Difference between revisions of "WormBoard"

From WormBaseWiki
Jump to navigationJump to search
(Created page with "== Worm Board Charter == === Preamble === Since its inception the ''C. elegans'' field has relied on the voluntary efforts of community-minded individuals to develop and orga...")
(No difference)

Revision as of 19:19, 3 December 2019

Worm Board Charter

Preamble

Since its inception the C. elegans field has relied on the voluntary efforts of community-minded individuals to develop and organize key resources and meetings. As the field enters its second half-century, continued growth necessitates a more formal structure for such efforts. The Worm Board has been formed to advocate for C. elegans research internationally and to foster the continued development of community resources.

Composition of WormBoard

The WormBoard is a representative group of working scientists and educators who use C. elegans or related nematodes as their primary model organism. WormBoard will meet in odd-numbered years at the biennial International C. elegans meeting, and if possible at one of the topic or regional meetings in even-numbered years. Additional business will be conducted by email or teleconference.

Officers (total 4)

Worm Board will have four officers: A President, a President-elect, a Secretary, and an Officer. An election held at the end of each 2-yr cycle will chose a President-elect, who will serve as an officer the first term, then be President the second term. To ensure continuity in the Board, the President will then serve one year ex officio.

Regional Representatives (total 9)

The regional representatives will be selected by votes of the respective communities in these regions. Regional representatives serve for a period of three years. Terms of office for the Officers and the Regional Representatives begin and end at the Board meetings in the summer. Regions are represented as follows: US/East (1); US/Central and South (1); US/West (1); Canada and Americas (1); Europe (including UK) (2); Asia/Australasia/Oceania (2); a representative of Predominantly Undergraduate Institutions (1). Representation of regions is based on approximate number of active labs and will be periodically reviewed.

Ex officio members

The following individuals or their representatives will serve on the Board as non-voting ex officio members, and may also serve as voting officers or regional representatives, if elected: Liaison with the Genetics Society of America (a GSA board member, if available).

  • The PI of the WormBase consortium
  • The Director of the CGC
  • The C. elegans nomenclature coordinator.
  • The editor of WormBook
  • The PIs of the gene knockout consortium projects.
  • One PI of nematode genome projects
  • Current and most recent International Worm Meeting organizers.

WormBoard's discussion of community issues benefits from input from the entire community. The regional representatives are responsible for canvassing C. elegans researchers from their regions on major issues. Advice from ex officio members will also be solicited on all Board issues. The Officers and the Regional Representatives, as the elected officials of the Board, constitute its voting body.

Elections

The Officer is responsible for organizing the election. Each Regional representative will serve on a nomination subcommittee and be responsible for overseeing the election of their replacement. Nominees may be proposed by the community, or be self-nominated. If there are insufficient nominations, current WormBoard members will propose nominees for each position, chosen to represent of the diversity of C. elegans researchers. Nominees must agree to be willing to serve their full terms on WormBoard. Elections will be held in December-January. Newly elected Representatives begin their term the following spring and participate in the WormBoard Meeting at the summer meeting.

Responsibilities of WormBoard

1. To advocate for C. elegans research and represent the interests of the worldwide C. elegans scientific community.

2. To gather input, discuss, and articulate strategic goals for the C. elegans community, including a ‘White paper’ summary at regular intervals.

3. To support international cooperation and communication among C. elegans researchers.

4. To act as a liaison with other communities and scientific societies with related interests.

5. To ensure a successful International C. elegans Meeting. The Board will approve the venue and appoint the Scientific Organizers. The Board will also support the Topic and Regional meetings in alternating years, as well as other community activities.

6. To promote the relevance of C. elegans research to human health, both in fundamental discovery and in biomedical or disease modeling.

7. To promote C. elegans investigators for honors, awards, and prizes

8. To promote public outreach, educational initiatives, programs, or forums, and to support the use of C. elegans in biology education.

9. To promote the generation, maintenance, and advancement of infrastructure projects valuable to the international C. elegans community, including: the WormBase consortium, WormBook, the Caenorhabditis Genetics Center, the C. elegans gene knockout consortia, and nematode genome sequencing projects.

10. In the event that any unspent funds are available, to the Board will develop plans to administer them for the benefit of the C. elegans research community.

Prepared by Andrew Chisholm (UCSD) 12/15/15, updated 11/26/2019 Anne Hart (Brown)