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IUSSI News
News, June 2024The Australasian section has a new web page: https://bee-lab.sydney.edu.au/iussi-2/ News, September 2023The Brazilian section has a new web page: https://www.iussisecbras.org.br/ News, July 2023Newsletter from Secretary General, Mark BrownMark's first newsletter since being elected Secretary General last year can be foud here. As well as updates on the Insects Sociaux editorial team, the latest details of the upcoming International and European congresses, and of the society-produced Encyclopedia of Social Insects (Edited by archivist, Chris Starr), Mark writes about an initiative proposed by James Nieh, to expand our support for Section Members around the world: Putting EDI (Equality, Diversity and Inclusion) at the Heart of the IUSSIOver the past few years, it has become increasingly obvious that scientific societies, like all other aspects of the global community, have a job to do in increasing equality, diversity, and inclusion. The IUSSI is not immune from this need, and it has been more than heartening seeing and being part of EDI developments at previous IUSSI International Congresses. Before going any further, I'd like to thank Chelsea Cook and the DEI Committee (aka 'JEDI') for all their work before and during the San Diego Congress, which played a major role in making this meeting more supportive, safe, and welcoming to all participants. In my election speech in San Diego, I emphasised that I wanted to make significant progress in the IUSSI around EDI. Coming from a financially privileged (despite the best efforts of our politicians!), Western European country, I realise that it is much easier for me to attend national and international IUSSI meetings than it is for many of our colleagues. Consequently, I was delighted to hear James Nieh's suggestion of an IUSSI EDI Fund, specifically to enhance opportunities for our members who (i) are less privileged, (ii) come from minoritized communities, or (iii) from low and middle income countries (as defined by the world bank) to attend the International Congress of our Union, starting with Freiburg in The challenge that we face is that there are limited funds from Insectes Sociaux (our journal is the only source of funds for the central IUSSI) for sponsoring student attendance. James's suggestion incorporates a range of potential additional funds - including targeted fundraising by IUSSI Sections, a GoFundMe (or similar) Campaign, and the reinstatement of International Dues in a manner that is sensitive to differences between Sections and Individuals. Any monies raised would be held by the central IUSSI and disbursed specifically to support Congress attendance by members belonging to the groups defined above. This would, of course, be done following our best practice, and involve the Financial Subcommittee, the IUSSI President, and Section Presidents. I will be sending your Section Presidents a more detailed version of this proposal, for them to discuss with you. I hope, and believe, that our membership will support this groundbreaking proposal, and enable our colleagues from all around the world to attend our International Congresses. We, and our science, will be richer for it! News, October 2022Two new Associate Editors joining Insectes Sociaux – From Madeleine Beekman, Editor in Chief, Insectes SociauxI have been overwhelmed with interest to join Insectes Sociaux as Associate Editor, so I had to make some difficult decisions. Miriam and I decided that in addition to an AE with expertise in ants, we also wanted someone with expertise in ‘the other social critters’ so that hopefully we will see an increase in non-Hymenopteran and non-Isopteran submissions. It is therefore with great pleasure that I announce that Joël Meunier has joined us as the ‘other social critters’ AE and Christopher Pull brings his broad expertise in everything ants related to the table. Below they tell us a little bit about themselves. Thank you to everyone who put their hand up to join our journal. I am sorry you didn’t make it this time, but there will always be a next time.
