now being asked to adapt to a new environment in higher education. The creation of regional, national and for-profit universities using computer technology and online, web-based classes will challenge our traditional concept of higher education. He spoke of the exciting new opportunities available in this changing climate, and he emphasized the need for us to engage fully in these opportunities in order to continue fulfillment of the land grant mission. Thomas Myers, All-Rite Pest Control, Lexington, KY, gave a colorful, and sometimes other-worldly, slide presentation of insects set to music that portrayed the colorful diversity of the insect world.
APS President Lee Campbell, North Carolina State University, presented an overview of the scientific legacy of plant pathology in the United States. He described important developments in the history of our discipline, including the development and growth of land grant institutions, the United States Department of Agriculture and the State Experiment Stations, the first use of fungicides, effective use of plant resistance to control diseases, the foundation of APS, recognition of the importance of basic science, breakthroughs in organic chemistry that led to the development of new fungicides, the Rachel Carson era in which pesticides became suspect, the era of competitive grants for research, and the rise of large multinational agricultural companies. He noted that we must all make a greater effort to tell the story of our discipline to the public so that more people get as excited as we are about our science. He cautioned that we must always be vigilant to balance the search for new information in our discipline with solving real problems in plant pathology. ESA President George Kennedy, North Carolina State University, said that the theme for the meeting, "Science in Transition," reflects the many changes occurring in our discipline. These changes are determining the path that scientific research, as well as the application and communication of scientific results, will take well into the next century. Scientific and technological advances, shifting paradigms for scientific communication, the emergence of new scientific subdisciplines, changing perspectives in crop protection, and a changing funding and regulatory environment will determine our future direction and provide new insights, new paradigms, and new areas of inquiry. Scientific societies will continue to play an important role in disseminating new information through publications and scientific meetings, although the format for these communications may change dramatically. He spoke of the overproduction of doctorate students in our disciplines, and the role of our scientific societies in disseminating information on this issue. He noted that our scientific societies might also have a formal mechanism, as other societies already do, to communicate sound information to governmental policy, regulatory, and funding agencies.
This year's annual meeting program was designed to encourage interaction between plant pathologists and entomologists, and because of this there were many choices in the scientific program and related activities. A total of 759 contributed papers (254 oral papers and 505 posters in a total of 27 sessions) dealt with diverse aspects of research in plant pathology. Sessions included bacterial genetics/molecular biology and cell biology, bacterial systematics/evolution and ecology, biological control, chemical control, crop losses, disease detection, diseases of field and fiber crops, diseases of fruit and nut crops, diseases of ornamentals, diseases of turf grasses, diseases of vegetable crops, environmental quality and plant health, epidemiology, forest pathology, fungal genetics/molecular biology and cell biology, fungal systematics/evolution and ecology, host-parasite relations, host resistance, integrated pest management, nematode genetics/molecular and cellular biology, nematode systematics/evolution and ecology, pathogen-vector interactions, phyllosphere microbiology and ecology, phytoplasmas/spiroplasmas and fastidious prokaryotes, population genetics, postharvest pathology and mycotoxicology, rhizosphere microbiology and ecology, seed pathology, tropical plant pathology, viral differentiation/diversity and detection, viral genetics/molecular biology and cell biology, viral resistance and control, and viral systematics/evolution and ecology.
