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One may think that putting
together a large international congress every four years is a bit like
organizing a symposium for several hundred people—a relatively easy task.
But the organization of each new congress of the International Union of
Physiological Sciences (IUPS) is a lengthy process indeed. I’ve been part of
this repeating procedure now since I first came to work for the IUPS to help
prepare for the 1977 congress in Paris. Over the years the procedure has
strengthened, the congresses become ever more professional, but as much as
we continue to learn from the past, the wheel seems to be reinvented each
time around.
The congress changed from three to four years back in 1989, so invitations
to host such a congress are now presented to the General Assembly eight
years before the event, a selection is made, and that selection is then
confirmed by the General Assembly four years hence. The American group had
hosted the 1968 IUPS Congress in Washington, and the US National Academy of
Science decided to submit an invitation once again at the 1993 General
Assembly in Glasgow to host the 2001 IUPS Congress. However, other
invitations were also received and the Physiological Society of New Zealand
was selected to host that meeting.
The Americans again submitted an invitation at the 1997 General Assembly to
host the 2005 Congress with the plan being that it would take place at the
new congress center in Washington DC. After four rounds of votes concerning
six other societies that had presented a bid, the American invitation was
selected and the machine set in motion, albeit slowly at first. It should be
noted though, that after such a lengthy procedure it was decided that in the
future the Executive Committee would review all dossiers and aim to submit
the best three to the General Assembly.
The actual location within the host country is at the discretion of the
inviting society. So when the National Organizing Committee, chaired by Shu
Chien, decided several years later it would be beneficial to all concerned
to move the site from the original suggestion on the East Coast to San
Diego. This was so that it could be in conjunction with, but independent
from, the annual Experimental Biology meeting. And the 2001 General Assembly
fully confirmed this decision.
In order to help ensure that there is good international representation on
the scientific program, the IUPS plays an important role by its
participation in the International Scientific Program Committee. Generally,
the IUPS representatives are the chairs of the eight Commissions, the
Education and Physiome Committees and two other persons. And in the four
years following the confirmation, these people met formally with the
National Scientific Program Committee on two occasions and were consulted
regularly by electronic mail. However, not having played an active role in
this procedure, best that I let those who did so extend the compliments on
how well everyone worked under Walter Boron’s leadership.
My job was more directed to the practical level of the IUPS Council and
General Assembly which would meet during the days preceding the congress:
collecting reports, calling for delegates, distributing material, etc. and
organizing a meeting of the new Council during the congress itself. As
always, Marty Frank at the APS office and all his team did a remarkable job
in making sure our needs were met well and efficiently.
When the time of the congress finally arrived, before its scientific
excitement could get underway, the quadrennial business of the International
Union of Physiology Sciences had to be dealt with: the meeting of the IUPS
General Assembly. Seventy-one voting delegates (from Adhering Bodies and
Council) and 18 observers participated in this meeting at the Hilton Gaslamp
Hotel on Thursday 31 March. This compared with 76 voting delegates in
Christchurch and 86 in St. Petersburg. This meeting is always an outstanding
opportunity for the member societies of the IUPS to reestablish contact with
one another even before they meet during the congress itself.
The meeting was begun by opening remarks of the IUPS President, Allen Cowley,
with a report of the efforts which had been carried out during the previous
four years as well some of the decisions taken at the Council meetings which
had taken place the preceding two days. This was followed by a financial
report of the Treasurer, Jimmy Neill, and a report from the Secretary
General, Ole Petersen.
Thereafter, the chair of each of the committees, Membership, Education,
Physiome, Ethics, and Nominating described the varied activities carried out
by their groups over the past four years: the Union’s membership had
increased, there was again to be a large teaching workshop after the
congress, several modeling projects are underway worldwide, the thorny
question of ethics is being looked at, and a new Council was nominated and
elected. As always they will hold office for a four year term until the next
congress, with Akimichi Kaneko becoming President.
This was followed by a discussion of the commissions which had been
reorganized following the 2001 congress from 33 into eight. It was proposed
that a further refinement would be a benefit, thus two of them in the field
of neurobiology were combined and a new one added to deal with molecular and
cellular physiology. Again they will be called upon to help plan the
scientific program for the next congress.
Toward the end of the meeting, a fair amount of time was spent reporting on
the regional activities of the Union in the Asia Pacific, Europe, South
American and Africa, and how important it is to have the IUPS play an active
role in each. For instance, it has been decided to launch an African
Initiative to help with the teaching of physiology throughout the African
continent. But it is hoped that we will be able to reach well beyond that in
our efforts.
The other major piece of business was to plan for future Congresses. First,
the invitation from the Physiological Society of Japan to host the 2009
congress in Kyoto which had been approved in 2001 was confirmed. Then four
very comprehensive invitations to host 2013 were presented. These were from
the Austrian Physiological Society, Chinese Association for Physiological
Sciences, Czech Physiological Society and The Physiological Society (UK). A
difficult selection to make, but after two ballots, the invitation from The
Physiological Society (UK) was accepted. This will be presented for
confirmation to the General Assembly in 2009.
Thus, the cycle will continue, at least for the next eight years. During the
four years to come the newly elected Council and its Executive Committee
will once again do their best to follow the instructions and guidance of the
General Assembly. They will ensure that the IUPS continues as a viable
organization that not only sponsors outstanding congresses every four years
but also promotes ongoing activities on a smaller scale that help to
strengthen the field of physiology worldwide.
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