ASP: HANDBOOK OF THE DUTIES . . . COUNCIL COMMITTEES

While the specific charges of the Committees of the Society follow, there are certain common duties and responsibilities of all Committees.

1. Each Committee shall prepare a formal written report for Council on its activities, and a clear statement of its recommendations. This report is to be submitted thirty (30) days prior to the Council Meeting and the midyear Council Meeting, if one is held.

2. The Office of the Secretariat is available to assist Committees in the performance of their duties.

3. Each Committee shall keep a permanent record of all members of the Committee, of the minutes of the deliberations and actions taken by the Committee, and of formal reports submitted to Council.

4. The burden of executing the duties of any Committee falls mainly upon the Chair. A Chair may delegate authority, but the final responsibility for seeing that the job gets done still belongs to the Chair.

5. It will be the responsibility of each Committee Chair, when the term expires, to transmit the permanent record of that Committee to the newly appointed Chair.

6. It will be the responsibility of each Committee Chair to attend each Council meeting, or to designate an attending Councilor as the representative of that Committee.

Description of the Committees

Constitution and Rules Committee
Frank Gasparro, Chair

The duties of the Constitution and Rules Committee are to re-examine the Constitution and Bylaws of the Society each year, and to suggest to Council any changes that appear to be required. In addition, the Committee shall be responsible for revising the Handbook of the Duties of the Officers, Councilors, Editors, Committees of the Society, and the Office of the Secretariat.

The Past-President shall chair this Committee.

Education Committee
Rosalie Crouch, Chair

The Education Committee shall seek ways to improve the availability and quality of education in the science of photobiology. The Committee should actively encourage the publication of textbooks, monographs of general educational interest to the Society, and resource materials for teaching, under the aegis of the Society.

Executive Committee
Margaret Kripke, Chair

The Executive Committee is made up of the Officers of the Society, but the Chair may invite any member to participate who might contribute to the function of the Committee.

The general functions of this Committee have been to prepare agendas for the Council Meetings, and to formulate plans for the Society for approval by Council. When appropriate, the Executive Committee may act on behalf of the Council between Council Meetings.

Finance Committee
Dennis Valenzeno, Chair

The duties of the Finance Committee are to prepare an annual Society budget and submit it to Council for approval at the time of the Annual Meeting and prior to the start of the fiscal year. This budget shall include estimates of all income sources and appropriate estimates of expenditures for committees, officers, meetings, and publications. Society operations during the fiscal year will be financed from the general operating fund as approved by Council. The Finance Committee shall consider and attempt to devise ways to increase the Society's income.

Grants and Awards Committee
Ana Moore, Chair

The responsibilities of the Grants and Awards Committee are to administer grants and award programs established by Council, and to make and receive suggestions for new grants and award programs from the membership at large or from Council, and to make recommendations to Council concerning their adoption and/or funding, and to see that proper publicity concerning existing programs is published on a regular basis in the Newsletter.

ASP Research Award

The Grants and Awards Committee is charged with the selection of the recipient of the ASP Research Award, from nominations made by the Committee and by ASP members.

The following are the general criteria set by the Committee for the Research Award:

1. The candidate has made a major research contribution to the field(s) of Photobiology (includes Photomedicine), Photochemistry and/or Photophysics.
2. Has at least 10 years of post-graduate (Ph.D. or M.D.) research.
3. For equivalent candidates, the choice is to favor the one who has contributed the most to the American Society for Photobiology.

These criteria allow the Committee sufficient flexibility in choosing the best candidate for the annual Research Award.

The Award is $1000 plus travel (total $1500), and a Plaque.

1986 - Barry Rosenstein
1987 - Thomas Dougherty
1988 - P. Quail
1989 - Richard Mathies
1990 - Aziz Sancar
1991 - Pill-Soon Song
1992 - Steven G. Boxer
1993 - Kenneth Sauer
1994 - John Hearst
1995 - James E. Cleaver
1996 - Philip C. Hanawalt
1997 - Michael Rodgers

New Investigator Award

This competition is open to any investigator who has recently entered the discipline. It is generally thought to be a young investigator (under 36), but all investigators should be considered, even a senior scientist who is new to the area. The Committee should select a member of the Society who it feels on the basis of early excellence in research will continue and excel in the field.

