The 91st Annual Meeting of the American Phytopathological Society was held jointly with the Canadian Phytopathological Society in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, August 7-11, 1999. The city of Montreal is located on an island in the midst of the St. Lawrence River. Meeting participants enjoyed walking through Old Montréal visiting such landmarks as Notre-Dame Basilica and Pointe-A-Callière (Montréal Museum of Archaeology and History). Others were able to ride on Montreal's outstanding subway system to Olympic Park, the Biodome and the Botanical Garden and Insectarium.

The official headquarters for the meeting was the Palais des Congrès de Montréal located on the edge of historic Old Montréal. A total of 1,563 meeting registrants gathered to share research results, discuss new ideas, and meet with colleagues to consider issues of concern to plant pathologists. In addition to the scientific and business programs, annual meetings are also a time to enjoy the renewal of old friendships and make new ones.

In this regard, there was an occasional somber mood in Montreal as members mourned the unexpected passing of Immediate Past-President C. Lee Campbell on July 13, 1999. Larry Madden, a colleague and long-time friend of Lee's, delivered a moving tribute at the Awards Ceremony that Lee was to have emceed. It was reprinted in the November 1999 issue of Phytopathology News (of which Lee was a past editor-in-chief) under the title "Tribute to a Renaissance Plant Pathologist." The same issue also contained the article "Memories of Lee Campbell," written by his close friend and co-author P. Peterson.

President Carol Windels welcomed participants to the APS Plenary Session and thanked T. Paulitz of McGill University for chairing the Local Arrangements Committee. President Windels reviewed the survey she had conducted identifying plant diseases that have caused both economic and social hardships within communities in recent times. Twenty-six states responded to the survey and eleven diseases were identified including papaya ringspot virus, potato late blight, Fusarium head scab, and squash leaf curl virus.

George Lazarovits, president of the Canadian Phytopathological Society, introduced Per Pinstrup-Andersen of the International Food Policy Research Institute of Washington, DC, who presented the Glenn Anderson Lecture on the subject of "The future world food situation and the role of plant diseases." He reported that there has been a doubling of grain and tripling of livestock production since the 1960s and yet, 800 million people are food insecure and 170 million preschoolers are malnourished around the world. He made a number of projections out to the year 2020 including a 40% increase in cereal demand, a 60% increase in livestock demand, and a 40% increase in demand for root and tuberous crops. One-third of this demand will come from China, with 12% coming from the sub-Sahara region of Africa and 15% from developed countries. The needed increases can come from either increased land usage or increased yields. Since increasing land usage is not environmentally sound, we will need to increase yields. Global losses to crop disease are estimated to range from 9.7% in North America to 15.7% in Africa, so the demand cannot be reached by improving crop health alone.

He then addressed the role of biotechnology in meeting these demands. He indicated that there are risks that must be weighed against opportunities. Unfortunately, the rewards of biotechnology may not be available to those who need it most, that is, the underdeveloped countries with the most rapidly increasing populations.

Carol Windels presented the Presidential Address on "Fusarium head blight: Changing farms and communities in the northern Great Plains." She summarized the symptoms and toxin production associated with the disease and reviewed the geographic area affected. There have been $3 billion in losses in the United States and $500 million in Canada. She outlined reasons for the recent increase in severity and reviewed the impacts of Fusarium head blight.

She presented information on yield and quality losses and the toxin contamination problem in Midwest malting barley. The net farm income is below the poverty level in a majority of the counties in northeastern North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota affected by the epidemic. As a result, farmers have had to adjust by using less input, taking off-farm jobs, and reducing family expenses. Farm auctions have increased dramatically since 1997, with most sales going to out-of-state farmers. She concluded her presentation by outlining responses to the Fusarium head blight challenge including advances in head blight control, farmer assistance programs, and new ways of farming including organic farming, niche marketing, and the use of cooperatives.

Vell Farmer of MeritCare Clinic Neuroscience, Fargo, ND, made a presentation on "Broken Heartland: A crisis on the family farm." She talked about the forces affecting farmers including technology, the economy, and the weather. She reviewed the losses both to the community and the family when a farm is lost. She then presented an outline on what it is to be a farmer. She finished her presentation by showing a video of one North Dakota farm family who talked about the loss of their farm and the impact it had on their family and the significant role that Fusarium head blight played in the loss.