Program symposia were sponsored jointly by ESA and APS and were chosen for their relevance to the interests of members from both societies. There were 16 symposia presented at the meeting on the following topics: "Genomics Research and Its Application for Crop Protection," "Fungi as Pathogens of Plant Pests," "Meeting the Challenges of Today's Extension System," "Burkholderia cepacia--Friend or Foe?," "Ecologically Based Pest Management--A Progress Report," "Resistance Management in Reality: A Multidisciplinary Look at Progress, Limitations, and Lessons," "Beyond Jurassic Park: Accessing Genetic Information Hidden in Herbaria and Archival Plant, Microbe, and Insect Specimens," "Molecular Signaling in Plant Interactions with Pests and Pathogens," "Aerial Dispersal of Pests and Pathogens: Implications for Developing and Deploying Integrated Pest Management Strategies," "The Expert Witness," "Sampling for Decision Making in Crop Loss Assessment and Pest Management," "Integrating Principles of Plant Pathology and Molecular Biology with Mycorrhizae Research," "Mechanisms Governing Virus Transmission by Insect Vectors," "Frontiers in the Study of Induced Plant Resistance to Herbivores and Pathogens," "Pesticide Policy: Assessment Technologies and Environmental Impacts," and "Multiple Pest Resistance in Economically Important Plant Species." In addition, there were eight colloquia, eight discussion sessions, seven workshops, two working groups, and one demonstration presented at the meeting. These sessions were mostly on scientific subjects, but several topics were on professional and leadership development. These included "How to Write a Successful Grant," "The Expert Witness," "Balancing Your Personal and Professional Lives: Is It Possible to Have It All," "Introduction to Plant Pathology: A Learning Partnership for Students and Teachers," "Teaching Plant Pathology in Subsistence Farming Situations," and the "Leadership Workshop." Pre-meeting tours, technical committee meetings, 46 APS committee meetings, breakfasts, luncheons, and socials attracted many participants during the meeting.
The Grand Reception was held jointly with ESA on Sunday evening after the APS Awards Ceremony. The reception provided an opportunity for participants to congratulate newly named APS Fellows and recipients of several prestigious awards (see Awards) while enjoying a wonderful meal.
Technical and committee posters, and commercial exhibits were displayed in the Barron Room in the Hilton Hotel. Company representatives were available to explain their products and services and provide suggestions for their applications. Seventy-two exhibitors, including several Sustaining Associates, were represented in the commercial exhibits. The APS Press display included books, CD-ROMs, videotapes, teaching slide sets, note cards, and society T-shirts, sweatshirts, and caps. Meeting participants were invited to preview and do a full-text search of the 1997 APS journals now available on CD-ROM.
New meeting participants were welcomed by President-Elect Carol Windels in the sixth annual First-Timer's Orientation. She provided ideas on how to network and become involved in the meeting, and gave an overview of the meeting activities and the structure of APS. Tuesday, November 10 was designated as "APS Foundation Day," and prizes and gifts donated by various companies and academic departments were given to thank members for their contributions to the Annual Giving and Endowment Fund, Named Student Travel Awards, and General Student Travel Grants. Five graduate students were awarded named travel grants in honor of Eddie Echandi, John Fulkerson, Don Mathre, Luis Sequeira, and David Thurston. Seventeen graduate students were recipients of APS Council and APS Foundation travel grants. Clive Lo was the recipient of the second annual I. E. Melhus student speaker award funded through the Melhus Speaker Fund, the goal of which is to enhance graduate student professionalism and memorialize an influential plant pathologist.
The Technology Center offered hands-on demonstrations of new features on the APSnet website, and computers were available for attendee use. APSnet staff were on hand to answer questions and demonstrate how to do keyword searches of abstracts for the three APS journals and access full-text APS journal articles online. Participants were able to access the APSnet Plant Pathology Resource Center, which is filled with digital color images that can be used to begin your own personal image collection. The APS Placement Service provided a convenient mechanism and location for interaction between job seekers and prospective employers.
The sixth annual deBary Bowl, emceed by D. White, C. D'Arcy, and B. Carroll, provided an opportunity for teams representing various groups, including teams from APS Divisions and APS Council, to display their knowledge of the facts and trivia of plant pathology. The competitive spirit of meeting attendees was also brought out by the Plant Disease Diagnosis Contest sponsored by the APS Teaching and Diagnostics Committees. The fourth annual Members Breakfast and Business Meeting, held on Wednesday morning, was well attended with 69 special table topics from which to choose (see Report of the Business Meeting).
Headquarters. Expanded and more efficient use of electronic technology continues to be an area of major emphasis at APS Headquarters. Staff has worked to create and introduce the new monthly APSnet Home Page Feature Story and has produced nine features to date. APSnet continues to develop and evolve, and a new APSnet version 3 was introduced this spring.
