Spring 2005 (192) Vol. 34, No. 2 th Program for 11 ESP Congress IN THIS ISSUE Sept 3-8, 2005 Program for 11th ESP Congress …………. 1 Urbach Travel Award ……………………. 2 Candidates for President …………………. 3 Candidates for Secretary ………………… 4 New Scotobiology Group ……………….. 5 NEON ……………………………………. 5 Resolution on FELs ……………………… 6 The Casino Grand Cercle in Aix-les-Bain, France, New Online Discussion ………………….. 6 site of the 2005 ESP Meeting (Sept 3-8). Research by ASP Members ……………… 7 Sunday September 4, Morning • Young scientist award lecture The Science of Phototherapy ………………. 7 NF-kappaB, a key player in PDT-induced ASP Web Site Statistics …………………. 7 inflammatory response JY Matroule (BE) Upcoming Events ………………………... 8 • DNA damage and repair • ALA-based PDT • Photoageing • Oxidative stress in plants • Photochemistry and photobiology of fullerenes • Novel blue light receptors (Joint with EPA) Sunday September 4, Afternoon • Photomovements • Photocarcinogenesis Tuesday September 6, Morning • Molecular and cellular aspects of PDT • Photobiology update • Structure and biogenesis of the photosynthetic Oxidative DNA damage: from electron/hole apparatus injection to gel electrophoresis • Visual pigments and phototransduction (Joint NE Geacintov (USA) with ASP) • Photoimmunology Monday September 5, Morning • Antimicrobial PDT • Photobiology update • Light-regulation in plants: growth and rhythms Signal transduction in keratinocytes under UV-A Tuesday September 6, Afternoon radiation • Photoprotection and sunscreens J Krutman (DE) • Photochemistry and phototoxicity of drugs • Photodermatology (Joint with ESD) • Plant photobiology in extreme environments • Photodiagnosis and optical techniques for medical diagnosis Wednesday September 7, Morning • UV effects in aquatic environments • Photobiology update Small molecules play an important role in Monday September 5, Afternoon (Continued on page 2) 1 (Continued from page 1) Lac du circadian time-keeping Bourget, F Nagy (HU) Aix-les- • Ocular light damage Bains, and • Cellular response to solar UV Mont • Acclimatation, stress and regulation of Revard. photosynthesis Wednesday September 7, Afternoon • Animal model of photocarcinogenesis • The environmental impacts of ozone depletion and climate changes Urbach Travel Award • Spectroscopic studies of fast and ultrafast events in photobiology The ASP is pleased to announce the establishment of Thursday September 8, Morning the Frederick Urbach Memorial Travel Award to • Photobiology update help defray, in part, the costs of travel of ASP Photoprotection and photorestoration of cultural Associate Members to the 11th Congress of the heritage European Society for Photobiology (Sept 3-8, 2005, R Salimbeni (IT) Aix-les-Bains, France). In order to be considered for this competitive award, Associate Members must: • Clinical applications of PDT (1) Submit an abstract to the ESP (www.esp- • Mechanisms of plant UV-response photobiology.it) by May 15, 2005. • Short communications (2) Submit a copy of your abstract and a letter from Social events you justifying how travel to this meeting will Saturday Sept 3, 18.00: Welcome reception further you career goals. Tuesday Sept 6, 20.00: Banquet, Medal Awards (3) Submit a letter from your mentor supporting your application. Congress Venue Casino Grand Cercle Application materials must be sent to Stephen E. 200 rue du Casino Ullrich, Chair of the ASP Mentoring Committee on or Aix-les-Bains, France before May 15, 2005. Phone : +33-4-79 35 16 16 Stephen E. Ullrich Deadlines Department of Immunology-902 Abstract submission: May 15 The University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center Urbach Travel Award: May 15 7455 Fannin St, PO Box 301402 Early registration: June 15 Houston, TX 77030-1903 Hotel booking: June 15 Tel: 713-563-3264 Fax: 713-563-3280 Web Site E-mail: [email protected] www.esp-photobiology.it Local Chairman ASP News Dr. Jean Cadet Published quarterly by the American Society for Phone: +33-4-38 78 49 87 Photobiology Fax: +33-4-38 78 50 90 www.photobiology.org E-mail: [email protected] Editor Peter A. Ensminger, Ph.D. 256 Greenwood Place Syracuse, NY 13210 Tel: 315-478-6024 E-mail: [email protected] Layout Tracy A. Newman E-mail: [email protected] 2 Candidates for ASP President snow. Currently we are investigating the effects of the increasingly diffuse global light environment on light penetration and photosynthesis in leaves of higher plants. ASP Service: Member since 1992; Councilor 2000- 2004; Nominations Committee 2000-2002; Education and Public Affairs Committee 2000-2002; Publications Committee 2001 – 2005 (Chair 2000 – 2002) Candidate’s Statement: The first professional meeting I attended, as a young graduate student, was an ASP meeting at Asilomar in 1979; I was thrilled. I