The final presenter of the Plenary Session was Steven Sonka, an agricultural economist with the University of Illinois who talked about the "Redefinition of the ag and food sector." He began by addressing the complexity of today's agriculture and the promise or threat of technology including biotechnology, precision agriculture, and the Internet. He went on to discuss concepts of information technology and strategic change and how it will affect farming and consumers in the future. He concluded by challenging the Land Grant System to redefine itself for the future because we can no longer do science for science's sake. Instead, we must create a system and process where value is created and captured by farmers.

This year's annual meeting program was planned using a new concept whereby sessions were grouped into six sections including Professionalism/Service/Outreach, Epidemiology/Ecology/Environmental Biology, Plant Disease Management, Molecular/Cellular Plant-Microbe Interactions, Diseases of Plants, and Biology of Pathogens. Each section had a chair that worked with standing committees to create the program.

It is hoped that this concept will bring more balance to the scientific program. A total of 682 contributed papers (148 oral and 534 posters in a total of 35 sessions) dealt with diverse aspects of research in plant pathology. Sessions dealt with the biology of fungi, nematodes, prokaryotes, and viruses, disease detection, forest pathology, and diseases of field, fruit, turf and horticultural crops, environmental biology, molecular/cellular plant-microbe interactions and biological, chemical, cultural, and host resistance management of plant disease.

Program symposia were sponsored jointly by CPS and APS and were chosen for their relevance to the interests of members from both societies. There were 21 symposia presented at the meeting on the following topics: "Application of Biotechnology to Biocontrol of Weeds," "The Changing Face of Extension Worldwide," "Coping with Uncertainty in Loss Assessment and Disease Management," "Expert Witness Training," "Food Safety—Meeting the Challenge," "From Molecules to Ecosystems: Bridging Scales in Forest Disease Concepts," "Genetics and Mechanisms of Host Resistance to Plant Virus Infection," "Harmonization of Pesticide Registration," "I.E. Melhus Graduate Student Symposium in Plant Disease Epidemiology and Pathogen Ecology," "Irrigation Water Quality Influences on Environmental Health," "Limiting the Impact of Fusarium Toxins on Industry and Health," "Molecular Techniques in Ecological Studies of Soil Microbial Communities," "Moving Plant Disease Detection and Identification from the Ivory Towers to the Real World," "The Physical and Chemical Environment of the Leaf Surface," "Plant Cell Biology Related to Defense Response Pathways," "Plant Pathology's Role in Anti-Crop Bioterrorism and Food Security," "Reflections of 100 Years of Virology," "Selection Processes in Plant Pathogen Populations," "Understanding Fusarium Scab to Develop Disease Control Strategies," "Use of Molecular Markers in Breeding for Resistance," and "World Food Crisis: Meeting the Demands of a Growing Population."

In addition, there were three colloquia, six discussion sessions, three workshops, one demonstration workshop, and one town meeting. These sessions were mostly on scientific subjects, but other topics on professional and leadership development including "Designing Web Pages," "Expert Witness Training," and the "Leadership Workshop" were addressed.

Pre-meeting activities included a new short course titled "Introduction to Molecular and Genomic Technologies," and a forest pathology field trip. Other tours, technical committee meetings, 47 APS committee meetings, breakfasts, luncheons, and socials attracted many participants during the meeting. The Grand Reception was held jointly with CPS 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 main exhibit hall of the Palais des Congrès de Montréal. Company representatives were available to explain their products and services and provide suggestions for their applications. Twenty-four exhibitors were represented in the commercial exhibits. The APS Press display featured books, CD-ROMS, videotapes, teaching slide sets, note cards, and society T-shirts, sweatshirts, and caps. APS Press hosted two book signings during the meeting. Authors P. Peterson and C. Griffith were present to sign copies of their book The Formative Years of Plant Pathology in the United States. A bookplate featuring a portrait of deceased author C. Lee Campbell and an acknowledgement of his contributions to the Society was included on the inside cover. In the second signing, authors K. Scholthof, J. Shaw, and M. Zaitlin signed copies of their book, Tobacco Mosaic Virus—One Hundred Years of Contributions to Virology. Lesley Robertson, who presented a delightful talk on "TMV and the accidental microbiologist—M.W. Beijerinck, his lab and work" also signed copies of the book.