News, September 2022Roundup of news from the XIX International congress in San Diego, CaliforniaThe international meeting took place in San Diego, California from 3-7 July 2022. You can find the web site for the meeting here: http://burkclients.com/IUSSI/meetings/2022/site/ The 2022 Hamilton awardThe fifth Hamilton Award was presented to Bert (Berthold K) Hölldobler at the XIX International Congress, in San Diego, USA in July 2022. The award consisted of an engraved ornament, and a monetary award of US$ 1000, which Bert donated to the North American section of the IUSSI, to be used for four $250 travel grants for young researchers. The award was collected by Jürgen Gadau on behalf of Bert, who could not attend the meeting, and Christina Kwapich read out an acceptance address written by Bert. The 2022 West-Eberhard awardThe inaugural West-Eberhard Award was presented to Patrick Kennedy from the North-West European section of the IUSSI, in recognition of his resaerch on kin-selection in wasps. Patrick gave a talk entitled "Life advice for wasps" summarizing some of his work and career. The award consisted of an engraved ornament, and a monetary award of US$ 750. New officersThe following new officers were elected at the general assembly meeting:
Other officers that have agreed to continue in their posts are Chris Star (Archivist) and David Nash (Webmaster), although David will also take up the post of assistant archivist, with the aim of taking over Chhris' duties over the next few years, associated with the relocation of the archive to Copenhagen, Denmark, and its on-going digitialization. Chris's latest archivist's report can be downloaded here. Many thanks to Madeleine Beekman for holding the Secretary General reins so effectively since 2014, and to Jennifer Fewell as the outgoing president, for arranging the San Diego meeting along with her very able team. New editor-in-chief of Insectes SociauxAfter 4 years as editor-in-chief, Miriam Richards is stepping down, and will be succeeded by Madeleine Beekman. Madeleine also writes:
Financial sub-committeeMark Brown and Rachelle Adams stepped down from the committee, and have been succeeded by James Nieh and Simon Tierney. The remaining member of the sub-committee, Heike Feldhaar, remains in office. The next international congressThe XX (20th) international congress of the union will be hosted by the Central European section, and will be held in Freiburg, Germany in summer 2026. Judith Korb will spearhead the organization of the meeting, and will hence become the new president of the society (see above).
News, February 2022Secretary General's NewsletterMadeleine Beekman's latest newsletter as Secretary General of the IUSSI (February 2022) is now available for download on the "about" page and here. Previous newsletters (including some not flagged up on this news page) can be found on the "about" page. Note, in particular, that several positions within the IUSSI are up for renewal or electiuon at the XIX IUSSI International Congress of the IUSSI in July 2022, including Scretary General and Editor-in-Chief of Insectes Sociaux, and a host for the 2026 congress (and the associated position of IUSSI president) is also being sort. Updated website for the Australasian Section, November 2021The new site is nested within the Molecular Ecology, Evolution, and Phylogenetics (MEEP) Lab in the School of Life and Environmental Sciences at Sydney University - courtesy of the section treasurer Nathan Lo: https://meep.sydney.edu.au/iussi/ News of the African Section, October 2021Dear colleagues, Eusocial greetings to you. We are happy to announce that the long-awaited African Section of the IUSSI is about to be re-launched. Currently, we have social insect researchers from 10 African countries who are very enthusiastic to provide a strong African voice to the IUSSI. The online inauguration symposium of our section will take place on November 25th (CAT 10:00 am – 6:30 pm) and we are looking forward to a lively symposium. Please find more information here: https://africaniussi.wordpress.com/ We are eagerly awaiting fruitful discussions and new collaborations with members of the other sections latest at the international IUSSI congress in San Diego! If you have any questions don’t hesitate to contact us through our africaniussi@up.ac.za email. Many greetings on behalf of the African IUSSI,
News, December 2019Secretary General's NewsletterMadeleine Beekman's fifth newsletter as Secretary General of the IUSSI is now available for download on the "about" page and here. Newsletters from the sectionsThe latest newsletters from several sections can be found here: 26/12/2019 News, June 2019Secretary General's NewsletterMadeleine Beekman's fourth newsletter as Secretary General of the IUSSI is now available for download here. New web address for French-speaking sectionThe new site for the French-speaking section is http://insectes-sociaux.org/ News, October 2018The 2018 updated version of the IUSSI constitution is available here. Roundup of news from the XVIII International congress in Guarujá, Brazil
