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ARO
NEWS
Spring 1994
President's
Report
As the
ARO enters a new year, we have completed yet another MidWinter
Meeting that was a success by any milestone. We had the best weather
of the past several years. The inner ear homeostasis symposium
was exciting and, judging from the size of the audience, of interest
to a wide spectrum of the membership. For most of us, the posters
and papers represented the best concentration of research in our
field that we will encounter until the next MidWinter Meeting.
The meeting was well organized, and the problems relatively minor.
The business meeting lasted less than an hour. And of course,
the MidWinter Meeting continues to grow. We had a record 653 abstracts,
and over 1100 people in attendance. This is both a success story
and a potential problem.
For me,
a water shed event occurred at this year's MidWinter Meeting.
Talking to a friend and colleague a few weeks after the meeting,
I asked why he had not been able to attend. He assured me that
he had been there. I thought, "Oh no! It's like the Neuroscience
meeting." But it is true, the MidWinter Meeting has become large
enough that, even with the constant flow of people through the
courtyard and poster sessions, with schmoozing over coffee or
on the beach, you can fail to encounter someone for five entire
days. Are we going to have to start making appointments to see
people? "I'll meet you by the otoacoustic emissions posters on
Tuesday and we can have lunch."
In fact,
the primary problems of growth at the MidWinter Meeting are logistical
rather than social. As long as the Tradewinds continues to buy
all of the nearby buildings, we won't run out of rooms. But we
are pushing the limits of their convention facilities. The next
step up for a meeting is into a large and impersonal convention
center format, and no-one favors that. We do not want to split
into separate meetings (Beach versus ski format? Inner ear versus
everybody else? Inner versus outer hair cells?). According to
our responses to recent MWM questionnaires, we do not want to
start the wholesale rejection of abstracts. While everyone agrees
there are papers we could do without, we all disagree about which
ones they are.
Of course,
you have been reading about the problems of growth for as long
as there has been an ARO newsletter. We can never return to the
days of the Happy Dolphin, and most of us would not want to. The
growth we see in the meeting parallels the growth in our field,
and is healthy. There are answers to the increasing numbers of
abstracts. We still have room for more posters, and more of us
request the poster format each year. This year almost no-one was
placed in a format they did not desire. We can organize the posters
to eliminate the large gap between those inside Jacaranda Hall
and those in the breezeway. If growth continues at the same rate
we should be able to maintain the current format of the meeting
for several years to come.
And next
year, I'll meet you by the otoacoustic emissions posters on Tuesday
and we can have lunch.
Allen
F. Ryan, Ph.D.
President
Editor's
Column
There
has been an explosive growth of users on the internet. One source
estimates that currently the number of users is increasing at
a rate of 20% per month. This issue of the ARO NEWS marks the
formal entry of the central office of the ARO to this information
super highway. This new connection is a departure from our past
practices where we relied on our local universities to subsidize
the internet-related activities of the ARO. Now that the central
office of the ARO is officially connected, we will begin exploiting
all of the advantages if the internet.
I am especially
pleased with the prospect of instantaneous communication with
our more distant members. As you can see on page 10 of this issue,
the membership is spread out all over the world. This large geographic
distribution has caused some problems with missed deadlines related
to delays in the regular post office deliveries. The availability
of connections to the internet in most countries, including the
former "Iron Curtain" countries, should help matters greatly.
Please feel free to make suggestions concerning enhancements to
this new capability.
Gerald R. Popelka, Ph.D.
Editor
CURRENT
ISSUES
ARO Connected
to Internet
The ARO
central office now has a connection to the internet. This connection
allows us to expand services in several areas. First, communication
with Michele S. Johnson at the office can now occur with electronic
mail. The e-mail address is msjohnson@.aro.org. Second, the abstracts
of the ARO Midwinter meeting, available on the internet for the
first time last year, are now available in several modes. The
file aro.txt that contains the abstracts for the 1994 meeting
now can be obtained via anonymous ftp from ftp.aro.org and via
gopher from gopher.aro.org. Soon we will be adding this file to
the world wide web as well. Finally, we are considering the development
of other services such as interactive discussion groups, electronic
submission of abstracts, searching of abstracts by session, topic,
or other criteria, and many other services. If you have any suggestions,
or any problems with this new service, please contact the central
office.
1995
Call for Papers
The 1995
Midwinter meeting Call for Papers and abstract submission forms
were enclosed with this newsletter. If the forms are missing or
if you need additional forms please contact the national office.
Central
Institute Appoints New Director
The Board
of Managers of Central Institute for the Deaf (CID) announces
the appointment of Donald W. Nielsen, Ph.D., as the new Institute
Director, effective April 1, 1994. Dr. Nielsen comes to Central
Institute from his previous position as Executive Vice President,
Research, at the House Ear Institute in Los Angeles, California.