President-elect N. Van Alfen welcomed new meeting participants in the seventh annual First-Timer's Orientation. He gave an overview of the meeting structure and activities and how to network and become involved in the meeting. Many Council members were present and introduced themselves to the first-timers and offered to be of assistance when possible during the meeting.

Monday, August 9 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. Ten graduate students were awarded named travel grants in honor of Eddie Echandi, John Fulkerson, Raymond Grogan, Dennis Hall, Tsune Kosuge, Stuart Lyda, Don Mathre, Joseph Ogawa, Roger Pearson, and Eugene Saari. Ten graduate students and one high school student were recipients of APS Council and Foundation travel awards.

The 1999 APS meeting was the venue for the first I.E. Melhus Graduate Student Symposium. The symposium dealt with Plant Disease Epidemiology and Pathogen Ecology. The APS Foundation funded the symposium by awarding $400 to each speaker from a fund established to honor I. E. Melhus. Recipients of the awards were R. Magarey of Cornell University who spoke about "A theoretical standard for estimation of surface wetness duration in grape"; W. Turechek of The Ohio State University, who discussed "The effect of scale on plant disease incidence and heterogeneity in spatial hierarchy"; S. J. Pethybridge from the University of Tasmania, Australia, who presented "Epidemiology of viruses infecting Australian hop gardens"; D. Fraser from North Carolina State University who spoke on "Epidemiology of Stagonospora nodorum on populations of winter wheat"; and W. Gavassoni from Iowa State University who discussed "Relationships among tillage, soybean yield, and spatial patterns of Heterodera glycines."

The APS Placement Service provided a convenient mechanism and location for interaction between job seekers and prospective employers. The seventh annual deBary Bowl, emceed by D. White, G. Schumann, and E. Stromberg provided an opportunity for teams representing APS Divisions and APS Council to display their knowledge (or lack thereof) of the facts and trivia of plant pathology. The Potomac Division Team of J. Kotcon, C. Balbalian, R. Mulrooney, L. Sosnoskie, P. Sforza, E. Dutky, and A. Baudoin went undefeated in winning this year's contest. 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 fifth annual Networking Breakfast and Business Meeting, held on Tuesday morning, was well attended with 59 special table topics from which to choose (see Report of the Business Meeting).

Headquarters. Headquarters staff has spent considerable time focusing on the new strategic plan. They are working with Council as strategies are prioritized so that they can balance their resources between ongoing programs and new initiatives. They have continued to work on the development of APSnet III, which will be more intuitive to use, and thus more user friendly. APS Press began publishing Fungicide and Nematicide Tests in 1999, along with nine new books, four slide sets, and the Field Crops CD-ROM. APS Press is now offering Spanish translations of four titles. The totally electronic journal Plant Health Progress continued to move toward reality with the approval to appoint an acting editor-in-chief. The intended audience is plant health practitioners including extension workers, crop consultants, plant health scientists from other disciplines, and plant pathologists. The publication will be both peer-reviewed and citable.

Three new short courses were offered in 1999. The "Statistics: A Refresher" course attracted 48 participants to Memphis, TN, in January. At the annual meeting in Montreal, the "Molecular and Genomics" short course was a sellout with 75 participants. Finally, the "Wilt Diseases of Shade Trees Conference," held in St. Paul, MN, in August had over 100 excited participants. Courses to be offered in 2000 include "Design of Experiments," "Ecology of Urban Soils: Designing and Managing Soils for the Living Landscape," and "Science Writing and Editing."

During the past year, all APS journals were published on schedule. MPMI is in its second year as a monthly publication. Progress is being made in developing opportunities for journal authors to add online enhancements to the print versions of their articles including color versions of black and white figures in the print copy, E-mail links to corresponding authors, and links to supplementary materials with APSnet and other web sites.