Secretary-General's reportA PDF version of the secretary-general's report, given at the meeting, can be downloaded here. The 2018 Hamilton awardThe fourth Hamilton Award was presented to Jacobus (Koos) Boomsma at the XVIII International Congress, in Guarujá, Brazil in August 2018. The award consisted of an engraved glass ornament, and a monetary award of US$ 1000, which Koos donated to the IUSSI to suppport the digitization of the union's archive. New officerThe following new officer was elected at the general assembly meeting:
Other officers that have agreed to continue in their posts are Madaleine Beekman (Secretary-General), Chris Star (Archivist) and David Nash (Webmaster) New editor-in-chief of Insectes SociauxAfter 4 years as editor-in-chief, Michael Breed is stepping down, and will be succeeded by Miriam Richards. Financial sub-committeeJoan Herbers stepped down from the committee, and has been succeeded by Rachelle Adams. The other members of the sub-committee, Mark Brown and Heike Feldhaar, remain in office. The next international congressThe XIX international congress of the union will be hosted by the North American section, and will be held in San Diego, California in summer 2022. News, July 2018A draft of a new version of the IUSSI constitution is available here for comment News, March 2018Grants to attend the 2018 International Congress in Guarujá, BrazilThe Financial Subcommittee of the International Committee has set aside $20,000 USD to assist PhD students and early-career researchers from countries without an IUSSI Section to attend the 2018 Congress in Guarujá, Brazil. Applicants must present their work at the IUSSI2018 either as a poster, or a talk. Funds are only available to assist with registration and accommodation; no funds are available for travel. Applicants will need to provide an up-to-date CV, an explanation for why they request funds from the IUSSI, abstract submitted to IUSSI2018, and evidence of acceptance of a poster or talk at IUSSI2018. Applications should be emailed to the Secretary-General madeleine.beekman@sydney.edu.au Application deadline: April 6, 2018 Those who are members of an IUSSI section should contact their own section for details of grants available. News, February 2018The Italian section of the IUSSI has a new web site: https://socialinsectitaly2.wixsite.com/aisasp News, November 2017Updated IUSSI Section contact detailsThe contact details of all sections in good standing have been updated, and are available here. News, December 2016Secretary General's NewsletterMadeleine Beekman's fourth newsletter as Secretary General of the IUSSI is now available for download on the "about" page and here. New web site for Australasian sectionThe Australasian section has a new (and more easily remembered) web address: http://www.iussiaustralasia.org News, December 2015Secretary General's NewsletterMadeleine Beekman's third newsletter as Secretary General of the IUSSI is now available for download on the "about" page and here. News, 25 September 2015The former Bolivarian section agreed at its 10th biennial general meeting (BGM) on 9-11 September in Bogota to chage its name to the Andean-Caribbean Section, to more clearly represent its geographical coverage. This decision has been approved by the Secretary General and President of the IUSSI, and will be phased in over the next few months, including the establishment of a new, updated web site, and revival of the section newsletter "Tacaya". The executive committee also elected the following officers: President: Marilena Marconi, URKU, Peru; marilena.marconi@gmail.com International Secretary: Christopher K. Starr, University of the West Indies, Trinidad & Tobago; ckstarr@gmail.com Membership secretary: Carlos E. Sarmiento, National University of Colombia; cesarmiento@unal.edu.co Editor of Tacaya: Guiomar Nates-Parra, National University of Colombia; mgnatesp@gmail.com News, September 2015Secretary General's NewsletterMadeleine Beekman's second newsletter as Secretary General of the IUSSI is now available for download on the "about" page and here. New server for IUSSI international siteThe international web site for the IUSSI was migrated to a new server on 13 May 2015 - which unfortunately meant that the site was unreachable for some time prioor to this date - Hopefully this will be the last disruption to the site for a while. New web site for North American sectionThe web site for the North American section can now be found at: http://iussi.cyberbee.net/ News, December 2014Secretary General's NewsletterMadeleine Beekman's first newsletter as Secretary General of the IUSSI is now available for download on the "about" page and here. Cairns program and abstract booksThe program and abstract books from the XVII International congress in Cairns are now available on the meetings page. Roundup of news from the XVII International congress in CairnsThe 2014 Hamilton awardThe third Hamilton Award was presented to Mary Jane West-Eberhard at the XVII International Congress, in Cairns in July 2014. The award consisted of an engraved glass ornament in the shape of a book, and a monetary award of US$ 1000, which Mary Jane donated to the IUSSI. New officersThe following new officers were elected at the general assembly meeting:
