By Sherman S. Hendrix, Immediate Past-President, Representative to the ASP
I would like to report on several recent items at HelmSoc that may be of interest to ASP members. The 720th meeting of the society, the Anniversary Dinner Meeting, was held on Saturday November 3rd in Columbia, MD. A social with drinks and appetizers prior to the meeting was accompanied by several “lightening talks” of seven minutes each given by members and students attending. This is the second year of these talks, and they will become a tradition at future Anniversary Dinner meetings.
Our brand new HelmSoc logo depicting the Washington Monument, with a hookworm and tapeworm (can you identify them?) wrapped around it along with Entamoeba clouds floating in the background and with parasite-themed flags around the base, was unveiled at the business meeting by its creator, John Hawdon. The whimsical logo highlights our motto that HelmSoc is "not just for worms anymore!"
After dinner, the 2018 Anniversary Award was presented to Vincent Connors, University of South Carolina Upstate, Spartanburg, SC, for his outstanding contributions to the society as a member of the Executive Committee and as Editor of Comparative Parasitology for the past 5 years. Taking on the responsibilities of Editor we welcome Autumn J. Smith-Herron of Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX, who begins her term with the January issue of volume 86 (2019). As a reminder, for those who cannot afford page charges in CP beyond the 3 free pages for members, the Brayton H. Ransom Memorial Trust Fund, Ralph P. Eckerlin President, has limited funds available. His contact information can be found on the HelmSoc web site under the Awards tab.
Save the date: the 721st meeting of the Helminthological Society of Washington, our Spring meeting, will be held at Shenandoah University, Winchester, VA on Saturday, April 6th, 2019, hosted by Dr. Michael Zimmermann. Stay tuned for registration details to be posted on the HelmSoc web page. ASP members and others always are welcome to attend and participate in HelmSoc meetings