APS Foundation. This year, the Foundation and APS Council voted to merge the Foundation into APS, effective July 1, 1999. This will not change its day-to-day operation but will reduce annual costs to the Foundation through savings in tax audits and insurance. Foundation funds will continue to be maintained separately from APS funds. A. Vidaver, University of Nebraska-Lincoln completed her second term on the Foundation board in August and was replaced by D. Cooksey, UC Riverside. In 1999, the APS Foundation awarded 21 student travel grants to 20 graduate students and one high school student to attend the annual meeting. Five other students received $400 travel awards to present in the I.E. Melhus Graduate Student Symposium in Plant Disease Epidemiology and Pathogen Ecology. The number of named student travel awards now stands at 19. The sixth 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 110 meeting attendees, totaling a record $20,309. APS Foundation continues to strive to enhance the science and profession of plant pathology in innovative ways.

Office of International Programs. The Office of International Programs (OIP) again hosted a booth at the annual meeting. The 1999 booth featured a display by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) on Wheat and Maize Pathology Research. This booth continues to serve as a critical meeting site and point of interest to APS members interested in international activities. At the annual meeting in Montreal, OIP co-sponsored the symposium "Plant Pathology's Role in Anti-Crop Bioterrorism and Food Security." OIP Director R. Bennett helped secure funding to co-sponsor the 1999 Global Initiative for Late Blight workshop in Quito, Ecuador. OIP continues to seek funds to cover postage and shipping of APS journals. With the development of the cumulative CD-ROM containing all three journals, shipping costs have become less of an impediment.

Office of Public Affairs and Education. The Office of Public Affairs and Education (OPAE) for the first time provided an "Outreach in Action" newsletter to participants at the annual meeting. The anti-crop bioterrorism symposium at this year's meeting provided a great deal of media exposure for APS. CPAC, the Canadian equivalent to our C-SPAN network, videotaped the symposium for later playing. The Montreal Gazette and Le Press also covered the meeting along with four agriculture trade magazines and three freelance writers. OPAE's newest outreach effort, Plant Pathology: Past to Present, is an illustrated storybook describing the origin, relevance, and science of plant pathology. It can be downloaded for use directly off of APSnet. The OPAE page of APSnet now provides information on the APS Resolution on Wood Importation, the 1999 research priorities for APS, and a directory of Extension Plant Pathology and Nematology specialists compiled by the USDA.

OPAE sponsored APS awards to four young scientists for their plant pathology achievements at the International Science and Engineering Fair held in Philadelphia in May. One of the student winners, H. Wiersma of Okeechobee High School, FL, presented her poster in Montreal. The Office also participated for the first time in the National Science Teachers Association Annual Meeting Expo, reaching nearly 15,000 attendees. They also continued the "Plant Doctor" presence in the national magazine and television show "Rebecca's Garden." Finally, G. Bergstrom, the initial director of OPAE, announced that he would be stepping down from his position in New Orleans.

Awards. Seven APS members were honored as Fellows of the Society at the 1999 Annual Meeting in Montreal: Robert A. Blanchette, Genevieve J. Defago, Brian Deverall, Tim R. Gottwald, Rafael M. Jiminez-Diaz, Roland F. Line, and Larry V. Madden. Election as a 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 Greg Tylka, The Ruth Allen Award to Bruce McDonald, the Novartis Award to Albert Culblreath, and the Lee M. Hutchins Award to Adib Rowhani. Due to a lack of qualified nominations, The Excellence in Teaching Award, The Excellence in Industry Award, and The International Service Award were not presented in 1999.

Society Affairs. APS membership as of June 30, 1999, was 4,906, which is an increase of 58 over 1998. Membership by category was 3,621 regular (an increase of 86); 495 student (a decrease of 27); 169 post-doctoral (a decrease of 1); 33 group (an increase of 1); 45 sustaining associate (a decrease of 6); and 543 emeritus/life (an increase of 5). The percent of membership residing outside the United States remained constant at 31%. Of this 31%, 15% (230 members) are Canadians. The following members were reported as deceased at the Annual Meeting in Montreal: Stanley M. Alcorn, Horace L. Barnett, Robert Bega, Alvin J. Braun, C. Lee Campbell, N. Carlyle Clayton, Zahir Eyal, Michael O. Garraway, Denzell L. Gill, Robert N. Goodman, Emil F. Guba, and Harry E. Wheeler. The Society completed fiscal year 1999 with an audited income of $3,649,253. The expenses were $3,706,194 for an operating deficit $56,941 (1.6% of income). A complete report of the finances is available on request from APS Headquarters, and Treasurer and Auditor's Reports will be published in the January 2000 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 headquarters staff also plays an important role in the quality and timely production of all APS publications. The number of papers published in Phytopathology during the period of July 1, 1998, to June 30, 1999, was 158, up slightly from the previous year. This is the first increase in the number of papers published in five years. During the 12 month period, 51% were from international authors, a large increase over the 33% international papers published during the same period in 1996–1997, and the first time in recent years that international papers outnumbered those from the US. The average time from acceptance to publication was 87 days, up slightly from the previous year, but still down from the 185 days it took 10 years ago.

