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The 62nd Annual Midwestern Conference of Parasitologists was held on June 3-5, 2010, at Western Illinois University in Macomb, Illinois. Dr. Jeffrey Laursen of Eastern Illinois University served as Presiding Officer, and Dr.Shawn Meagher of Western Illinois University made local arrangements and served as Program Officer. Ten platform presentations and 6 posters were presented by members. The C. A. Herrick Award and $300 for outstanding poster was awarded to Kathryn Coyne for her poster “Investigation of Biomphalaria galbrata plasma factor(s) possessing in vitro toxicity to Fascioloides magna miracidia” The G. R. LaRue Award and $300 for outstanding platform presentation was awarded to Philip Scheibel of Southern Illinois University for his presentation “Evaluation of synlophe and bursa as taxonomic characters for Viannaiinae (Nematoda: Trichostrongyloidea).” Bryan Rolfsen of Eastern Illinois University received the R. M. Cable undergraduate award and $100 for his oral presentation on “A parasitological survey of pen-raised Bobwhite Quail (Colinus virginianus) in Illinois.” An Honorable Mention award and $100 was given to Kathy Johnson of Purdue University for her presentation entitled “Investigation of the seasonal prevalence of gastrointestinal nematodes and protozoal parasites of naturally infected alpacas (Lama pacos) in the Midwest.” Kathryn Coyne was chosen as the AMCOP nominee for the American Society of Parasitologists’ student travel grant award for 2011.
The AMCOP symposium was presented by Dr. David Elliott of the University of Iowa who spoke on “Helminths: Do they belong in our Immune Ecosystem?” and Dr. John Fleming of the University of Wisconsin who spoke on “Parasites as old friends: Multiple Sclerosis.” The banquet speaker was Dr. Tim Yoshino of the University of Wisconsin who spoke on “Frankenflukes: Parasitic GMOs." A silent auction of a large selection of books, photographs and journals was held.
AMCOP 63 will be held June 23-25, 2011 at St. Mary’s College in Notre Dame Indiana. Additional future meeting sites as determined by the meeting sites committee are:
AMCOP 64 – 2012: Truman State
University, Kirksville, MO
AMCOP 65 – 2013: Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
AMCOP 66 – 2014: The University of Kentucky, Lexington KY
AMCOP 67 – 2015: Lawrence University, Appleton, WI
Secretary-Treasurer Woodmansee presented the treasurer’s report for 2009 and the interim financial report for 2010. These were approved upon the recommendation of the Auditing Committee.
At the business meeting a correction was made to the minutes of the previous meeting. The value of the travel grants should have been stated as $200. The conference approved, by unanimous vote, raising the value of the Cable Award to $200. There was discussion of AMCOP paying dues to the World Federation of Parasitologists. Payment of dues would allow AMCOP to vote on Federation issues including the location of future International Congresses. No decision was reached. It was suggested that the benefits of dues payment be investigated more thoroughly and the issue brought back to the group in 2011. There was discussion of the ongoing surplus in AMCOP’s bank accounts. The travel grant program has not lowered those surpluses. Various alternatives were discussed and an ad hoc committee was named to investigate the issue further and generate a proposal. Persons named to the committee were Kim Bates, Matt Bolek, Agustin Jimenez, Shawn Meagher, and Tim Yoshino.
The following committee reports were received and approved: Auditing (Dennis Minchella), Symposium Suggestions (Matt Bolek, Agustin Jimenez), Meeting Sites (Judith Humphries, Jason Curtis), Nominating (Shelly Michalski, Joe Camp), and Resolutions (Tom Platt, Darwin Wittrock)
Officers elected for 2011 were: Dr. Shelly Michalski, University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh: Presiding Officer; Dr. Tom Platt, St. Mary’s College: Program Officer. Dr. Douglas Woodmansee, Wilmington College will serve the second year of his 2 year term.
Submitted June 10, 2010.
Douglas B. Woodmansee
AMCOP Secretary-Treasurer