Holly L. Gorton hope ASP meetings continue to convey the Professor of Biology excitement of our interdisciplinary field to today’s St. Mary’s College of Maryland young scientists because I believe our unique strength St. Mary’s City, MD lies in that interdisciplinarity. The ASP provides a ASP Division 3 (Photosynthesis, Bio- and forum for discussion and interchange of ideas among Chemiluminescence) and Division 5 (Environmental a diverse group of scientists studying organisms from Photobiology and UVR Effects) bacteria to plants to people and tackling significant questions at ecological, organismal, and molecular Education: BA, Biology, Reed College 1976; PhD, levels. We are from government labs, industry, Biology, 1981, Stanford University with Winslow universities and small colleges; we teach; we do Briggs; Postdoctoral Fellow, 1981 Shell clinical and basic research. My own niche is as a Development Company and 1981-1985 University teacher and researcher at a small college of the liberal of Connecticut, Department of Biological Sciences arts and sciences. Both in my teaching and for the with Ruth Satter. ASP I seek to foster the intellectual enrichment that Appointments: Assistant to Full Professor, Biology, the interdisciplinary milieu of photobiology provides. St. Mary’s College of Maryland, St. Mary’s City, The ASP can do this at many levels. We must MD, 1988-present; Assistant Professor, Biology, continue our support of educational initiatives, such Trinity College, Hartford, CT, 1985-1988. Visiting as the Digital Photobiology Compendium, that spark appointments: Department of Botany, University of interest and help students build a solid background. Wyoming, 1995-1996; Research School of We should continue to encourage discussions at our Biological Sciences, Australian National University, meetings where cross-fertilization can lead to new Canberra, AU 2002-2003. ideas and new approaches. Larger ASP issues now Research Interests: Plant photobiology including include the relationship between ASP and the photoprotection, photosynthesis and stomatal European Society for Photobiology, and between our regulation, light penetration, and photosensory two fine journals, Photochemistry and Photobiology biology. We have developed instrumentation based and Photochemical and Photobiological Sciences. on a pulsed measuring beam and lock-in detection ASP has always benefited from members and that, for the first time, allows monitoring of light- councilors from the international community. Just as driven chloroplast movements in leaves of higher our individual research programs benefit from our plants under natural lighting. We assess the effects appreciation of problems, approaches, and techniques of these movements on photosynthesis using a in related photobiological disciplines, our Society combination of techniques including gas exchange, benefits from an international perspective and fluorescence, and photoacoustics. Other recent cooperation with other Societies. Such interactions projects include photoprotection in snow algae; we should be designed to improve the scientific and have measured both visible and UVR penetration financial vigor of both societies, and they must do so through snow and through the algal cells, and have in a way that continues to encourage participation by made the first in-situ measurements of our students, post-docs, and new investigators. photosynthetic gas exchange on algal cells in the 3 Stephen E. Ullrich three major strengths, our journal, our scientific Professor of Immunology meetings and our membership. We need to sponsor Dallas/Fort Worth “Living special symposia at our meetings and dedicate issues Legends” Professor of the journal to review articles on these new The University of Texas, MD emerging technologies. As an educator, I always Anderson Cancer Center urged my students and post-docs to go to the ASP Houston, TX 77030 meeting. I was confident that they would benefit by presenting a 10-minute platform talk in front of most Candidate’s Statement: Our of the experts in the field and would learn much from society is facing some severe the small collegial atmosphere of our meeting. As a challenges. In the past the scientist, I have always enjoyed the multi-disciplinary profits from the journal funded nature of our meeting, and I usually learn something the society, especially the annual meetings. new and unexpected at an ASP meeting. We live in Unfortunately, those days are gone. Electronic interesting times, we face unique challenges, but the publishing and the associated decrease in institutional value that ASP adds to my scientific life is such that I subscriptions, coupled with “open access” have believe must do all we can to meet the challenges of changed the business model.