A total of 322 manuscripts were submitted to the journal during 1998–1999, and 213 were accepted for publication for an average acceptance rate of 66%, up from 62% during 1997–1998. The journal also published four mini-reviews, five letters to the editor, one symposium (5 papers), and four obituaries. Due to the scheduling of the 1998 annual meeting in November, two abstract supplements containing 1,688 abstracts were published during the year. Editor-in-Chief M. Daub completed her three-year term on November 30, 1999, and new Editor-in-Chief B. Hillman began his term on December 1, 1999. Senior Editors M. Carson, D. Coplin, R. Dean, M. Edwards, B. Hillman, H. Leung, C. Liddell, J. Mihail, and D. Weller also completed their terms in 1999.

The on-line version of Phytopathology debuted in 1997 and has become increasingly popular with subscribers. New on-line enhancements approved by the Publications Board include low cost publication of figures in color on-line, links from the HTML abstract to internet sites such as GenBank, and the publication of supplemental materials such as interactive models, tables, images, movies, animations, or other supplements that enhance the published manuscript. Also approved in 1998–1999 is a new section for the journal titled: "Analytical and Theoretical Plant Pathology," dedicated to theoretical papers. Previously, these types of papers have been handled mostly as Letters to the Editor.

Plant Disease published 1,296 pages in the 12 issues from July 1998 though June 1999. Included were 188 Research papers, 1 New Diseases and Epidemic paper, 8 Special reports, 12 Feature Articles, 149 Disease Notes, and 12 Focus articles. The average time from acceptance to publication was 83 days, down 7 days from the previous year. The acceptance rate was 65%, compared to 66% for the previous year. To make articles published in Plant Disease more accessible to non-subscribers, interpretive summaries are being included on the public access portion of Plant Disease on APSnet. Because of the paucity of articles being submitted for the Spotlight on Diagnosis section, this section has been phased out of the journal.

Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions (MPMI) completed its second year of publishing 12 issues in 1999. The number of manuscripts submitted and published has increased over previous years. The number of color pages published continues to increase. In the first six months of 1999, 28 articles contained color figures with an average of 1.7 color figures per article. The time from receipt to publication has increased relative to 1997 by about 20 days. Once accepted, the time to publication remains less than 90 days. Editorial and headquarters staffs are working to reduce the time from submission to publication to remain competitive with similar journals. For the first six months of 1999, 43 of 51 or 84% of the papers published originated outside of the U.S. MPMI received the Benjamin Franklin Award of Excellence in the category of Technical Magazines for its July 1998 issue. The Franklin Award recognizes excellence in overall design, successful completion, prepress preparation, and finishing of the publication. Last year Plant Disease received this honor.

Phytopathology News remains an important source of information to APS members with articles relating to society business, people, position announcements, meeting reports, divisional issues, APS Office reports, 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 donor listings, and letters to the editor. A spirited debate on the use of digital images for diagnosis has occurred throughout the year. The hard copy version of Phytopathology News averaged 20 pages for the year. At the annual meeting in Montreal, Council approved the moving of the electronic edition of Phytopathology News to the public access area of APSnet.

During FY 1999, APS Press published nine new books, four new slide sets and one CD-ROM. The Press sold 27,898 books, including 15,189 compendia, 332 symposia, 2 monographs, 95 classics, 1,489 plant health management books, and 10,789 other books (non-series titles and B&C Tests). Additionally, 596 slide sets, 1,220 CD-ROMS, 5 videodiscs, and 38 video tapes were sold. Gross income (unaudited) was $1,228,409, slightly below what had been budgeted. APS Press expects to publish 11 new books, 4 slide sets, and 3 CD-ROMS in FY 2000. Beginning with Volume 54 (1999), APS Press will take over publication of Fungicide and Nematicide Tests. The Field Crops CD-ROM exceeded sales expectations with 957 copies being sold. The remainder of the APS image collection is being digitized with plans underway for future CD-ROMS using the images. Beginning in 1999, authors will electronically submit B&C reports directly to section editors for review. Section editors will make minor revisions and electronically submit accepted reports to the editor for publication. Reports requiring substantial revision will be returned to the authors. R. Ploetz was appointed Editor-in-Chief for the term 2000–2003.