CID Board President Hugh Scott, III presided over the approval
of Dr. Nielsen's appointment at the CID Board's annual meeting
on December 14, 1993.
Dr. Nielsen
is known for his research in animal behavior, auditory physiology,
and noise exposure. In recent years his activities have been concentrated
on the administration of research groups and formation of policies
and procedures relative to a variety of research enterprises.
Dr. Nielsen
succeeds Ira J. Hirsh, Ph.D., who has been CID's Director since
July of 1992 and was CID's Director of Research from 1965 to 1983.
He was Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Washington
University from 1969 to 1973 and has recently retired from Washington
University as the Mallinckrodt University Professor Emeritus of
Psychology and Audiology.
The appointment
of Dr. Nielsen concludes a national search by a Board Search Committee
chaired by Harvey Colten, M.D., Harriet B. Spoehrer Professor
and Head of Pediatrics at the Washington University School of
Medicine. The CID Board of Managers and senior CID staff also
participated.
ARO Hosts
Minority Fellows
The ARO
1994 Mid-Winter Meeting was attended by six minority pre and postdoctoral
fellows. The two Predoctoral fellows were Deanne B. Hall, M.S.,
CCC-A, Department of Audiology and Speech Sciences, Michigan State
University; and Grace A. Owen, M.S., CCC-A, Department of Communication
Disorders, Boston University. Four Postdoctoral fellows included:
G. Pamela Burch-Sims, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of
Speech Pathology and Audiology, Tennessee State University; Howard
W. Francis, M.D., Resident, Department of Otolaryngology-Head
and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins University; Oliver H. Jenkins,
M.D., Resident, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery,
King Drew Medical Center; and Edward A. Lachica, Ph.D., Postdoctoral
Fellow, Hearing Development Laboratories, University of Washington.
The travel
award consists of $800.00 per fellow and is supported by a grant
from the National Institute on Deafness and other Communication
Disorders (NIDCD). Funds are used to partially defray travel,
meals and lodging costs of fellows in attendance at the Meeting.
The Minority Fellowship Committee appointed by the ARO President
selects the awardees. The award is intended to increase the participation
and preparation of pre- and postdoctoral minority scientists in
fields attendant to otolaryngology. A total of 12 fellows have
now been supported over a two year period.
Individuals
selected are judged according to academic background, experience
and research interests. Prospective candidates submit to the Committee
a curriculum vitae, statement regarding research interests, two
letters of recommendation and an indication of racial ethnicity.
Any member
of the ARO, however, may nominate a candidate. The deadline for
nomination/ receipt of materials for the 1995 MidWinter Meeting
is September 1, 1994. Successful candidates will be notified no
later than November 1, 1994. Nomination materials should be sent
to : ARO Business Office, c/o Ms. Michele Johnson, 431 East Locust,
Suite 202, Des Moines, IA 50309, Phone 515/243-1558, FAX 515/243-2049.
New Appointments
for DRF The Deafness Research Foundation (DRF) has announced the
appointment of Mr. Charles D. Kimpel as President, and D. Thane
Cody, M.D., Ph.D. as Medical Director-Elect.
Mr. Kimpel
comes to the Deafness Research Foundation from the Manhattan Eye,
Ear and Throat Hospital which he joined as Director of development
and Public Affairs in 1992. Prior to that position, he worked
at the American City Bureau for 26 years as a fund-raising consultant.
Dr. Cody,
a specialist in microsurgery of the ear, spent 26 years with the
Mayo Clinic, during which he rose to the position of Chairman,
Department of Otolaryngology, and assumed an active role as a
member of the Board of Governors and the Board of Trustees of
the Mayo Foundation. In 1984, Dr. Cody moved to Jacksonville,
Florida where he played a major role in establishing the first
satellite facility of the Mayo Clinic. Although he retired in
1988, Dr. Cody remains active in a number of medical societies,
including the Centurions of the Deafness Research Foundation of
which he has been a member since 1968. Dr. Cody will assume the
voluntary position of Medical Director of the DRF from Dr. Wesley
H. Bradley, M.D. who announced his retirement at the recent ARO
meeting in St. Petersburg Beach, Florida.
The Deafness
Research Foundation is the nation's oldest and largest voluntary
health organization devoted to increasing seed funding for cutting
edge research into the causes, treatment and prevention of deafness
and other serious ear disorders.
The Hugh
Knowles Prize
Northwestern
University's Hugh Knowles Center requests nominations for the
second Hugh Knowles Prize for Distinguished Achievement in the
Prevention, Diagnosis or Treatment of Hearing Disorders, an award
of $10,000 to be made in Fall, 1994 to an individual in recognition
of outstanding contribution to basic and/or clinical science in
hearing. Contributions must have been specific and multiple, with
significant positive impact on the advancement of scientific investigation
in hearing. They may have been completed anywhere in the world.