During the past year, all APS journals were published on schedule, including MPMI, which is nearing the end of its first year as a monthly publication. Efficiency of manuscript publication from time of acceptance continues to increase with average times between 81 and 90 days for the three journals. Headquarters is exploring ways to accommodate authors requesting supplemental online enhancements to the print versions of their articles and expects to study and develop these options in the coming year. A new Central Member Database and Information System and related software has been installed at Headquarters, and this will allow more powerful database applications for all aspects of the Society and will make the Society Y2K compliant.
The first APS short course, "Pest Management for Evergreen Trees," had more than 60 participants and was coordinated by Cindy Ash, APS director of Scientific Services. Upcoming short courses include "Statistics: A Refresher," "Molecular Biology for Non-Molecular Plant Pathologists," and the second offering of "Pest Management for Evergreen Trees."
Headquarters staff continues to provide excellent and timely support for the many activities of APS that are coordinated by APS officers, the members of APS Council, various offices of APS, the National Plant Pathology Board, APS journal publications, and APS Press.
APS Foundation. In 1998, the APS Foundation awarded 22 student travel grants to graduate students to attend the annual meeting. Clive Lo was selected to receive the Melhus Student Speaker Award, which is funded through a generous gift in memory of Dr. I. E. Melhus. The JANE Fund (John and Ann Niederhauser Endowment) award was established as a source of funds to assist scientists working in other countries on late blight of potatoes, and the award this year was awarded to CARE Peru. The fifth annual "Foundation Day" and a booth in the registration area at the Annual Meeting drew member attention to the contributions of APS Foundation and encouraged donations from 144 meeting registrants who contributed a total of $11,060. APS Foundation continues to strive to enhance the science and profession of plant pathology in innovative ways.
Office of International Programs. R. Bennet was appointed as the new Director of OIP succeeding L. Sequeira, who provided excellent leadership for three years. OIP promoted and sponsored sessions at two international conferences--a session on Ratoon Stunting Disease of Sugarcane at the International Congress of Plant Pathology, and a session on Tropical Phytophthoras, which was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, as part of the International Conference on Plant Protection in the Tropics. OIP has actively supported partnerships between several international programs to control potato late blight worldwide. OIP helped secure financing to cosponsor a Global Initiative on Late Blight conference with the International Potato Center to be held in Quito, Ecuador, in 1999. At the Annual Meeting in Las Vegas, OIP cosponsored a special discussion session with the APS Mycotoxicology and Biological Control Committees on "Pathogen, Pest Interactions in Food Quality."
Office of Public Affairs and Education. The Office of Public Affairs and Education (OPAE) has prioritized audiences for outreach programming in the next three years as follows: 1) the general public as reached through the media and third party influencers; 2) policymakers, government agencies, and grantors (in concert with the National Plant Pathology Board and the proposed government relations consultant); and 3) youth (preK through undergraduate students) and their teachers. OPAE has established a "Plant Doctor" presence in a national gardening magazine and television show, and a plant doctor column was initiated in the first two issues of Rebecca's Garden magazine featuring "Tips for Purchasing Healthy Plants" and "Fighting Tomato Blight." There were also two 10-minute spots on the Rebecca's Garden television show covering poison ivy and properly planting trees. OPAE participated in the career fair at the 13th annual MANRRS (Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Related Sciences) Conference held April 2-4 in Des Moines, IA, and provided materials for exhibits at various meetings of science students and teachers. OPAE arranged an interview with L. Campbell in which he provided information on plant pathology ideas for a new series of programs covering science and technology for the CBS radio show hosted by Charles Osgood.