APS approved its new Strategic Plan in 1999. The plan contains five goals: 1) strengthen the science and practice of plant pathology; 2) maintain a strong professional organization; 3) become the premiere resource for plant health information and knowledge dissemination; 4) foster professional growth and development; and 5) promote understanding and increase awareness of plant pathology and plant health science among the public, policy-making, regulatory and funding bodies. Each goal has two to five specific objectives. An ad hoc Implementation Committee chaired by S. Slack met to develop strategies and time lines for achieving each of the objectives. During the Annual Meeting, Council accepted the report from the Implementation Committee. Four priority areas were identified and ranked. They are 1) electronic journal issues, 2) development of an education and meetings board, 3) governance, and 4) building the Internet. The APS Executive Committee and staff have been charged with working through the details of these issues.

APS Affiliations. APS representatives and liaisons continue to serve as important contacts with other societies and agencies. B. Jacobsen 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. For example, R. Beachy testified on behalf of CAST at a public forum on agricultural biotechnology, which was held before the U.S. House Agriculture Subcommittee on Risk Management, Research, and Specialty Crops. A. Kelman, a member of the CAST panel for the EPA's proposed Plant Pesticide Rule, testified before a joint hearing of two U.S. House committees—The Subcommittee on Risk Management, Research, and Specialty Crops and the Subcommittee on Department Operations, Oversight, Nutrition, and Forestry. CAST also issued a paper titled "Agricultural Impact of the Sudden Elimination of Key Pesticides under the Food Quality Protection Act." In a related item, CAST co-sponsored a workshop on "The FQPA: A Challenge for Science Policy and Pesticide Regulation." CAST sponsored another "Conversations on Change" workshop in February. Topics discussed among the leaders and staff from CAST's professional societies at this meeting and two follow-up meetings included on-line publishing, society membership, and leadership development. M. Boehm, C. Curtis, and APS Executive Vice-President S. Nelson represented APS. Other societies continue to look toward APS for leadership, particularly in the area of on-line publishing.

Eric Davis, APS representative to the Society of Nematologists (SON) reported that SON President James Baldwin and APS Past-President C. Lee Campbell exchanged columns in the society's respective newsletters. Baldwin presented a column in the March 1999 issue of Phytopathology News titled, "Societies Share Common Issues." Campbell presented a column in the March 1999 issue of the Nematology Newsletter titled "Nematology and Plant Pathology—A Continuing Partnership." Both columns were well received by the respective society memberships, and plans are underway to make the exchange of "President's Columns" between APS and SON newsletters an annual event. In addition, exchange of other news from each society may be compiled and presented on a semi-annual basis between respective newsletters.

M. Simini, representative to the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC), described the activities that occurred at the 19th annual meeting of SETAC in Charlotte, NC, in November 1998. More than 2,500 participants representing 38 countries attended the meeting. The featured keynote speaker was M. H. Robinson, director of the Smithsonian Institution's National Zoological Park. Nineteen short courses were taught at the meeting on such diverse topics as Basics of Ecological Risk Assessment, Communicating Science: Tools for Effective Cross-cultural Communication Between Scientists and Lay Audiences, and GIS Applications in Environmental Toxicology: An Introduction. Michael Sulzinski, APS representative to the Coalition for Education in the Life Sciences (CELS) reported that CELS Program Director L.W. Liao informed APS about a Carnegie Teaching Academy professional society seed grant program available to foster teaching within professional societies. APS submitted a proposal for $5000 to establish an APS Teaching Scholar of the Year Program to annually identify one person within our society who exemplifies the scholarship of teaching. The support would also create a public forum (The Scholarship of Teaching Workshop) that is a novel format to foster the sharing of the scholarship of teaching with APS. CELS also made us aware of the Pew Scholars Program, sponsored by the Carnegie Academy for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. An announcement of the program was prepared for APS members and published in the April issue of Phytopathology News.

