MSA Focused Interest Groups


Winter Council 2011 saw quite a bit of FIG activity. First, Figure 1: FIG ribbon from an M&M 2019 meeting badge.


ribbons were created and provided to M&M meeting attendees who are FIG members in good standing (Figure 1). Te original FIG “how-to” document that defines the


duties and activities of the FIG Chair was published in Decem- ber 2007. Along with budgetary and administrative responsi- bilities, and representation on the M&M Program Committee, there was an item in the “how-to” document defining FIG co- sponsorship, with the Membership Committee, of the MSA Student Mixer at M&M. Te FIGs and the Membership Committee co-sponsored


the first MSA Student Mixer at M&M07 in Fort Lauderdale. Approximately 60 students attended the event, where refresh- ments were served. Each student was given a complimentary USB flash drive with the MSA logo, preloaded with an MSA membership application. A PowerPoint presentation about MSA membership and its benefits was projected continu- ously throughout the mixer. MSA President Michael O’Keefe, President- Elect Bill Gunning, and Past-President Jay Jerome spoke to the audience about MSA and its member benefits, along with members of Council, the Membership Committee, and FIG Chairs. Students had the opportunity to socialize with their peers and with MSA officers. Feedback from this event was excellent, and several students expressed an interest in becom- ing involved in the Society as a result of the mixer. My term as FIG Chair ended in December 2007. Aſter the first


3 years of the 5-year “experiment,” the FIGs were well-accepted and integrated seamlessly into MSA. It was time for me to nomi- nate my successor, and I recommended to Council that Barbara Hartman would be the ideal person to lead the FIGs. Barb had completed a term as Leader of the Pharma FIG and had experi- ence in other leadership roles; her nomination was approved by Council, and she took office in January 2008 for a 3-year term. Te next group to apply for FIG status was Diagnostic


Microscopy, led by Caroline Miller, in 2010. Teir application listed the minimum number of MSA members needed to form a FIG, a leader was identified, and their mission statement was stated. MSA Council approved the application at Winter Coun- cil 2010. Diagnostic Microscopy later became Diagnostic & Bio- medical Microscopy (DBM). At Summer Council 2010 in Portland, there was a discus-


sion surrounding what constitutes an active FIG. According to the Guidelines, each FIG must have at least 10 active, dues- paying members and hold regular elections in order to remain viable. A motion was duly carried, stating the following: “In the event that a FIG does not elect a leader over a period of two con- secutive years, that FIG will receive a warning that a leader must be identified in year 3. Otherwise, that FIG will be dissolved, and funds would revert to the general fund of the Society.” Tis is still true today.


48


Lynn DiMemmo was recommended by Barb Hartman to become her successor as FIG Chair, with a 3-year term from 2011–2013. Lynn was previously Leader of the Pharma FIG. Council approved the recommendation. At this meeting, the A-F FIG requested a name change from Aberration-Free to Aberration-Corrected FIG; this was also approved. Finally, there was an application for a new group, to be called the Envi- ronmental TEM FIG; this, too, was approved by Council. Tis FIG later became the EM in Liquids and Gases (EMLG) FIG. In addition, due to inactivity and a lack of sufficient members, steps were initiated to dissolve the VCC and Biomaterials FIGs. Dissolution of FIGs over time was planned by the original ad hoc committee and demonstrates the dynamic nature of microscopy as techniques and trends change. Application for a new FIG, Electron Crystallography and


Automated Mapping Techniques (ECAMT), was presented at Winter Council 2012 and accepted by Council. However, dis- solution of the Biomaterials FIG was made official. Te VCC FIG was dissolved in December 2012, leaving 9 active FIGs at the end of 2012. At Winter Council 2014, James DiOrio was approved as the


next FIG Chair, with a 3-year term from 2014–2016. At Sum- mer Council that year, Jim presented an application from Teresa Ruiz to form a new FIG called 3D Electron Microscopy in the Biological Sciences (3DEMBS) with 25 founding members. Aſter discussion, the application was approved. Tere was also a procedural discussion regarding selection of FIGs to host pre- meeting congresses; this was deferred to the M&M Program Chairs, rather than adding this to the FIG Guidelines. An application for a Microanalysis Society (MAS)-related


FIG was brought to Summer Council in 2015. MAS requested the formation of the MicroAnalytical Standards (MAS) FIG, where most members would be MAS, rather than MSA, mem- bers. Aſter a lively discussion, the adoption of the MAS FIG was approved as a 5-year pilot program, to include member- ship from MSA, MAS, IMS, and MSC/SMC, with action items including how to enroll members and collect dues from our affiliated Societies. I am happy to say that the pilot was success- ful, and the MAS FIG is still a very active group! At Summer Council 2016, Jim DiOrio informed Council


that he had retired, and FIG Chair-Elect Andrew Vogt was approved to finish Jim’s term of office and assume his own 3-year term from 2017–2019. A proposal was brought forward to offer free FIG membership to students, to encourage meet- ing attendance and MSA membership. Following a discussion, a motion was made and accepted to offer students one free FIG membership per year; additional student FIG memberships would require payment of annual dues. In addition, it was agreed that the FIGs would have representation at the MSA MegaBooth in the M&M Exhibit Hall. In 2019, FIG topics discussed with MSA Council included:


raising the annual FIG dues to $15/person/FIG (this was approved and added as an amendment to the FIG Guidelines); multiple requests for symposium and pre-meeting congresses; and the approval of Renu Sharma as FIG Chair starting in 2020. A twelſth FIG was proposed in Fall 2020: EM Data Analysis


and Management (EM-DAM). Tis FIG would operate across disciplines, that is, not attached exclusively to either physical


www.microscopy-today.com • 2022 May


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72