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AOCS Biotechnology Division
Newsletter September 2007

Minutes of Biotechnology Division Board Meeting
May 13, 2007
Dan Solaiman

Present: Hans Christian Holm, Yuji Shimada, Xuebing Xu, Ching T. Hou, Casimir C. Akoh, Tom McKeon, Dan Solaiman, Randall Weselake, Mike Haas.
Absent: David Hildebrand, Ramesh Patel.

1. Minutes were approved.
2. Treasury update: The balance of the general account is $20,538.14. The balance of the Biocatalysis Symposium account which is part of the general account is $6,710.43.
3. It was brought to the Board's attention that the Division Newsletters postings on the AOCS website need updating.
4. Annual Meeting Review:
1. Technical Program: For this year's (98th AOCS Annual Meeting and Expo) meeting, the Biotechnology Division fielded 6 oral and 1 poster technical sessions. These are: 3 sessions on Biocatalysis, 1 session on Novel Oils, 1 on Biosurfactants (co-sponsored by the Surfactants and Detergents Division), 1 on General Biotechnology, and the Poster session.
2. Dinner: The Division Dinner is planned for Tuesday starting at 6:30 p.m., and the Featured Speaker is Prof. John Harwood (Head, BioSciences Division, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales).
5. Annual Meeting Program Plan for next 3 years:
1. 2008 in Seattle, Washington: 2 sessions by the Steroids group (Bob Moreau requested that both are on Monday), 2 Biocatalysis sessions (Ching Hou) to be scheduled Monday AM and Tuesday PM, session(s) on Sustainability and/or Industrial Bioprocessing (Hans Holm; proposed co-sponsorship with the Processing Division), Analytical Methods in Biotechnology and Functional Genomics (Cosponsorship with the Analytical Division). Structured Phospholipids (Xuebing Xu, co-sponsorship with the Phospholipids Division), General Biotechnology (Ramesh Patel). The Lifetime Achievement Award will be scheduled for Tuesday afternoon.
   Addendum for Program Committee Planning meeting: Bioprocessing to be held jointly with Processing Division, Sustainability will come under Surfactants and Biobased Products to be held jointly with S&D Division.
2. 2009 in Orlando, Florida. A Centennial event. (Sessions tentatively to include: Biocatalysis, Plant Biotechnology, Biofuels, Bioanalysis). Addendum: History of Biotechnology Division.
3. 2010 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Discussion deferred to Tuesday's Division Round Table Discussion, 12:00 noon.)
6. Awards
1. Lifetime Achievement Award.
   This year is the 9th consecutive year of the Biotechnology Division Lifetime Achievement Award, and the winner was Dr. Yuji Shimada, OMTRI, Osaka. Ching Hou agreed to continue chairing the Selection Committee. Each year, the Award requires sponsor(s) willing to fund it at the level of $3,500.
2. Student Paper Competition: The Chair of the Selection Committee will be appointed by the Division Chairperson.
7. Introduction of new Division Officers:
1. Tom McKeon, Chair (Term: 2007-2010)
2. Ramesh Patel, Vice Chair/Program Committee (2007-2010)
3. Dan Solaiman, Secretary/Treasurer (2007-2010)
4. Hans Christian Holm (2007-2010), Xuebing Xu (2007-2010), Randall Weselake, Yuji Shimada: Members-at-Large
8. Old Business: None
9. New Business:
1. AOCS 100th Anniversary (2009)
   For the Centennial celebration, the Biotechnology Division needs to prepare a 25-year timeline display that highlights major achievements of the Biotechnology Division. Vice Chair (Ramesh Patel) will be in charge of this project. Help may be solicited from Phil Sonnet, Mike Haas, Ching Hou, Casimir Akoh and Tom Foglia.
2. Recommendations for AOCS Governing Board positions (Nominations and Elections Committee):
   Dan Solaiman and David Hildebrand will be recommended.
   
3. Division Council Governing Board representative election:
   All present agreed that the Division Council Chairperson should be the Representative.
4. All were urged to solicit and submit ideas on book and special publication to the Books and Special Publications Committee. Even though CRC is our partner in the publishing of books, it is preferred that all publication projects pass through AOCS.
10. Adjournment: 2:30 p.m.

Also in this newsletter:

Notes From the Chair, by Tom McKeon

99th AOCS Annual Meeting & Expo

Crop Biotech News, by David Hildebrand

3rd Annual Meeting of the International Society of Biotechnology and Biocatalysis

2007 Biotechnology Division Lifetime Achievement Award Winner Dr. Yuji Shimada

Biotechnology Division web page
AOCS, 2710 S. Boulder, Urbana, IL 61802-6996 USA