Difference between revisions of "WormBoard"

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<superscript>1</superscript> Only registered worm labs that published in last 5 yrs (2015-2020) were considered.
  
 
== Officers (total 4) ==
 
== Officers (total 4) ==

Revision as of 16:24, 25 November 2020

WormBoard Charter

Last Update: November 2020

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 International C. elegans Board (ICB), a.k.a. WormBoard, was formed in 2015 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.

Representatives (total 15); 12 regional, including one underrepresented minority from USA, 1 additional underrepresented minority from any country, 1 postdoc and one graduate student.

Regional representatives will be selected by votes of the entire community and will serve for 4 years. Representation of regions is based on approximate number of active labs and will be periodically reviewed.


Number of labs <superscript>1</superscript>) Proportion Proposed # of representatives Notes
US 711 52% 4
- include one underrepresented minority
- include one representative from a PUI (primarily undergraduate institution)
- discontinue geographic representation (East/West, etc.)
Canada 78 6% 1
Latin America 17 1% 1 (created in the 2020-2021 Wormboard reorganization)
Europe 322 23% 2
Middle East 26 2% 1 (created in the 2020-2021 Wormboard reorganization)
Asia 196 14% 2
Pacific (Aus/NZ) 23 2% 1 (created in the 2020-2021 Wormboard reorganization)
SUBTOTAL 12
Minority 1 this shall be member of an underrepresented minority from whatever country the nomination comes from
PhD Student 1 Alternates from different geographic regions. No two trainees from same region, no trainee whose mentor sits on WormBoard
Postdoc 1
Total 15

<superscript>1</superscript> Only registered worm labs that published in last 5 yrs (2015-2020) were considered.

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. Usually, the President-elect becomes President in their 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)

WormBoard Members

Role 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016
President Jane Hubbard Andrew Chisholm
President-Elect Maureen Barr Anne Hart
Secretary Oliver Hobert Oliver Hobert
Officer/Treasurer Ahna Skop Julie Ahringer
US/East Judith Yanowitz Jane Hubbard
US/Central/South David Greenstein David Greenstein
US/West Miriam Goodman Miriam Goodman
US/PUI Te-Wen Lo Te-Wen Lo
Canada and Americas Brent Derry Brent Derry
Europe-A Barbara Conradt Ralf Sommer
Europe-B Sander van den Heuvel Peter Meister
Asia-A Xiaochen Wang Hong Zhang
Asia-B Asako Sugimoto Asako Sugimoto
Ex-officio non-voting members
GSA Liaison Swathi Arur Anne Villeneuve
WormBase PI Paul Sternberg Paul Sternberg
CGC Director Ann Rougvie Ann Rougvie
Nomenclature coordinator Tim Schedl Tim Schedl
WormBook EIC Iva Greenwald Iva Greenwald
Knockout Consortium PI Don Moerman Don Moerman
Knockout Consortium PI Shohei Mitani Shohei Mitani
Nematode Genome PI Erik Anderson Mark Blaxter
IWM Current Organizer Barbara Conradt (2021) Julie Ahringer
IWM Current Organizer Piali Sengupta (2021) Michael Koelle
IWM Past Organizer Julie Ahringer (2019) Andrew Chisholm
IWM Past Organizer Michael Koelle (2019) Marie-Anne Felix



WormBoard Meetings and Reports