Dear Arabidopsis Community Member,
For our community to continue to grow and flourish, we require stable funding (among other things). In recognition of this fact, the North American Arabidopsis Steering Committee (NAASC) is announcing a move to a membership model.
Like many other scientific societies, NAASC has found that membership dues are vital to support our current and future activities. Annual dues will allow us to keep the cost of attending North American ICARs low, and enable us to make strategic plans for the future. A key focus in the next year is our development of ICAR 2024-San Diego (July 15-19, 2024). We made radical changes to the planning and implementation of ICAR 2020/2021 which fundamentally moved the program towards a more democratic, broader, and community-driven experience. This new, more inclusive model was very successful; additional ICAR organizers, and even other societies, have adopted many of its components.
In addition, network membership will make it possible for us to expand ongoing efforts to build the strongest and most inclusive community possible. One priority is to expand the means and frequency of communication among our members and with other plant scientists, so that NAASC’s efforts represent the needs and priorities of community members.
As we make this change to a membership model, NAASC seeks your input and feedback so that we can be as equitable and inclusive as possible. Please fill out our brief, anonymous input form, and share the link with your colleagues, including students & postdocs: https://forms.gle/RtmzYYMYbm49EaeY7. .
Timeline: The input gathering phase (September-December, 2022) will be followed by a free year of membership (January-December, 2023, see membership benefits outlined in the input form). Membership will be open to all scientists interested in Arabidopsis anywhere in the world.
We look forward to your responses. As always, we take your input seriously. Our model of shared governance, with leadership nominated and elected in full transparency, succeeds when you collaborate with us to build the best possible NAASC now and in the future.