National Plant Pathology Board. The National Plant Pathology Board (NPPB) provides scientific input to APS officers, federal policy makers and agency personnel, and works with other scientific organizations and coalitions on matters of interest to the science of plant pathology. NPPB members participated in the CROPS '99 as organizers and discussants, and helped formulate policy recommendations to go forward to Congress and the USDA. A Policy of Judicial Use of Antimicrobial Agents in Plant Agriculture was drafted by the NPPB for use in various coalition statements to industry and federal agencies. The NPPB represented APS at a conference on the Future Role of Pesticides in U.S. Agriculture sponsored by the National Academy of Sciences. A response to USDA's proposed rule on the National Organic Program was provided by NPPB, in general urging that scientific facts and findings be the basis of the rule. The NPPB supplied testimony and report language on implementation of the Plant Protection Act. The NPPB sent a representative to a National Plant Board-APHIS Workshop and provided language and rationale for changing the status of permits for movement of organisms. The position paper title is "The USDA-APHIS Permit System for Plant Pathogens: Evaluation and Recommended Changes." The NPPB published a position paper on Certification and the American Phytopathological Society in the August issue of Plant Disease.
Awards. Seven APS members were honored as Fellows of the Society at the 1998 Annual Meeting in Las Vegas: Edward R. French, Bikram Gill, Jan E. Leach, Mary L. Powelson, Steven A. Slack, Baruch Sneh, and Brian J. Staskawicz. Election as Fellow is a reflection of the high esteem in which a member is held by his or her colleagues. The award is given in recognition of outstanding contributions in extension, research, teaching, or other activity related to the science of plant pathology, to the profession, or to the Society. The Excellence in Extension Award was presented to W. Douglas Gubler, the Excellence in Teaching Award to James MacDonald, and the Excellence in Industry Award to H. Vincent Morton. The Excellence in Industry Award was given for the first time this year and was established by Council to recognize significant contributions to plant pathology through activities associated with employment in industry. The International Service Award was presented to Benham E. Lockhart. This award was given for the first time this year and was established by Council to recognize outstanding contributions to plant pathology by APS members for a country other than his or her own. The Lee M. Hutchins Award was given to Kenneth B. Johnson, John N. Pinkerton, and Jeffrey K. Stone, the Novartis Award was presented to Robert L. Gilbertson, and the Ruth Allen Award was given to Harry A. J. Hoitink. The APS Award of Distinction was presented to Anne K. Vidaver. This Award is given in recognition of exceptional productivity in research, inspiring leadership, and effective application of plant pathology for the benefit of humanity. This rarely bestowed honor has been presented only 10 times previously in the history of the Society.
Society Affairs. APS membership as of June 30, 1998, was 4,848, which was a decrease of 127 over 1997. Membership by category was: 3,535 regular (a decrease of 134); 522 student (a decrease of 19); 170 post-doctoral, (an increase of 31); 32 group, (an increase of 9); 51 sustaining associate (a decrease of 4); and 538 emeritus/life (a decrease of 10). During the 10-year period from 1988 to 1998, total membership has increased an average of 60 members per year. The percentage of APS membership that comes from outside the United States has increased steadily since 1989 and represented 31% of the membership in 1998.
The following members have passed away since the last meeting: Horace L. Barnett, Lindsay Black, Thurman E. Boswell, Howard L. Bruer, Edmond C. Calavan, Henry M. Darling, William Drew, Charles Gould, Woodrow W. Hare, Teddy T. Hebert, William B. Hewitt, Janell Stevens Johnk, Folke Johnson, Richard M. Lister, Richard B. Malek, George L. McNew, J. Duain Moore, Harry J. O'Reilly, Henry Peniks, Finn Roll-Hansen, Eugene E. Saari, Richard Sayre, Charles G. Shaw, Earl K. Wade, and Michael N. Zook.
The Society completed fiscal year 1998 with an audited income of $3,589,253, the greatest income on record for our Society. The audited expenses were $3,458,497 and the operating surplus was $130,756 (3% of income). A complete report of the finances is available on request from APS Headquarters, and the Treasurer and Auditor's Report will be published in the January 1999 issue of Phytopathology.
