In This Issue… 2 2013 AAI Election 3 President’s Message 5 In Memoriam: Leo Lefrançois 7 Call for 2014 AAI Award Nominations 8 Focus on Public Affairs: ■ 2013–2014 AAI Fellows Program Underway 9 Call for 2014 AAI Award Applications 10 Oral History Project Available Online 11 Members in the News ■ Marc Jenkins ■ Chris Goodnow Emmanuel Mignot Bob Schreiber ■ Mark Shlomchik ■ Xue-Zhong Yu 16 Photo Highlights: IMMUNOLOGY 2013™, AAI Centennial Celebration 34 Official Proclamations Mark 100th AAI Anniversary 36 In Memoriam: Donald Rowley 39 AAI Funding Supports Scientists’ Travel to 15th ICI 40 Grant & Award Deadlines 42 Meetings Calendar 2013 AAI Election AAI welcomes the following members to new Council and committee terms that commenced on July 1, 2013, and extends a sincere thanks to all candidates in this year’s election. Michael Croft, Ph.D. President (2013–2014) The American Association Professor and Head, Division of Immune Marc K. Jenkins, Ph.D. of Immunologists Regulation Distinguished McKnight University La Jolla Institute for Allergy and 9650 Rockville Pike Professor, Center for Immunology and Immunology Bethesda, MD 20814-3994 Department of Microbiology Tel: 301-634-7178 Pamela S. Ohashi, Ph.D., F.R.S.C. University of Minnesota Medical School Fax: 301-634-7887 Senior Scientist and Director, Immune E-mail: [email protected] Therapy Program Vice-President (2013–2014) www.aai.org Ontario Cancer Institute Linda A. Sherman, Ph.D. Member Services Professor, Department of Immunology Pamela L. Schwartzberg, M.D., Ph.D. and Microbial Science Senior Investigator, National Human Tel: 301-634-7195 The Scripps Research Institute Genome Research Institute E-mail: [email protected] National Institutes of Health The Journal Councillor (2013–2017) Dario A. A. Vignali, Ph.D. of Immunology JoAnne L. Flynn, Ph.D. Member and Vice Chair, Department Tel: 301-634-7197 Professor, Department of Microbiology of Immunology E-mail: [email protected] and Molecular Genetics St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital www.jimmunol.org/ University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Program Committee (2013–2016) Council Marlene Bouvier, Ph.D. President Awards Committee (2013–2016) Associate Professor, Department Marc K. Jenkins, Ph.D. Juan Carlos Zuñiga-Pflücker, Ph.D. of Microbiology and Immunology Professor and Chair, Department University of Illinois at Chicago College Vice President of Immunology of Medicine Linda A. Sherman, Ph.D. University of Toronto; Canada Research Daniel H. Kaplan, M.D., Ph.D. Past President Chair in Developmental Immunology Associate Professor, Department Gail A. Bishop, Ph.D. and Senior Scientist of Dermatology Secretary-Treasurer Sunnybrook Research Institute University of Minnesota Mitchell Kronenberg, Ph.D. Finance Committee (2013–2016) Publications Committee Councillors Dan R. Littman, M.D., Ph.D. Christine A. Biron, Ph.D. (2013–2017) Arlene H. Sharpe, M.D., Ph.D. Brintzenhoff Professor of Medical Randy R. Brutkiewicz, Ph.D. Wayne M. Yokoyama, M.D. Science, Department of Molecular Professor, Department of Microbiology JoAnne L. Flynn, Ph.D. Microbiology and Immunology and Immunology Brown University Indiana University School of Medicine Ex Officio Councillors Leslie J. Berg, Ph.D. Nominating Committee Pamela J. Fink, Ph.D. (2013–2014) M. Michele Hogan, Ph.D. Eugene M. Oltz, Ph.D. Jenny P-Y. Ting, Ph.D., Chair Kenan Professor, Department of Executive Director Microbiology and Immunology and M. Michele Hogan, Ph.D. Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer www.aai.org/ Center Thank you to all members who invested About/Departments-Staff University of North Carolina in their profession and in the mission at Chapel Hill of AAI by voting in the 2013 election. 2 AAI Newsletter October 2013 AAI PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Marc K. Jenkins, Ph.D. AAI President, July 2013–June 2014 Distinguished McKnight University Professor Center for Immunology and Department of Microbiology University of Minnesota Medical School YOU HAVE THE POWER! Imagine a line graph showing I suspect that I’m not the only one with a downward- the amount of fun a scientist trending fun line. It’s hardly surprising, given all the events has at his or her job on the that have recently collapsed on professional scientists. NIH Y-axis, and the years they have success rates are at an all-time low with no relief in sight. been in the field on the X-axis. Young scientists are having a hard time getting their first In my case, the fun values grants, and other scientists are struggling to keep even were very high during my long-standing grants. Dwindling resources and low morale graduate school days as have frustrated scientists and have likely contributed to I got a first taste of a sometimes nasty tone in the review of both grants and immunology research and manuscripts. Regulatory burden (including for the use