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SPECIAL ISSUE MARCH/APRIL 2012 Issue Highlights N AAI President’s Invitation Letter N Focus on Public Affairs N 2012 AAI Career Awardee Profiles N 2012 Annual Meeting Preview N 2012 Meeting Exhibitors, Sponsors &'())) * * ! " ! # " $ %&'(#)(! #$% * $ +,,-. / IMMUNOLOGY 2012™ AAI President’s Invitation to IMMUNOLOGY 2012™! The American Association of Immunologists DearDearr AAI Members,Members, GuestGuest SocietySocietyy Members,Members, andand Colleagues:Colleagues: 9650 Rockville Pike t is my great pleasure to invite you to IMMUNOLOGY Bethesda, MD 20814-3994 2012™ and to the historic city of Boston, Massachusetts. Tel: 301-634-7178 IFor your stay in Boston in May, I urge you to put aside your Fax: 301-634-7887 concerns about the economy, the state of funding, and future Email: [email protected] career opportunities. Instead, take some time here to pause and www.aai.org marvel at the tremendous progress we are witnessing in our field. We are fortunate to be working at a time of great strides in Member Services immunology, so many that, even as densely packed as the meeting Tel: 301-634-7195 program is, it still cannot encompass every single important Email: [email protected] advance in the field. Still, no other venue can provide the broad exposure to the best and most exciting research we’ll gain during The Journal of Immunology the week in the Major Symposia, the Distinguished Lectures Tel: 301-634-7197 and Awards Lectures, the President’s Symposium, Guest Society Symposia, NIH Institute-sponsored Symposia, the 69 Block Email: [email protected] LeslieLeslie J.J Berg,Berg Ph.D.Ph D Symposia, and the more than 1,700 poster presentations. www.jimmunol.org/ AAI President And there’s even more than the scientific sessions making Council IMMUNOLOGY 2012™ unique. There are educational sessions that discuss the ins and outs President of publishing, peer review, funding, and career advancement, as well as sessions focusing on Leslie J. Berg, Ph.D. the public policy issues and political developments impacting our field. We’ll also have sessions to explore issues relevant to specific disciplines such as veterinary immunology and clinical Vice President immunology. There will be sessions to highlight the challenges of specific career paths—whether Gail A. Bishop, Ph.D. in academia or beyond—and the art of maintaining a work-life balance addressed by inspirational Past President scientists. And then there are the phenomenal social events made possible through the generosity Jeffrey A. Frelinger, Ph.D. of our sponsors. Secretary-Treasurer But, just as important, remember that this meeting brings you together with over 3,000 Mitchell Kronenberg, Ph.D. of your colleagues—individuals from across the United States, as well as all the far reaches of the globe. So spend some time finding your friends or talking with your colleagues. Look for Councillors that person whose papers you’ve read and always wanted to meet. Find that person you’ve been Marc K. Jenkins, Ph.D. meaning to talk to about a potential collaboration. Stake out that interesting poster, and take Linda A. Sherman, Ph.D. advantage of the daily poster-presentation hour to meet with the presenting authors and discuss Dan R. Littman, M.D., Ph.D. their intriguing findings. Arlene H. Sharpe, M.D., Ph.D. Then, after business, there is pleasure! Boston is a beautiful, walkable city, and we are lucky Ex Officio Councillors that our meeting is situated in the heart of the Back Bay. No matter whether your interests are music, arts, sports, or history, you will find it worthwhile to spend some time exploring the city. Jeremy M. Boss, Ph.D. Just walk right outside the door! M. Michele Hogan, Ph.D. Kristin A. Hogquist, Ph.D. This is also my opportunity to thank everyone involved in planning and implementing this Paul E. Love, M.D., Ph.D. colossal meeting. We are fortunate to have the insight and wisdom of the AAI Program Chair Kris Hogquist, who has done a magnificent job fulfilling her responsibility for the Scientific Program. Executive Director And, in turn, she is fortunate to have the dedicated and efficient AAI staff behind her to organize M. Michele Hogan, Ph.D. the myriad details necessary for a meeting of this scale. My own personal thanks go to AAI www.aai.org/About/Departments-Staff Executive Director Michele Hogan, who is the backbone of the association. Not only does she manage all of AAI’s numerous activities, including overseeing the annual meeting and The Journal of Immunology, but she also “manages” the president as well! See you in Boston! Leslie Berg, Ph.D., AAI President THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF IMMUNOLOGISTS s 3 FOCUS ON PUBLIC AFFAIRS President Obama Releases Budget for FY 2013 resident Obama unveiled his budget for FY 2013 on PFebruary 13. The president’s budget includes $30.7 billion for NIH, the same amount received by NIH in FY 2012. Though the president’s budget “flat funds” NIH, it would allow NIH to move forward with its plan to fund an estimated 672 more competing Research Project Grants (RPGs) in FY 2013, an increase of 7.7 percent. This increase would be achieved by reducing the number of non-competing RPGs by one percent from the previous year level (by terminating grants as they expire and issuing shorter grants), eliminating inflationary increases for competing and non-competing Acting CSR Director to Speak on NIH awards, and negotiating the budgets of competing RPGs Peer Review at IMMUNOLOGY 2012™ to avoid growth in the average award size. In addition, he AAI Committee on Public Affairs will host a special applications from researchers who have more than $1.5 million session entitled NIH Peer Review: Understanding the New in NIH funding would be subject to additional scrutiny and T System at IMMUNOLOGY 2012™ in Boston. The session review by the Advisory Council of the NIH Institute or Center will be held on Saturday, May 5, 2012, from 11:30 a.m.– to which they submitted their application. The budget also 1:00 p.m., in Room 309 of the Hynes Convention Center. provides a two percent increase in stipends awarded under the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards (NRSA) The overhaul of the NIH peer review system, including training program, and increases the budget of the recently the elimination of the A2 grant application, has pleased, established National Center for Advancing Translational puzzled, and angered both applicants and reviewers. Sciences (NCATS) by $64 million (11 percent), for a total With NIH success rates as low as they have ever been, budget of $639 million. understanding the NIH peer review process is essential to securing funding. This session will provide an overview of the Although the president has proposed a flat budget, the current peer review system, including the role and power of projected rate of biomedical research inflation (2.8 percent for both CSR and the individual institutes, and provide attendees 2013) means that NIH’s purchasing power would decrease with a robust question and answer session to address key to approximately 2001 levels, an insufficient amount. questions and concerns. Nevertheless, maintaining even flat funding in this fiscal environment is difficult since the Budget Control Act of The session will feature three guest speakers: Richard 2011 (the debt ceiling agreement) caps FY 2013 nonsecurity Nakamura, acting director of the NIH Center for Scientific discretionary spending at $361 billion (just $2 billion more Review (CSR), who will focus on recent changes to—and the than last year). future of—peer review at NIH; Daniel Rotrosen, director of the Division of Allergy, Immunology, and Transplantation The president’s budget is a blueprint of his priorities at NIAID, who will explain the role of an NIH institute for the coming year and does not need to be approved by the (NIAID) in the peer review process; and Elizabeth Kovacs, House or Senate or be enacted into law. Instead, Congress chair of the AAI Subcommittee on Peer Review and Grant develops and approves its own budget resolution, which may Submission, who will describe some of the main questions (or may not) be based on the president’s budget resolution, and and concerns of grant applicants and reviewers. The session which guides the allocation of federal funds by the House and will be chaired by Derry Roopenian, chair of the AAI Senate appropriations committees. At press time, however, no Committee on Public Affairs. budget resolution had been introduced in either the House or the Senate. 4 s www.IMMUNOLOGY2012.org Expanding Brilliance Introducing Brilliant Violet 605™ Brilliant Violet 650™ r Excellent signal-to-noise r Extensive selection rIntracellular staining compatible, r Ready-to-use, simple integration non-nanocrystal into existing panels r No special buff ers required rMinimal spillover Two new additions to the Brilliant Violet™ series Visit us at IMMUNOLOGY 2012™ Booth No. 1302 Brilliant Violet 605™ and Brilliant Violet 650™ are two new additions to the Brilliant Violet™ family Exhibitor Workshops: of novel violet laser-excitable polymers, joining “Expanding Brilliance: New Brilliant Violet 605™ and Brilliant Brilliant Violet 421™ and Brilliant Violet 570™. 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