APS publications continue to provide the largest single source of income to our Society. While their content reflects the input of many APS members as authors, the success of our journals, newsletter, and APS Press publications depends on members who serve as volunteer editors and reviewers. APS staff also plays an important role in the quality and timely production of all APS publications. Phytopathology continues to strive for rapid handling of manuscripts. On average, it took 10 days from when a manuscript was received to when it was sent to reviewers. Reviewers took an average of 48 days, and senior editors averaged 13 days in communicating their decision to authors. Author revisions averaged 77 days, and it took an additional 10 days for final acceptance by a senior editor. The number of papers published during the period of July 1, 1997, to June 30, 1998, was 10% fewer than last year, and continues a steady downward trend in the numbers of published research manuscripts in the journal. Of the research articles published, 75 of 155 (49%) were from international authors, a large increase over the 33% international papers published during the same period in 1996-1997. Headquarters' staff continues to make remarkable progress in reducing the publication time (time from acceptance to publication); publication now averages 83 days compared to 197 days 10 years ago. A total of 342 manuscripts were submitted to the journal during 1997-1998, and 177 manuscripts were accepted for publication for an average acceptance rate of 62%, up from 59% during 1996-1997. Mini-review submissions are increasing gradually and continue to be a priority for the Editor-in-Chief. The Letters section continues to be popular with authors, and is increasingly serving as an outlet for theoretical papers. Many of these papers contain original research and are considerably more extensive than the opinion papers originally envisioned as Letters. The editorial board is devising ways to offer a formal outlet for publication of theoretical papers in Phytopathology outside the Letters format.
A total of 1,486 pages was published in Plant Disease in 12 issues from July 1997 through June 1998, the largest volume to date. The average time of acceptance of a paper to publication was 90 days. The average time from receipt of a manuscript until an initial decision was made by a senior editor was 65 days. The average time taken by authors to revise a manuscript and return it to a senior editor was 77 days. The senior editorial board is looking into the question of including interpretive summaries with papers published in Plant Disease.
In 1998, Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions (MPMI) went from 9 to 12 issues per year. The number of manuscripts published in MPMI has increased. Not only will more papers be published in 1998, but as predicted, the number of color pages published has more than doubled. This increase in color pages is a reflection of the increased need for authors to publish color images, the competitive cost for color publication at MPMI, and the high quality of color images in the journal. MPMI continues to serve an international audience. More than 60% of the papers in MPMI originate from outside the United States. The MPMI editorial board was restructured to reflect the spectrum of manuscripts submitted and published: a new senior editor was added in the area of biocontrol interactions, and the Associate Editorial Board was reconfigured to put more associate editors in the area of plant responses.
Phytopathology News plays an ever-increasing role in providing information to APS members, with articles relating to society business, people, position announcements, meeting reports, divisional issues, various offices of APS, editor's comments, advertisements, calendars, book reviews, President's and Councilors' comments, teaching and education, common names of plant diseases, committee items, Foundation reports and listings, and letters to the editor. In 1998, the hard copy version of Phytopathology News was an average length of 16-20 pages. The online version has continued to grow and improve, but it is not anticipated that the online version will replace the hard copy version in the immediate future.
During FY 1998, APS Press published nine new books and five new slide sets, including one also available online. APS Press sold 28,993 books, including 12,479 compendia, 408 symposia, 23 monographs, 141 classics, 988 plant health management books, and 8,954 other books (non-series titles and B&C Tests). Additionally, 806 slide sets, 347 CD-ROMs, 11 videodiscs, and 67 videotapes were sold. The gross income was $1,313,363, and the net return to the Society was $132,000 after adjustment for the APS Press share of general and administrative overhead costs. APS Press expects to publish 12 new books, three slide sets, and one CD-ROM in FY 1999. A tenth senior editor will be added to the APS Press Editorial Board to facilitate communication of issues associated with APSnet and publications of APS Press On-Line. The Media Award of Excellence from the National Association of Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture was awarded to APS Press for the Turf CD-ROM, which was edited by James MacDonald and Gail Schumann. APS Press debuted APS Press On-Line with the preview of "Lessons in Plant Pathology" and the availability of the on-line slide set "Diseases, Pests, and Non-nutrient Disorders of Sugarcane."