Nomination instructions are available from the Hugh Knowles Center.
All nomination materials must be received by June 1, 1994. Write
or call: Hugh Knowles Prize Committee Chair, Northwestern University,
Hugh Knowles Center, 2299 North Campus Drive, Evanston, IL 60208-33550,
Phone 708/491-3164.
ARO Government
Affairs Questionnaire
The Government
Affairs Committee (GAC) of the ARO wishes to establish a roster
of those members who either have had contact with their Congressperson
(House of Representatives or Senate), who would wish to make contact
with a member of Congress to inform them of the needs of research
in general and especially in the area of otolaryngology and communication
disorders, and who may know administrative personnel in the Department
of Health and Human Services, especially in the Director's Office,
NIH or NSF. The Committee would also like to know if any of the
members have any personal contacts with individuals in
the Office
of Management and Budget or other branches of the Executive which
are concerned with science. Please fill out the attached post
card and return to the ARO Office. If there are any questions,
please contact Robert J. Ruben, M.D., Committee for ARO Government
Affairs, at: ruben@aecom.yu.edu or FAX 718/405-9014.
New Education
Committee
The Education
Committee of the Asociation for Research in Otolaryngology has
been reformed with a new mission. The mission can be summarized
as follows:
1. To
gather and provide information to the membership on material currently
existing for teaching the public about research in otolaryngology.
2. To
develop for the membership of ARO new materials for teaching the
public about research in otolaryngology.
3. To
utilize ARO functions such as the MidWinter Meeting and The Bulletin
to educate members about the need to educate the public regarding
issues on research in otolaryngology.
In order
to fulfill this mission the Education Committee would like to
solicit from the membership information they currently have on
materials for educating the public regarding issues in research
in otolaryngology. Such materials could include booklets, pamphlets,
slides, videos, interactive computer materials, and software or
programs which teach about issues in research in otolaryngology
which might be useable by members to educate the public.
Travel
Awards
Due to
the graciousness and generosity of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head
and Neck Surgery, National Institute of Health, and the Deaf-ness
Research Foundation, 20 travel awards for residents and 3 travel
awards for medical students to the Midwinter meet-ing of the ARO
have been offered this year. The awards were $500 for residents
and $400 for medical students. Matching funds of an equal amount
were provided by the respective chairs of departments.
The objective
of this program, administered by Dr. J. Gail Neely, Chair of the
Resident Fellowship Committee, is to encourage many qualified
men and women to become active in the Association for Research
in Otolaryngology. The residents and medical students receiving
the awards are invited to attend the Travel Awards Luncheon at
the meeting.
This program
has been in place for 5 years and hopefully will be able to continue
in the future. The deadline for applications are in mid Fall,
usually around November 15. To help you prepare for next year,
the application process is listed here.
1) A letter
from the applicant stating desire, need and qualifications for
the award. (Crucial qualifications are that he or she is in an
ACGME accredited program in Otolaryngology and has career goals
directed toward academic practice).
2) A copy
of the submitted abstract for poster or paper presentation at
the Midwinter Meeting.
3) A curriculum
vitae.
4) A letter
of recommendation from the department chair including a guarantee
of matching funds of equal amount.
5) If
more than one applicant comes from a program, the chair must prioritize
the applicants The ARO has once again applied for a grant from
the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
(NIDCD) to provide travel scholarships to qualified minority scientists.
The monies are to be used for attendace at the 1995 ARO Midwinter
Meeting, and are provided to partially defray travel, meals and
lodging costs of two graduate and four postdoctoral fellows. The
Minority Fellowhip Committtee appointed by the ARO President will
select the awardees. The award is intended to increase the participation
and preparation of pre- and post-doctoral minority scientists
in fields attendant to otolaryngology. Applicants need not be
a member of ARO, but must be U.S. residents.
Individuals
selected will be judged according to the following criteria: academic
background, experience, and research interests. Prospective candidates
should submit the following for consideration: curriculum vitae;
statement regarding research interests; two letters of recommendations;
indication of the ethnic minority with which they identify.
Any member
of the ARO may nominate a candidate. Please send all materials
to the ARO Business Office, c/o Michele Johnson, 431 East Locust
Street, Ste. 202, Des Moines, IA 50309.
Phone:
515-243-1558 FAX: 515-243-2049 e-mail: msjohnson@aro.org.
Animal
Care and Use Committee
At the
midwinter meeting, two activities were organized by the ARO Committee
on the Use of Animals in Teaching and Research. An information
booth was set up in the poster area which included materials related
to the use of animals in research and teaching. Sample information
was provided for individuals interested in forming an organization
in states which do not have a state-wide organization in support
of the use of animals in research. Educational materials were
available for use in helping to educate the public/patients as
to the importance of animal research. These included educational
material related to the importance of medical science in general,
and specifically the important role that animals play in medical
research. There seemed to be a moderate level of activity around
the booth throughout much of the meeting.
