News
SBN2020 Cancelled
March 20, 2020
Dear SBN Members,
As you may have anticipated, I am writing to let you know that our SBN 2020 meeting has been cancelled. Although this is deeply disappointing, it is, of course, the only possible decision to make at this point. On a positive note, we are extremely grateful that the Loews Hotel has agreed to waive our contractual cancellation fee for this year as long as we agree to reschedule for next year. We have agreed to this, so please hold June 28-July 1, 2021 for our meeting next year. I can imagine that we might need some flexibility with these dates so please be prepared to adjust accordingly. For those of you who already registered we will provide reimbursements, but please be patient as we assess how best to do this.
Let me emphasize here that Anne Murphy has done an exceptional job as the local organizer for SBN 2020 and will continue in her role for 2021. She deserves our heartfelt thanks for all her effective work for us! In addition, Alexa Veenema is also deserving of our thanks in her role as Chair of the Program Committee. She assembled an excellent program and has reached out to all of the Keynote and symposia speakers. You might be pleased to know that we expect program topics and speaker lineups for 2021 to be quite similar to what was planned for 2020. One last thanks to Eric Mintz for agreeing to delay the planned meeting at Kent State by one year.
We are currently moving forward with some, but perhaps not all, of the awards to be considered for this year. We will be in touch with more information as we reach decisions on these awards.
We know that COVID-19 is disrupting the lives of everyone one of us. I can imagine this is particularly stressful for our graduate students and post-docs as they are trying to complete experiments and applying for post-docs or faculty positions. I think it important for all of us to remain as positive as possible. We will all get through this, as we all have during difficult times in the past. Remind your students/post-docs that because everyone is in the same boat, people and programs will be very flexible and understanding about the disruptions that are occurring. For example, our senior faculty should assure our more junior members that when we are asked to provide letters of recommendation, we will surely articulate just how their progress was limited by COVID-19. Let them know they can count on us.
Also remember that we can count on each other. This is a great opportunity to use social networking to connect with the greater behavioral neuroendocrine community. It is also a great time to stay at home and write top-notch papers for submission to Hormones and Behavior!
Please stay safe and cautious and remain healthy. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns (schlinge@lifesci.ucla.edu).
All the best,
Barney Schlinger
SBN President