APS has just completed the fifth year of the five-year Strategic Plan that was developed for the Society to identify new challenges and provide a framework for planning to meet these challenges. A draft of the new APS Strategic Plan was developed by the Strategic Planning Committee, which was chaired by M. McLaughlin and included R. Bandyopadhyay, D. Beadle, M. Benson, B. Bowden, E. Braun, L. Campbell, C. D'Arcy, K. Johnson, S. Nelson, and J. Sherwood. The Strategic Planning Committee was guided by the Vision Statement that was developed in 1997 by an ad hoc committee chaired by G. Payne and subsequently adopted by APS Council. Each goal of the Strategic Plan incorporates a series of specific objectives, which will be implemented by ad hoc committees appointed by the President. The goals of the Draft Strategic Plan are: 1) maintain a strong professional organization; 2) strengthen the image and understanding of the science and practice of plant pathology; 3) become the primary resource for plant health information and knowledge dissemination; and 4) foster professional growth and development. The specific objectives for each of these goals were published in the October 1998 issue of Phytopathology News. The Draft Strategic Plan was presented to APS Council and to members at the Business Meeting in Las Vegas for review and comment. After revision and editing, the Draft Strategic Plan will be submitted to APS Council for formal adoption and implementation in March 1999.
APS Affiliations. APS representatives/liaisons continue to serve as important contacts with other societies and agencies. D. Smiley reported on the activities of the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST), which serves as a key source of timely and reliable scientific information on agricultural issues for legislators, regulators, and the media. Agricultural policymakers increasingly invite CAST to provide testimony on key issues, and to review reports from the National Academy of Sciences, National Research Council, and federal agencies. These CAST services have influenced the direction and speed of congressional decisions and actions on important issues. CAST is now represented by Meyers & Associates, a Washington-based government relations and business consulting firm. This representation has added new dimensions and strength to CAST's ability to track and influence legislation. CAST publications on topics of national importance also have significant impact. Current and upcoming publications of interest to APS members include topics on naturally occurring antimicrobials in food, the future of irrigated agriculture, diversifying U.S. crop production, the proposed EPA Plant Pesticide Rule, mechanisms for international protection for agricultural biotechnology, the risk of mycotoxins to plant and animal systems, and integrated pest management. The "Conversations on Change" program sponsored by CAST and funded primarily by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation continues to be a key focal area for CAST. APS member Chuck Curtis is the coordinator. The $10,000 donation from APS to CAST will enhance the incentive grants that serve as seed money to initiate collaborations and changes within and among CAST member societies. Three grants were made by CAST in 1998 to support focus groups to examine the following: 1) perceptions of agriculture in American society, 2) societal membership issues, and 3) publishing in an electronic environment. Extensive and current information about the "Conversations on Change" program is available via their website (http://www.societies.org). CAST will co-sponsor two workshops on "Global Climate Change" and "Reasonable Certainty of No Harm," in December 1998 and March 1999, respectively.
J. Hill, APS representative to the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC), reported that ATCC moved to its new site located in Manassas, VA, during the spring of 1998. The new $19 million complex provides an attractive new facility that solves many of the problems associated with the previous facility. Dr. U. B. Gunasinghe continues in his leadership role for the plant virus collection. The ATCC has issued an RFP for a Plant Sciences Collaboration Agreement that may allow for further development and potential relocation of this area of activity. An external committee has been formed to evaluate proposals received by ATCC. In conjunction with a future major endowment campaign by ATCC, a joint committee of APS and the American Society for Virology has been established to seek enhanced support of the Virology Collection. Dennis Gross reported that many of the activities of the United States National Committee for the International Union of Microbiological Societies (USNC/IUMS) pertained to the 1999 Congress to be held in Sydney, Australia. The committee has been involved in helping to develop the congress programs, publicize the congress, and secure funds for travel grants to be awarded on a competitive basis to young scientists for travel to the congress. The possibility of an U. S. Congress in 2005 is being explored. The committee discussed the somewhat controversial issue that microorganisms cited in journal articles be deposited in a recognized collection for distribution. The committee drafted a letter to be sent to journal editors asking for their consideration of this important issue.