About
25 members attended a workshop featuring Ms. Mary Brennan, Executive
Vice President of the Foundation for Biomedical Research. Ms.
Brennan discussed the current status of organizations opposed
to the use of animals in research and indicated the importance
of remaining vigilant during a period when these groups appear
to be changing their strategic approaches. She also discussed
what individual investigators can do politically on a local and
national level to help counteract the work of these groups through
the education of politicians and the lay public. Finally, a free-wheeling
open discussion on issues related to personal and institutional
response to targeting and/or harassment by groups opposed to the
use of animals in research and teaching ensued. This discussion
included members of the ARO who have encountered difficulties
during the past year. These members have encountered a basic lack
of support by their respective institutions. Lack of support extended
to what appeared to be harassment by a Department of Agriculture
inspector of an ARO member and institutional road blocks placed
in the way of another member's attempts to present a proactive
course on the use of animals in research. Discussions were lively
and interesting and brought home the reality that members of our
own organization have been targeted and have experienced significant
problems with regard to this issue within the past year. One "take
home" lesson was that we must be sure that our institutions are
knowledgeable on issues related to the use of animals in research
and are prepared to defend their faculty when appropriate guidelines
have been followed. Each institution should have a response plan
in place and a designated spokesperson.
The ARO
is grateful to Mary Brennan and the Foundation for Biomedical
Research for participating at our national meeting and providing
materials. Thanks to the state organizations, the American Medical
Association (AMA) and Incurably Ill For Animals in Research (iiFAR)
for donating significant amounts of material used at the information
booth.
Donald
M. Caspary, Ph.D., SIU Medical School, Department of Pharmacology,
Springfield, IL 62794-9230
John F.
Brugge, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin, 627 Waisman Center, Madison,
WI 53711
1994
Award of Merit
The ARO
has chosen to honor Peter Dallos with the 1994 Award of Merit.
This award is richly deserved for the many important scientific
contributions which Peter has made, and will continue to make,
to cochlear physiology. However, it also reflects Peter's service
to the field as a gifted teacher, and as an effective advocate
for hearing research.
Peter
was born in Budapest, Hungary. While he was attending the Technological
University of Budapest, Hungary's liberal government was overthrown
by Soviet troops, and he decided to emigrate to the West. He came
to the United States in 1956, and completed his undergraduate
degree at the Illinois Institute of Technology. Peter then received
his masters and doctoral degrees in electrical engineering from
Northwestern University where he studied ocular fixation. While
still in graduate school, he came to the attention of Ray Carhart,
then Chairman of the Division of Audiology at Northwestern. Upon
the completion of Peter's doctorate in 1962, Carhart asked him
to join the Division. There Peter founded the Auditory Physiology
Laboratory, and immersed himself in cochlear electrophysiology.
He rapidly rose to a position of pre-eminence in the field, and
by 1969 he was a full Professor. Peter was the driving force behind
a new Department of Neurobiology and Physiology at Northwestern,
and from 1981-1984 he served as its first chairman. Since 1986,
he has been the John Evans Professor of Neuroscience. Peter has
served on many committees and boards of the NIH and of several
professional societies. He has received numerous national and
international awards, including Guggenheim and Fogarty Fellowships
and a Jacob Javits Award. He served as President of the ARO in
1992-1993.
Peter's
scientific contributions to our understanding of the biophysics
and electrophysiology of the peripheral auditory system are too
numerous to allow more than a brief summary of highlights. His
research has always focused upon the biophysics and electrophysiology
of the cochlea. His pioneering use of differential electrodes
revolutionized the study of the cochlear microphonic and summating
potentials. Early interests in nonlinear distortion products generated
in the cochlea, and in the roles of sensory receptor cells in
the organ of Corti led to the first intracellular recordings from
outer hair cells. Recently, he and his laboratory provided convincing
evidence that the molecular motor responsible for changes in outer
hair cell length consists of a system of independent motile elements
distributed along the length of the cell. Of equal importance
to his skill as a physiologist, Peter's background in electrical
engineering has allowed him to integrate both experimental and
theoretical approaches to auditory neurobiology. He has developed
elegant and powerful models of cochlear and hair cell function.
These models continue to drive not only his science, but that
of many other investigators in the field.
A number
of scientists currently working in auditory research were trained
in Peter's laboratory. Those of us fortunate enough to work under
Peter value his formidable intellect, which has helped us to achieve
our highest levels of performance. We are also grateful for his
patience with our errors and the warmth of his friendship. He
is an exemplary human being.
For his
continuing impact upon the field of auditory research, as a scientist,
educator and colleague, Peter Dallos is an outstanding choice
for the 1994 ARO Award of Merit.
Allen
F. Ryan
Mary A. Cheatham
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