Other officers that have agreed to continue in their posts are Chris Star (Archivist) and David Nash (Webmaster) New editor-in-chief of Insectes SociauxAfter 24 years as editor-in-chief, Johan Billen is stepping down, and will be succeeded by Michael Breed, whio will take over in August. Revitalization of Brazilian and Indian sectionsFollowing several years where their status had lapsed, both the Brazilian and Indian sections are now once more in good standing, which was reflected by the many contributions from Brazilian and Indian reserachers at the Cairns meeting. Both sections now have a web presence that is reflected on the "sections" page. The next international congressThe XVIII international congress of the union will be hosted by the newly revitalized Brazilian section, and is planned to take place in the beach resort of Guarujá in July or August 2018 Electronic Payment for North American section membershipThe North American section is now accepting membership subscriptions using PayPal or major credit cards, which greatly eases the process of joining the IUSSI for those who have no local section. Below is an extract from the membership page of the section.
Please see the membership page of the North American Section (iussi.cyberbee.net/member) for more details. The IUSSI is now registered as a charityAfter several years of planning, the IUSSI is now registered as a charity (non-profit organization) with the US Internal Revenue Service, based in the state of Ohio. Please see the following PDF file: IRS IUSSI nonprofit letter New Japanese Section web siteThe Japanese section has a new web site, including English pages, which can be found at: https://sites.google.com/site/iussijapan/english IUSSI European meeting 2012 web site now liveDetails of the congress can be found at: http://www.mdbenterprise.it/iussi/ New Chief Editors for Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 2 September 2011After 17 years of dedicated and excellent service, Tatiana Czeschlik (Heidelberg, Germany) retired as Chief Editor of Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, the first journal devoted exclusively to the publication of original research in these now-preeminent disciplines in behavioral biology. Tatiana is succeeded by Theo C. M. Bakker (University of Bonn, Germany) and James F. A. Traniello (Boston University, USA). Theo Bakker specializes on the behavioral ecology of fishes and will handle manuscripts dealing with vertebrates, while James Traniello, who studies the behavioral ecology of social insects, will be responsible for submissions using invertebrate models. Since its inception, Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology has been a primary venue for the publication of social insect research. The Editors-in-Chief invite the submission of manuscripts which present results of significant research on core topics in the disciplines, and encourage innovative articles integrating cutting-edge conceptual and empirical approaches in genomics and neuroecology to provide novel insights into behavioral adaptation.XVII IUSSI International Congress web site goes live, 21 July 2011The web site for the next international congress is now live: See www.iussi2014.com
Next archive picture online, 21 July 2011The next in the series of pictures from the archive is now on-line. The featured group of social insect researchers is the German-speaking section of the IUSSI, as photographed at Würzburg in 1951. XVII IUSSI International Congress, 13-18 July, Cairns AustraliaCome for the science, stay for the reef and rainforest. The Australian Section will be hosting the next international congress of IUSSI. The President is Ben Oldroyd, and the organizing committee currently comprises Madeleine Beekman, Simon Robson and Judith Reinhard. The committee will be expanded closer to the event. The Congress will be held in the magnificent Cairns Convention Centre, and there will be a brilliant selection of post conference tours, etc. There will be discounts for student delegates, and students are strongly encouraged to participate and to present. Please mark the dates in your calendar. We have registered the domain name www.IUSSI2014.com. We'll go live as soon as we can. Next archive picture online, 10 March 2011The next in the series of pictures from the archive is now on-line. The featured social insect researcher is Rene Antoine Ferchault De Reaumur (1683-1757). Next archive picture online, 6 December 2010The next in the series of pictures from the archive is now on-line. The featured social insect researcher is Eva Crane (1912-2007). New web