Chapter Purpose and Goals
The purpose of chapters includes awakening interest in the discipline of physiology at the grass roots level. A goal has been established to entice younger generations into considering the discipline of physiology as a career, from the high school to the college level. Chapters will also encourage the recruitment and training of new Ph.D.s, to learn and teach the discipline of physiology. The chapters also encourage and support sharing research and advancing collaboration among regional and state physiologists. Understanding the needs of the public and their perception of physiology is another goal of the chapters. Increased understanding in how the general population perceives the ethics of the relationship of everyday research and teaching activities is needed. Once those needs have been identified, chapters will help to disseminate the culture in and philosophy of the discipline of physiology across societal strata and boundaries. An emphasis will be placed on strengthening, through collaboration with State Government Agencies and Industry, direct and in-kind support of the discipline of Physiology.
Chapter Status
Over the last year, four state chapters (Arizona, Tennessee, Indiana and Puerto Rico) were added to the existing chapters (Ohio, Oklahoma, Gulf Coast, Nebraska, and Iowa) bringing the CAC membership to nine. APS provided $1,000 in start-up funds for each of the four new chapters. Seven chapters have current and approved bylaws (Ohio, Nebraska, Arizona, Tennessee, Indiana, Iowa and Puerto Rico), two chapters have bylaws in revision/review (Gulf Coast, Oklahoma). The nine chapters are: Oklahoma Society of Physiology, Ohio Physiological Society, Iowa Physiological Society, Nebraska Physiological Society, Gulf Coast Physiological Society, Arizona Physiological Society, Tennessee Physiological Society, Indiana Physiological Society, and the Puerto Rico Physiological Society.
Non‐profit Status
Four chapters have obtained their 501(c)(3) nonprofit status or equivalent (Ohio, Nebraska, Iowa, and Puerto Rico). The other five chapters are in the process of obtaining a nonprofit status. The Ohio and Nebraska Chapters participated in 2009 PhUn Week activities.
Awards
APS provides $1,000 travel and honorarium support for an APS lecture at each annual Chapter Meeting, and $500 for graduate/undergraduate student travel awards. In 2009, the APS award funds helped to provide support for three postdoctoral fellow awards, six graduate student awards, and four undergraduate student awards. These funds were complimented by chapter awards, such as the Peter K. Lauf Travel Fellowship of the Ohio Chapter. The APS lecture support enabled six national lecturers to speak at the annual Arizona chapter meeting, the Ohio Chapter meeting, the Gulf Coast Chapter meeting, the Nebraska Chapter meeting, at the Iowa Chapter meeting, and at the Tennessee Chapter meeting.
Chapter Activities
Eight chapters held meetings with over 523 meeting attendees, an increase from last year’s total of 393 meeting attendees. Most annual chapter meetings were held across the state or region’s academic institutions for 1-2 days. In addition to symposia and poster sessions, other Chapter business is conducted during the annual meeting. This includes holding elections, selecting an APS sponsored lecturer for the next meeting, selecting the student and post doc chapter awardees, reviewing the Chapter’s finances, and planning the next annual meeting. The Chapters also focus on how to include high school, post docs and graduate students in functions, how to promote the state or region’s faculty and student posters/presentations, interfacing with other APS activities (i.e. PhUn Week, Summer Teachers, etc.), and increasing chapter membership and ultimately APS membership.
Future Chapters
There is possible chapter development in NY, GA, TX (which faces geographical challenges), PA, KY, IL, the Virginias, the Carolinas, the Dakotas, Kansas, Colorado, New England States, Minnesota, and the Mountain States. Recent CAC contact has been made with interested parties in the Midwest (Minnesota, and/or Upper MI/Lower MI), FL, Northern CA, and Philadelphia, PA.