Mike Simini, representative to the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC), described the activities that occurred at the 18th annual meeting of SETAC in San Francisco in November 1997. Nineteen short courses were taught at the meeting on a diversity of topics including Basics of Ecological Risk Assessment, Good Laboratory Practices for the Environmental Scientist, and Practical GIS for the Non-GIS Scientist. A new format for interactive poster sessions was used as well as the conventional platform and poster sessions. Eric Davis, APS liaison to the Society of Nematologists, reported on the renewed interaction that has been established between APS and the Society of Nematologists (SON). This will initially be fostered by an informal two-way exchange of information between APS and SON through their respective newsletters. The mechanism to integrate and communicate this information between newsletters is being formulated, and a volunteer is being sought to coordinate reports of APS-related material to the Nematology Newsletter. Sam Alexander is the APS liaison to the National Committee on Worker Safety Standards, which is composed of representatives from the Weed Science Society, the Entomological Society, the National Alliance of Independent Crop Consultants, and APS. The purpose of this committee is to develop recommendations for the exemption of qualified plant protection research and demonstration workers from certain requirements of the Workers Protection Standard (WPS). WPS does not currently recognize plant protection research and demonstration workers as a distinct category of individuals with separate or distinct tasks and WPS requirements. WSSA, ESA, APS, and NAICC have commented, through the National Safety Standards Committee, that researchers and their research employees are capable, by virtue of their knowledge, training and experience, of determining the appropriate precautions to be followed when working in pesticide treated areas, and therefore should be excluded from the WPS. This proposal would provide legal protection, which has not previously been available for researchers and their assistants, and the institutions involved. These recommendations have been put into a proposal for submission to EPA.
Charles Delp, APS representative to the International Society for Plant Pathology (ISPP) and the new Secretary-General of ISPP, reported that this was a big year with the International Congress at Edinburgh in August. The Congress was a success with approximately 2,500 participants from over 90 countries in a dynamic, interactive program. In 2003, the venue will be Christchurch, New Zealand. The ISPP World Directory of Plant Pathologists is now online from the ISPP website with over 12,000 addresses, and the directory is growing with the addition of directories from other national societies. APS has been a major contributor in the development of the world directory. The APS representative to the American Institute of Biological Science, Mary Powelson, reported that AIBS is departing from its traditional practice of holding multisociety meetings with contributed paper, posters, and symposia. The 1999 annual meeting will be held for two days in late November 1999, and the meeting will be an intimate "Presidents' Summit" to which all of the member society presidents will be invited. Representatives from public and private funding organizations, educational institutions, and policy centers also will be invited. The purpose of the Presidents' Summit is to discuss how biologists, collectively, can address such central scientific issues as research funding, public policy representation, biological education, public outreach, and career training. The theme for the year 2000 annual meeting, to be held at the Smithsonian Institute in late March, will be "Biology: A Century of Achievements, A Future of Challenges". As in the case of the 1999 meeting, contributed paper sessions are not planned for this meeting. E. Braun, APS representative to the Coalition for Education in the Life Sciences (CELS), reported on the activities of CELS, the mission of which is to work with professional societies in strengthening undergraduate education in the life sciences. CELS maintains a website with extensive links to web-based resources of interest to those involved in undergraduate education. There are links to APSnet information on careers in plant pathology as well as links to APSnet information useful to teachers. CELS produced a monograph in 1998 entitled "Professional Societies and the Faculty Scholar: Promoting Scholarship and Learning in the Life Sciences." For 1999, CELS will continue to support educational workshops at annual meetings of professional societies and showcase the educational initiatives of their member professional societies.
Future. The 1999 annual meeting will be held August 7-11 in Montreal, Canada, where APS will meet jointly with the Canadian Phytopathological Society. President Carol Windels' meeting theme will be "Plant Health: Meeting the Challenges." Sites and dates for future APS meetings are: New Orleans, LA (August 12-16, 2000), Salt Lake City, UT (August 25-29, 2001, a joint meeting with the Society of Nematologists).
The Las Vegas meeting was a success with respect to the goals of providing opportunities for scientific and social interactions, dissemination of scientific information, and consideration of issues of concern to plant pathologists. This meeting continued the tradition of successful APS annual gatherings, and the meeting organizers are to be commended for their success in putting together a truly integrated program with the Entomological Society of America. I have enjoyed my third and final year as APS secretary, and I thank L. Campbell, APS members, council members, and Headquarters staff for all their help during the year. It is with pleasure that I welcome D. Jardine to the office of secretary.