address for the Italian section, 1 December 2010The Italian section now has a new, and hopefully more permanent, web site at: http://www.aisasp.it/ New web address for French & Italian sections, 11 October 2010The French speaking section can now be found at: http://uieis.univ-tours.fr/ The Italian section now has a new web site at: http://aisasp.altervista.org/blog/ (this has now been superceded - see above) Site News, 30 August 2010Following the XVI international meeting of the IUSSI in Copenhagen, Denmark, the design of the IUSSI International web site has been modified to allow easier updating and expansion. The site will probably be in a state of transition for several months, so please excuse any changes or small disruptions during this time. IUSSI News, August 2010At the XVI international meeting of the IUSSI in Copenhagen, Denmark, the following officers were elected to serve on the international committee of the IUSSI: Secretary General: Joan Herbers Other officers that agreed to continue their previous positions at the meeting were: Archivist: Chris Starr During the Congress, the IUSSI adopted a new constitution, which can be viewed or downloaded as a PDF file here. The minutes of the International Committee meeting can be found here. The report of the Secretary General can be found here. Hamilton Award 2010The IUSSI honors a senior scientist at its quadrennial Congress with the Hamilton Award. The highest honor we bestow, the Hamilton Award recognizes lifetime achievement in the biology of social insects. We seek nominations of individuals whose scientific contributions are profound, and who have broadly influenced colleagues and students. A committee of IUSSI Section Presidents has chosen Charles D. Michener to receive the Hamilton Award 2010. Professor Michener, who prefers to be called “Mich”, is the world authority on bees. He published his first paper in 1935 as a teenager, and in the ensuing 75 years his publications have included more than 400 papers, and highly influential books on bee social behavior and systematics. While his work has maintained a special focus on halictid bees, he has also made contributions to the biology of arthropods from moths to mites. Mich has trained a legion of bee biologists during his long career at the University of Kansas; the list of his students and collaborators shows his strong influence on the development of social insect biology. He has inspired by example, and given his time generously to help his students do their best. Few scientists have had the influence on our field as has Charles Michener, and we are honored to bestow this recognition on himThe award will be presented at the XVI International Congress of the IUSSI in Copenhagen in August 2010. Unfortunately Mich is unable to attend the Congress to collect the award in person, but there will be a plenary session to celebrate the award and his many achievements on Wednesday morning. Northwest European Section NewsAt the Winter 2007 meeting of the British Section of the IUSSI it was decided that the name of the section will henceforth be the Northwest European Section, to more accurately reflect the section membership. IUSSI News, August 2006At the XV international meeting of the IUSSI in Washington D.C., USA, the following officers were elected to serve on the international committee of the IUSSI:Secretary General: Joan Herbers Other officers that agreed to continue their previous positions at the meeting were: Conservation officer: Donat Agosti The election of Koos Boomsma to the office of president is in association with the selection of Copenhagen as the site of the next international congress in summer 2010. The first Hamilton Award was given at the same meeting, to Ross Crozier. French Section NewsThe French section has a new web address:Brazilian Section NewsThe Brazilian section now has a web site:Seccion Bolivariana NewsThe section has a new web address:Italian Section NewsThe Italian section of the IUSSI has a new web address:Australian section newsThe Australian section has established a web site at:German-speaking section newsThe German-speaking section of the IUSSI has a new web address. The new address is:IUSSI News, August 2002At the XIV international meeting of the IUSSI in Sapporo, Japan, the following officers were elected to serve on the international committee of the IUSSI:Secretary General: Wolfgang Kirchner Other officers that volunteered their services at the meeting were: Conservation officer: Donat Agosti The election of Walter Tschinkel to the office of president is in association with the selection of Washington D.C. as the site of the next international congress in summer 2006. Site NewsAs you can read above, the IUSSI web site has a new webmaster, David Nash. Please contact him at DRNash(at)bio.ku.dk if you have any items of news that you think should be included here, or if you have any corrections or suggestions for the web pages. |
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