ASSOCIATION OF NEUROSCIENCE DEPARTMENTS AND PROGRAMS
FALL MEETING SUMMARY
Loews Miami Beach
Miami, FL
October 23, 1999

The ANDP held its annual Fall Meeting and Banquet on Saturday, October 23, at the Loews Miami Beach, in Miami, Florida. This year, ANDP initiated a new program for graduate students and postdoctoral trainees, the ANDP Training Fellowships. The program is designed to develop leadership skills in neuroscience training and education by involving trainees in policy issues that concern leaders in academia and scientific and government agencies. The five new fellows for 1999-2000 were introduced at the meeting. They are postdoctoral fellows Laura Stone (Oregon Health Sciences University, Vollum Institute); Benjamin Walker (Georgetown University Medical Center); Anne Baldwin (University of Wisconsin-Madison); Annette Gilchrist (Northwestern University); and graduate student Anita McCauley (Wake Forest University). These Fellows will be responsible for developing a session at the Spring meeting of ANDP, which will be held at Georgetown University Conference Center in Washington, D.C., May 6-8, 2000. The Fellows program is supported in part by royalties derived from the new textbook, Fundamental Neuroscience, published by Academic Press. A more detailed description of the program can be found on the ANDP web site: www.andp.org/fellows.htm .

A highlight of the banquet was the presentation of two major awards given by ANDP. About 65 attendees were present for the presentation to the Education Award winner for 1999, Michael Zigmond, Ph.D., of the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Floyd Bloom, a previous winner of the ANDP Education Award, introduced Dr. Zigmond and remarked on his many contributions to neuroscience training and education. In particular, he noted his role in spearheading publication of the new textbook, Fundamental Neuroscience, and his role in developing workshops for trainees and educators that emphasize strategies for optimizing the training period and for choosing and obtaining a job.

A Distinguished Service Award was presented to Ms. Nancy Beang, Executive Director of the Society for Neuroscience, in recognition of her support and management contributions to the ANDP during the years that its administration was housed in the Society for Neuroscience headquarters in Washington, D.C. Dr. James Blankenship, former President of ANDP, of the U. Texas described the development of ANDP, its relationship to the Society for Neuroscience and collaboration with the Society in lobbying efforts on Capitol Hill during the early part of its history.  He noted Ms. Beang's many contributions to the development of these successful organizations.

ANDP sponsored two other events in Miami Beach. On Saturday, October 23, ANDP and NIMH co-sponsored a workshop on Job-Seeking and Granting skills, organized by Dr. Michael Zigmond and Ms. Beth Fischer. An enthusiastic audience interacted with the guest speakers representing careers in industry (Eli Lilly), scientific publishing (Academic Press), undergraduate science teaching (Davidson College) and (scientific administration) NIMH. Doug Meinecke from NIMH discussed granting strategies and policies. On Monday, Oct. 25, the second annual ANDP Forum on Graduate Training in Neuroscience featured the presentation and discussion of data from two surveys of graduate training and careers. Dr. Ranney Mize (Louisiana State University) organized the presentations of the third ANDP Five Year Survey by Dr. Ron Schoenfeld of NIMH (currently an IPA fellow with ANDP) and of the National Research Council Report on Trends in the Early Careers of Life Scientists, by Dr. Corey Goodman (U.California, Berkeley). Concerns about interpretation and potential usage of the data to determine training policy were represented in a lively panel discussion with the presenters, Dr. Connie Atwell, of NINDS and Nicholas Brecha (U. California, Los Angeles).

As in previous years, ANDP and the Society for Neuroscience co-sponsored the Student Hospitality Suite, open daily from 8 AM to 5 PM as a retreat from the hubbub of the meeting. Students greatly appreciate having a spot of their own. Volunteer graduate students from a variety of training programs manned the site. They received ANDP T-shirts and reimbursement for meeting registration in return for their services.

New officers of ANDP assumed their duties at this meeting: Barbara R. Talamo (Tufts University School of Medicine) President, Edward Stricker (University of Pittsburgh) President-Elect, Cheryl Sisk (Michigan State) Treasurer, and Leslie P. Tolbert (U. Arizona) Councilor. We appreciate the valuable contributions of outgoing Treasurer George Rebec (Indiana University), Councilor Dennison Smith (Oberlin College), and are particularly appreciative of the services of Ranney Mize (Louisiana State University), who served as Past President and also acted as Co-President with Barbara Talamo (President-Elect) during the past year.

Please note that ANDP has moved its administrative offices. Our new office is located on the FASEB campus in Bethesda, MD. Address: ANDP, 9650 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD. 20814-3998. Phone: 301 530-7120.