S. 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 the committee is to develop recommendations for the exemption of qualified plant protection research and demonstration workers from certain requirements of the Worker Protection Standard (WPS). In the past year, a proposal for changes in the WPS was developed and submitted to EPA. After initial acceptance, EPA reversed its position and indicated that it could not support the proposed changes and was considering making them more stringent. The current proposal being developed for submission to EPA is based on the use of Category 10 certification to meet the suggested EPA guidelines. This would be more acceptable because Category 10 is used across research disciplines and types of employment. The committee will continue to work toward reaching an acceptable agreement with EPA that meets the purpose of the consortium.

John Hill, APS representative to the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC), reported that the highlight for ATCC this year was the dedication of its new $19 million facility in Manassas, VA. The attractive new complex is located on the campus of George Mason University and provides opportunities for collaborative efforts between university personnel and the staff of the ATCC. The ATCC continues to move in new directions and to seek new partners in development of services to those focused on plant-microbe interactions. D. Gross reported on activities of the United States National Committee for the International Union of Microbiological Societies (USNC/IUMS). An important function of IUMS is to sponsor international congresses for virology and bacteriology/mycology. Consequently, much of the USNC/IUMS activities pertain to the 1999 Congress held in Sydney Australia. The committee was involved in helping to develop the Congress programs. Members of the U.S. National Committee reviewed travel grant applications. Approximately 22 applicants were selected to receive grants for the Sydney Congress that was held in August. Members of the USNC/IUMS committee have submitted nominees for executive committee positions in IUMS. The committee has drafted a proposal for a bid to IUMS for an U.S. Congress in 2005. It is proposed that the Congress be held in San Francisco.

Future. The 2000 annual meeting will be August 12–16 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in New Orleans, LA. Sites and dates for future APS meetings are: Salt Lake City, UT, August 25–29, 2001 (joint meeting with the Society of Nematologists and the Mycological Society of America); Milwaukee, WI, July 27–31, 2002; and Charlotte, NC, in 2003. Western sites are currently being considered for 2004.

The Montreal meeting was a success with respect to the goals of providing opportunities for scientific and social interaction, dissemination of scientific information, and consideration of issues of concern to plant pathologists. This meeting continued the tradition of successful APS annual gatherings. A new system of program development was tried for the first time with great success as it provided an interesting, informative and balanced program for members of both APS and CPS.

With the completion of my first year as APS secretary, I wish to extend a special thanks to R. Gergerich for all of her assistance in helping me learn the many responsibilities of the position. I also thank C. Windels, members of Council, APS members and APS Headquarters staff for making the job just a little easier by providing information in a timely manner when requested.

Report of the Business Meeting

The Sixth Annual Networking Breakfast and APS Business Meeting was held on Tuesday, August 10, 1999, in Room 611 of the Palais des Congrès de Montréal. Attendees were able to select tables with or without designated table topics for discussion during the first hour of the session. Following a buffet style breakfast, C. Windels called the meeting to order. CPS President G. Lazarovits welcomed APS members to Canada and made several acknowledgements. D. Jardine reported on the membership of the Society and gave the necrology report. J. Sherwood summarized the financial status of APS. President C. Windels highlighted important events in 1999 for APS Foundation, The National Plant Pathology Board, the Office of International Programs and the Office of Public Affairs and Education. She also reviewed upcoming meeting locations.

She then reviewed the goals of the new Strategic Plan and the work of the Implementation Committee on setting strategies and timelines for achieving the objectives. There are four priority areas: 1) building the Internet, 2) electronic journal subscriptions, 3) governance framework, and 4) education and meeting boards. Council has accepted the report from the Implementation Committee. Twenty-six student travel award winners were recognized. Also recognized were Storkan-Hanes Foundation Fellows. They were M. Kim of the University of Nebraska and L. Buttonhow of the University of Wisconsin. M. Daub reported on activities of the Publication Board.