thrived on the scientific of animal subjects, human subjects, and select agents) is enthusiasm of my Ph.D. increasing. And administrators at universities and other Marc Jenkins advisor, Steve Miller. The research institutions, under intense fiscal pressure, are fun values remained high when I was a postdoc with measuring our scientific batting averages with stats that are Ron Schwartz in the intense and exciting scientific not transparent, that we don’t always understand, and that environment of the Laboratory of Immunology at NIH. may unfairly disrupt or derail productive scientific careers. I was also still having fun as a new assistant professor at The worst part is that we feel powerless to do anything the University of Minnesota, calling the shots as I started about it. What we really need is an organization that my independent research program, advising students, empowers immunologists. Lucky for us, we already have and doing professor “stuff.” The fun dropped a bit with one. It’s called AAI! the decline in the NIH pay line in the early 1990s but came back in spades during the doubling of the NIH budget It is in challenging times like these that AAI really from 1998 to 2003. Unfortunately, I have to admit that my matters. “fun line” has had a downward slope since 2003, and that’s AAI is the organization through which we can funnel a bummer since the fun and excitement of science are big our energies to advocate change in the system. AAI Director reasons many of us are in the business. of Public Policy and Government Affairs Lauren Gross and Continued on next page A Dedication In this issue of the AAI Newsletter, we reflect upon the excitement and the events of the 2013 AAI annual meeting and historic celebration of the AAI centennial. In a sad confluence of events, we also mourn the untimely death of Leo Lefrançois (AAI ’84), who, as chair of the AAI Program Committee, led in the development of the incredible content of the meeting, and, by his gracious presence, lent it great joy. (See In Memoriam, page 5.) A glimpse at his prominent role is offered by the Hawaii retrospective photos beginning on page 16. We offer our condolences to Leo’s wife, Lynn Puddington (AAI ’98), and to their family, friends, and colleagues on their loss. In the spirit of the enormous admiration and affection Leo inspired in us, this issue of the AAI Newsletter is fondly dedicated to his memory. www.aai.org AAI Newsletter 3 AAI PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE (continued) her staff are working tirelessly on our behalf, educating Immunologists at all career stages need to keep up our congressional representatives on the critical need to with the latest cutting-edge technologies. Traditionally, increase research funding. You have the power to help by the community has had a network for assistance whereby participating in advocacy activities arranged by the AAI scientists or teachers could gain expertise by visiting Committee on Public Affairs and by going with Lauren to a laboratory in which a new or particular technique is visit your senators and members of Congress. I’m heading practiced. These initiatives, however, can be expensive, to the Hill this fall and hope to convince even “doubters” and in these financially difficult times, I would like to see if about the value of basic research and the importance of there is a role for AAI in assisting members with this aspect supporting NIH. of their continuing education. AAI owns and publishes The Journal of Immunology I’d like to leave you with the thought that we have (The JI)—the most highly cited journal in the field. some power over our fate in these difficult times. Going Think of how this journal—your journal—empowers outside our comfort zone is the thing that could help the your scientific activities. The JI offers you, as an author, most: we can educate our policymakers in Washington an excellent venue for your research findings with little about the critical value of basic research in advancing chance of having your paper triaged. The JI offers you, as treatments and cures. We can invite our senators and a reviewer, a chance to read and select some of the best members of Congress to visit our labs to see the value of emerging research in the field. It also offers you the ability their investment in their own state. We can also be better to give someone else the fair review that you would like to authors, reviewers, and mentors and engage in thoughtful receive. The JI offers you, as a reader, confidence that the debate about how we can best contribute to science and data published have been fully peer reviewed by practicing the scientific community. We can evaluate our field for scientists who are leading experts in the field. its strengths and weaknesses and work hard to retain the AAI hosts the largest annual all-immunology meeting trust and support of the public that funds our work.