President L. Campbell thanked the following for their service to APS as they complete their terms on Council: L. Madden, past-president; J. Fletcher, senior councilor-at-large; R. Gergerich, secretary; D. Sumner, Southern Division councilor; and S. Hurtt, Potomac Division councilor. L. Campbell also recognized retiring senior editors for APS Press: R. Ploetz, R. Linderman, and G. Schumann. The Breakfast/Business Meeting came to a close with the passing of the presidential gavel to incoming president C. Windels of the University of Minnesota. J. Leach, IS-MPMI president-elect, gave a preview of the Ninth International Congress of IS-MPMI, which will be held in Amsterdam July 25-30, 1999. C. Windels introduced G. Lazarovits, president of the Canadian Phytopathological Society, who described plans for the upcoming annual meeting in Montreal, Canada, and extended a warm invitation to attend the joint meeting of APS with CPS to be held August 7-11, 1999. The theme of the meeting will be "Plant Health: Meeting the Challenges."
New Council members include S. Slack, vice president; D. Jardine, secretary; R. Gergerich, junior councilor-at-large; D. Beadle, Southern Division councilor; and E. Stromberg, Potomac Division councilor. N. Van Alfen is the new president-elect and J. Sherwood continues as treasurer.
Customary reports were presented at both the midyear and annual council meetings, including reports of the president, secretary, treasurer, the editors-in-chief of APS publications, the Councilors' Forum, the Financial Advisory Committee, APS Foundation, the Office of International Programs, the National Plant Pathology Board, the Office of Public Affairs and Education, the Office of Electronic Communications, several APS committees, representatives to APS affiliates, and APS Headquarters. Written reports were available to council members on the APS Council website prior to the meetings to streamline discussion during the council sessions.
APS publications are in good health as reported by the respective editors-in-chief (see Society Affairs), although concern was expressed about the steady downward trend in the numbers of published research manuscripts in Phytopathology. Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions went from publishing 9 to 12 issues per year in 1998. All APS journals were published online in 1997, and the APS Publications Board is working with the Office of Electronic Communications to develop and incorporate enhancements in the online journals to increase their value and encourage members to use online publications.
A number of issues were considered or acted upon by Council during the year. A major effort was the development of a Vision Statement and a draft for the new APS Strategic Plan, which was published in the October issue of Phytopathology News. An extensive membership survey was conducted and the results were reviewed by Council to determine the implications for decisions that Council will be making in the future. Council discussed the necessity to prioritize a number of major items that are or will be competing for APS resources of staff time, member volunteer time, and finances. Specific emphasis this year was on the development of the role of APSnet as a focal point for Society communications as shown by the development of the front page feature articles and the recent online symposium on late blight, which demonstrated the breadth and depth that could be achieved on a given topic online. An Industry Advisory Board was approved and appointed by Council to help encourage, develop and coordinate activities for APS members from industry. A revision of the Manual of Operations for Members, Officers, Committee Chairpersons, and Representatives of APS was completed.
Councilors' Forum, composed of the division councilors and the councilors-at-large, met during the midyear and annual meeting and focused on a number of issues, including membership and nominations, site selection, publication of meeting abstracts, and revision of the planning process for the annual meeting program. A new mechanism for planning a more balanced annual meeting program was proposed and approved by Council. Under the new plan, APS committees will be organized into six sections for purposes of program planning.
Council also discussed future annual meetings, including potential meetings with other societies such as the 1999 meeting with the Canadian Phytopathological Society, and the 2001 meeting with the Society of Nematologists. The APS publication status was reviewed, and discussions were held on issues related to online publication. Financial decisions and the budget proposed by the treasurer were approved. A number of other appointments were made by Council, and thanks were extended to retiring members of Council (see Report of the Business Meeting).
All Council meetings are open to any member of APS and minutes of the Council meetings are available on APSnet. Please feel free to join us and to talk with any Council member about issues of concern to you or suggestions for the improvement of our Society.