The Award is $1000 plus travel (total $1500), and a Plaque.

1994 - Carl Bauer
1995 - Thomas P. Sakmar
1996 - Robert W. Redmond
1997 - Peter Glazer

Associate Member Travel Awards

The Committee will recommend Associate Members for travel grants based on merit and financial need. The Committee will review the abstracts designated for travel awards, and list them in order of selection. They will indicate a cut off point below which no award will be given. The amount of the award will be to cover travel to the meeting up to but not to exceed $500. The amount budgeted is $10,000.

Lifetime Achievement Award

In 1990, ASP instituted the Lifetime Achievement Award. Guidelines for this award follow.

The award should only be offered when a suitable candidate is agreed upon by Council (i.e. it is not necessary to award it every year).

A "suitable" candidate is one who has devoted substantial time and effort on behalf of ASP over a long period of time (i.e. greater than 10 years).

The award should consist of:

1. A framed hand-drawn certificate (those given to date have been made by Ms. Lynn Galluzzo, 1411 45th Ave., Greely, CO 80634: (303) 353-0614).

2. A suitable gift in the neighborhood of $300: examples; sundial to Kendric Smith, kaleidoscope to John Jagger, etc.

3. A plaque of the type to hang in a den or office with the awardee's name, the name of the award, the year, and the words "From the Membership", and the ASP logo.

   The award should be presented as a surprise to the awardee at the annual business meeting of the Society.

   The Past President has the responsibility of nominating individuals to Council at the Fall Council meeting, and, if Council agrees, arrange for the certificate, gift and plaque, to be ready for the Annual Meeting.

   1990 - Kendric Smith
   1991 - John Jagger
   1992 - John Spikes
   1993 - Frederick Urbach

ASP Photon Award

The ASP Photon Award was established by several Past Presidents to honor members who have made exceptional contributions and who have served the Society above and beyond the call of duty. These contributions include service on Council, or as an Officer of the Society, contributions to the Society's publication efforts, or any service to the ASP deemed exemplary by the members of the Council. The award, a statue of the sun god Ra, is to be made from time to time on an ad hoc basis as suitable recipients appear.

1994 - Homer Black
1996 - Meyrick Peak
1997 - Irene Kochevar & Dennis Valenzeno

Distinquished Service Award

1974 - Kendric Smith

The Meeting Site Selection Committee is responsible for selecting sites for the future meetings of the Society. Several possible sites should be chosen at least three (3) years in advance, and the Executive Secretary should be instructed to obtain information about the availability of these sites and details of possible arrangements. A member of the Committee may accompany the Executive Secretary to the sites. Financial arrangements should be negotiated by the Office of the Secretariat after the Committee has made a final choice of a site. Sites considered can be either college campuses or convention hotels. A list of currently acceptable sites should be maintained by the Committee. The sites should be selected, bearing in mind the requirements of the Society for a pleasant and congenial meeting atmosphere at a modest price. The sites should be reached by public transportation without undue difficulty. Rotating the meeting to different parts of the country should be given due consideration. The rotation should include Washington D.C. every fourth year, followed by metropolitan areas for 2 years and then a resort.

The Committee should also consider (in consultation with the Program Committee) possible changes in the format or dates of the Annual Meeting.

The Past-President shall be Chair of this Committee.

Membership Committee
Jean Cadet, Chair

The primary purposes of this committee are to increase individual memberships in the Society and from time to time review membership policies.

Mentoring Committee

Nancy Oleinick, Chair

The purpose of the Mentoring committee is to ensure full participation of all constituencies of the Society in its activities and to maximize the benefits of membership in the Society for students, fellows and junior faculty. Specifically, this Committee will recommend qualified women and minority members for leadership positions in the Society, as speakers and session chairs at the annual meeting, and as award recipients. This Committee will work with the Membership Committee to increase the number of women and minority members of the Society, and it will organize activities to maximize the participation of associate and junior faculty members. Nominating Committee
Frank Gasparro, Chair

The Nominating Committee shall consist of at least four (4) members of the Council. The immediate Past-President shall be Chair of this Committee. It will be the responsibility of the Nominating Committee to prepare lists of nominees from the members of the Society as described in Article VIII of the Bylaws, and to ascertain the willingness of each nominee to serve if elected.