She also recognized the service of the three retiring senior editors of APS Press, T. Burr, C. D'Arcy, and A. van Bruggen. J. MacDonald provided an update on APSnet III. It will have improved navigation, new features, and logical access. He also reviewed the new Plant Health Progress journal. President C. Windels thanked the following for their service to APS and presented them with plaques of recognition as they completed their terms on Council. H. Dillard, Councilor-at-Large; J. Polston, Caribbean Division Councilor; P. Lipps, North Central Division Councilor; and M. Daub, Editor-in-Chief of Phytopathology and Publication Board Chair.

The plaque that would have been presented to Immediate Past President C. L. Campbell was received by O.W. Barnett on behalf of Lee's wife Karen and it will be presented to her, along with a letter from APS, at a later time.

At this point the gavel was turned over to incoming President N. Van Alfen. President Van Alfen thanked Carol for chairing the Las Vegas meeting program and for pushing forward with the Strategic Plan. An invitation to attend the next annual meeting in New Orleans was made. The meeting ended with thanks to the APS and convention staffs and the welcoming of new Council members N. Keen, vice-president; S. Hurtt, junior councilor-at-large; S. Cantrell, Caribbean Division councilor; F. Nutter, North Central Division Councilor; and B. Hillman, Phytopathology editor-in-chief.

Report of Council Meetings

President C. Windels presided at the midyear Council meeting held at APS Headquarters February 26–28, 1999, and at the Council meeting held in Montreal on August 6, 7, and 11, 1999. N. Van Alfen presided at the new Council meeting on August 11, 1999. All Council members were present except R. Nyvall at the midyear meeting and J. Polston at the annual meeting. Persons completing terms on Council and new Council members are listed in the Report of the Business Meeting. 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 Councilor's 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. Reports were made available on APSnet prior to the meetings to streamline discussion during Council sessions.

APS publications are in good health as reported by the respective editors-in-chief (see Society Affairs). Two new acting editors-in-chief were approved, one for the new Education Center on APSnet and one for the new electronic journal Plant Health Progress. A new dual subscription rate was established for those wishing both a print and electronic subscription to a journal. Various charges for photographs, electronic links and appended files were implemented for electronic journal enhancements.

The major accomplishment for the year was the approval of the Strategic Plan and the development of an implementation plan with specific strategies and timelines for meeting the various objectives of the five goals. Considerable debate on the need to hire a government relations firm to assist the National Plant Pathology Board (NPPB) occurred both at midyear and the annual meeting. Funds were allocated to hire a firm on a trial basis. Budget scenarios including a line item for the continued retention of a firm will be discussed and voted on at the 2000 midyear meeting.

Council approved a Resolution on Wood Importation calling for the treatment of wood products at the point-of-origin to prevent the introduction of new pests. A position statement against the use of biological weapons was also approved and announced during the agriculture bioterrorism symposium held in Montreal. Following the success of the Montreal program, the new program planning system using six section chairs to assist the president-elect in meeting planning was made permanent. Council also approved a set of research priorities for the society developed by the NPPB. The year ended with Council approving new Electronic Property Rights Policies. Councilor's Forum, composed of the six division councilors and the three 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 committees. A Turfgrass Pathology Committee was approved for permanent status and a new Pathogen Resistance Committee has been formed. Nomination procedures for the I.E. Melhus award were changed to encourage more nominations.

Based on a report from Councilor's Forum, Council voted to move the APS Placement Center to the public area of APSnet. An ad hoc committee will be appointed to review and make recommendations for enhancing the Placement Center including pricing, immediacy, visual quality, ease of use, and streamlining.

On recommendation from Councilor's Forum, a motion was passed that will reconcile differences in abstract submission forms between the divisional and national meetings. A field indicating the names of reviewers will be added to all electronic forms. Much discussion occurred on the subject of timely publication of divisional abstracts. This is made difficult by the fact that divisions meet throughout the year making timely publication in a single supplement difficult. While no consensus was reached, it was suggested that changes in technology might resolve the problem in the future.

Council also discussed future annual meetings. The Mycological Society of America will meet jointly with APS and the Society of Nematologists in 2001. Charlotte, NC, was approved for 2003. Western sites are being considered for 2004. Financial decisions and the budget proposed by the treasurer were approved. Council made several appointments of representatives to APS affiliates 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 attend and talk with any Council member about issues of concern to you or suggestions for the improvement of our Society or the benefits that it provides to members.