CALL FOR PROPOSALS: ISCB-Asia Meeting

Deadline: 30 November 2010 -- Submit via email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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The aim of the International Society for Computational Biology (ISCB) is to serve the worldwide computational biology community by addressing scientific policies, providing access to high quality publications, organising meetings, and serving as a portal to information about training, education, employment and news from related fields. ISCB currently has over 2600 members from nearly 70 countries around the world. Among its many activities ISCB hosts annual meetings, including ISMB, the world's longest running and largest bioinformatics conference (held jointly with ECCB every other year in Europe), as well as a series of smaller, newer meetings. ISCB also has affiliations in place with several other significant meetings in the field, such as RECOMB.

In an extension to its meeting activities ISCB is participating in the organization of regional meetings in locations where ISMB has not been held. In 2009 a joint ISCB-Africa was held in Bamako, Mali in collaboration with the African Society for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology (ASBCB), and in 2010 ISCB-Latin America was held in Montevideo, Uruguay. ISCB is now preparing to expand this regional conference model to the development of an ISCB-Asia meetings. ISCB is therefore soliciting applications for the co-organization of a bioinformatics meeting in Asia.

The meetings will take the form of a satellite conference to be held annually in one or more locations in Asia. ISCB would like to affiliate with an existing society/societies in the Asia region, or to work with a group that has a similar interest in organising a bioinformatics community meeting in Asia. A requirement that ISCB-Asia become permanently affiliated to an existing meeting or society is not intended, so proposals from all communities are welcome.

Preliminary proposals should provide:

• Names and short CVs of local organising committee members and their proposed roles
• Evidence of previous experience in organising mid-large sized meetings
• Planned meeting dates and location
• Budget proposal including estimated registration fees, and preliminary commitments for financial support from sponsors.
• Estimated meeting size
• Focus of scientific program (if focus on a specialist research topic is planned)
• Plans for publishing or online dissemination of the proceedings
• Evidence of co-operation among multiple regional groups in Asia

ISCB will:

• Participate through elected ISCB scientific representatives on the organising committee
• Host the website, if required\
• Endorse and advertise the meeting through its extensive mailing lists
• Suggest keynote speakers
• Potentially provide funds to seed the meeting (funds repayable to ISCB from conference proceeds)
• Provide budget guidance
• Potentially provide travel funds to support student participation

Criteria for evaluation

• Proposals which emphasize and encourage attendance from a diverse range of regional groups and attendees will have an advantage
• The meeting should be in a place where there is expected to be a sizeable local community from which attendance can be expected
• Budget is within the range which can reasonably be covered by reasonably estimated registration fees alone
• Preference given to organising committees with diverse representation
• Proposers should have experience with organising meetings

Proposals should be submitted via email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by 30 November 2010.

PSB 2011 travel support application deadline is September 27th – apply today!

The 16th annual Pacific Symposium on Biocomputing will take place January 3-7 on the Big Island of Hawaii.  This year's paper sessions include personal genomics, microbiome studies, integration of biological and clinical data for translational research, GWAS methods for rare alleles, reverse engineering and synthesis of biomolecular systems and multiscale modeling of biosystems.  Registration is open, and travel support is available.  Applications for travel support are due September 27, and the poster abstract submission deadline is November 29.  See http://psb.stanford.edu for details.

Please Vote in ISCB Elections

Dear ISCB Member,

ISCB elections for the Officer positions of Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary are now awaiting your vote online. At the same time and on the same ballot are the elections for all ISCB Student Council leadership positions. Your participation is highly encouraged, as the results of these elections will form the basis of the future direction, and establishment of priorities, for ISCB and its vibrant Student Council.

Please cast your ballot at www.iscb.org/cms_addon/nominate/election/iscb_election/elect.php before the deadline of October 11, 2010. (To ensure you are a current member and that you have not already voted, login to your member account is required. If you are already logged in you can navigate to the "Online Elections" link under the ISCB Users Menu.)

It is important that all members participate in electing our Society's leaders. If you feel you do not know the candidates, please note a full candidate statement and CV is viewable for each member running for each office. Voting can take as little as a few minutes, or as much time as you would like to give it in order to most carefully consider each candidate.

Thank you for your participation,

Dietlnd Gerloff, Chair, ISCB Nominations Committee

October 13, 2010

Seeking Nominations for ISCB Annual Awards – Overton Prize and Accomplishment by a Sr. Scientist Award (deadline Nov  30)