It shall be the philosophy of the Nominating Committee to involve younger members in the administration of the Society, and to ensure the widest possible representation of the subdivisions of photobiology.

At least three nominees must be listed for each vacancy to be filled.

Nominations by petition (Article VIII, Bylaws) must be received by the Secretary before November 15th.

The Chair of the Nominating Committee should maintain a notebook of all elected Officers and Councilors, of all nominees, and those considered for nomination. A record should be kept of Councilors who are judged to be particularly effective, since Officers of the Society should be selected from a pool of effective Councilors.

Program Committee
Frank Gasparro, Chair

The Past President shall be Chair of the Program Committee, which shall consist of the members of Council.

The Program Committee shall be responsible for developing the program for the Annual Scientific Meeting of the Society. The program should be responsive to the needs and interests of a majority of the members of the Society.

Public Affairs Committee
Joan Roberts, Chair

The Public Affairs Committee has the responsibility of identifying issues of public importance in which the discipline of photobiology is or may become a significant factor. Particular attention should be given to issues where existing or potential risks to the public are involved. The Public Affairs Committee is authorized by Council to conduct a preliminary investigation in order to evaluate the current status of an issue (e.g., the current and potential hazards or benefits to human health and/or the environment), the current role of private and government agencies or technical groups in dealing with the issue, and other relevant factors that may help to establish the scope and urgency of the problem. The results of the investigation should be reported to the Council, or to the Executive Committee with recommendations for action.

The Public Affairs Committee shall maintain close communication with the Department of Government Relations and the Public Responsibilities Committee of the American Institute of Biological Sciences to which the American Society for Photobiology currently belongs.

The Public Affairs Committee shall have responsibility for bringing the activities of the Society and the members of the Society to the attention of the appropriate members of the radio, television and written press. The Committee shall be particularly concerned about these issues at the time of our Annual Meetings.

Publications Committee
Thomas Owens, Chair

The Publications Committee shall have responsibility for overseeing all publication functions of the Society, such as Photochemistry and Photobiology, Newsletter, Annual Meetings Abstracts, Membership Directory, and any other publications of the Society. The Editor of Photochemistry and Photobiology and the Editor of the Newsletter are ex officio members of this Committee.

Specific tasks for the Committee that derive from this general charge are:

I. Journal

A. Scientific Aspects

1. Definition of goals and scope of the Journal

2. Instructions to authors

B. Publication Aspects

1. Format of Journal

2. Physical aspects (paper quality, type style, etc.)

C. Finances (in consultation with the Treasurer)

1. Recommend approval of the library rate by Council.

2. Recommend to Council the page charge rate, and other matters pertaining to page charges.

3. Ensure that the number of pages published in the Journal is consistent with the contract with the Publisher. The publication of additional pages must be approved by Council.

4. Oversee Editor and Associate Editor expenses

D. Editor

1. Nominate the Editor for approval by Council

2. Receive and approve Editor's report prior to submission to Council.

3. Approve the appointment of Associate Editors (on recommendation by Editor).

E. Publisher

1. Negotiate, in cooperation with the Office of the Secretariat, the contract with the publisher for submission to Council; oversee that the Society and the Publisher adhere to the contract.

2. Report annually to Council concerning the "State of the Journal."

II. Newsletter

A. Nominate the Editor for approval by Council.

B. Approve general content and format.

C. Oversee finances in consultation with the Treasurer.

D. Oversee timing of publication.

III. Abstracts and Directory

A. Approve changes in format.

B. Oversee finances in consultation with the Treasurer.

C. Oversee timing of publication.

Functions of the Office of the Secretariat relative to the Publications Committee:

I. Journal

A. Subscriptions: communicate subscription list to Publisher on a timely basis.

B. Finances:

1. Pay subscription bill.

2. Solicit and receive page charges, communicating status to Publications Committee.

3. Receive and transmit Publisher's statement.

4. Handles business aspects of the Journal with publisher.

II. Newsletter, Abstracts, Directory:

Ensure proper format and style, proofread, reproduce and distribute in a timely manner.