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Invitation to join SMB from Avner Friedman

On behalf of the Society for Mathematical Biology, this is an invitation to join us in our efforts to further develop and enhance research and education in math biology. The SMB has been the leading international organization in mathematical biology for the past 30 years, with members from more than 50 countries. The Society carries out a wide variety of activities, and offers members an opportunity to participate in a rapidly changing field that is having influence on areas from public policy for health-related issues, to conservation of natural resources, to genomics and proteomics.

Membership in the Society provides a very inexpensive way to stay current in mathematical biology, since membership includes a subscription to one of the premier journals in the field, the Bulletin of Mathematical Biology (http://www.springer.com/11538), edited by Philip Maini. The Bulletin is the official journal of the Society, and publishes current research at the junction of computational, theoretical and experimental biology. Members also receive the Society Newsletter which is expanding to include brief, personalized summaries by leading researchers of very active areas of current research. In 2008, the Newsletter will add new columns focusing on personal profiles of researchers in mathematical biology and highlights of research achievements by young researchers. The Newsletter is for the whole mathematical biology community, and you are encouraged to contribute articles, notices of meetings, or other items of general interest. The Society also sponsors the SMB Digest (http://www.smb.org/publications/digest.shtml), which is distributed by email approximately weekly to numerous researchers worldwide, including information on new positions, meetings, and texts.

Among its activities in communicating the latest research in mathematical biology, the Society supports an annual meeting (the 2006 conference was a joint meeting with SIAM Life Sciences at North Carolina State University July 31- August 4; the 2007 conference was a joint gathering in San Jose, California with the Japanese Society for Mathematical Biology, July 31 - August 3; the 2008 conference will be held in Toronto, Ontario, on July 30-August 2). At these meetings, in addition to the oral and poster presentations, the Society sponsors a very unique mentoring program that has received a good deal of acclaim (http://nextwave.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/2003/10/22/9). SMB offers a wide variety of financial support to students and members, especially those from less-developed countries, to assist their attendance. The Society also offers financial support for scientific meetings related to mathematical biology, with particular emphasis on those organized by members, or to assist members attendance at such meetings.

Society activities happen due to the dedicated service of volunteers including committee chairs (http://www.smb.org/governance/officers.shtml). I thank those who volunteer their effort to "make things happen" in our Society, and encourage new members to consider assisting in these efforts.

I hope you will consider joining the Society. A standard membership costs only $50 per year, with discounts available for students, those from less-developed countries, and members of affiliated socities. We are always open to suggestions of ways to enhance the benefits to our members and I encourage you to contact me if you have any comments.

Best regards,
Avner Friedman
President, Society for Mathematical Biology

Click here for an application form (in Adobe Acrobat - pdf format).