It is a characteristic of life that things change.
Nothing is permanent or constant. Death is part of life, however,
death is very difficult to face. It is accompanied by shock,
as we recognize its finality, and deep mourning by those left behind. Since it is such a difficult issue and the time after death is especially full of deep emotions, it is helpful for BEMS to have an organized institution to discuss, with the family and friends of the deceased, how to best honor the deceased's memory and how to keep his or her greatness and spirit alive.
Mission
The aim of the Committee is to regularly honor the memory of individual deceased BEMS members in a manner that is appropriate to the deceased and in accord with the principals and philosophy of The Society.
Objectives
The specific goals of the Memorial Fund Committee are to
- communicate with friends and relatives of the departed about their thoughts on honoring the deceased
- collect information and thoughts from all BEMS members on whom to memorialize and how they might be best memorialized
- solicit money in the name of deceased individuals in coordination with the Developing Committee
- administer the fund in a manner determined by the Committee
- decide on the type and size of the awards made in the name of a deceased BEMS member
- develop consensus on written statements describing the award, its purpose and operations
- develop consensus on other Committee actions including announcements, booklets at the Annual Meeting, Certificates, Memory Book, Web discussion boards, etc.
- recognize memorial contributions in the BEMS newsletter or on WebPages
- assist the Board in matters of eulogies and condolences to next of kin
- make recommendations, subject to approval by the Board, on the number and amount of awards
- coordinate Memorial Fund distributions with the Awards Committee
- cooperate with the Technical Program Chair and Development Committee on the selection of speakers and funding for presentations (poster or oral presentation) in memory of specific BEMS members at annual BEMS meetings
The committee will meet annually in person at the annual BEMS meeting and at other times at the discretion of the chairperson. Between meetings the committee will continue its work using e-mail, mail, phone and videoconferencing as necessary. The Committee will set timelines for achieving each of its objectives and arrive at a final action plan by majority vote of all the committee members. Decisions will be communicated to the Board in written form and will outline how the decision will be implemented and who will be responsible for implementing the action plan. The BEMS society will be updated via the BEMS newsletter when appropriate.
Members of the committee
- Indira Chatterjee (Chair)
University of Nevada, Reno
indira@unr.edu
- Belyaev, Igor Ya
Stockholm University
igor.belyeav@genetics.su.se
- Carl F. Blackman
US EPA
blackman.carl@epa.gov
- Deborah Ciombor
Rhode Island Hospital
deborah_ciombor@brown.edu
- Guglielmo D'Inzeo
University of Rome 'La Sapienza'
dinzeo@tce.ing.uniroma1.it
- Ben Greenbaum
University of Wisconsin-Parkside
greeneba@uwp.edu
- Nam Kim
Chungbuk National University
namkim@chungbuk.ac.kr
- Betty F. Sisken
University of Kentucky
bsisken@pop.uky.edu
In addition the following have voting privileges:
the president, the past president, the president-elect and the treasurer.
Staffing
The Committee and its chairperson is appointed by the president for renewable terms of three years except that upon initial Committee formation, terms shall be staggered in duration so that approximately one-third of the member terms expire in each of the succeeding three years. The Treasurer, and Treasurer-elect when that office is filled, shall be voting members of the Committee.
Finances
With the exception of the Curtis Johnson Student Memorial Award, awards will be made from the income or capital of the Memorial Fund and not from the BEMS general fund. Contributions in memory of various individuals shall be commingled and the Fund may choose to apportion awards in any manner with respect to funds contributed in the name of an individual. Money in the fund shall be invested in a manner determined by the Committee.
By executive decision the Board has decreed that the BEMS membership dues renewal form will include a line for optional contributions to the Memorial Fund and a space where each member can opt to designate a person or persons to be remembered. This form and/or accompanying material shall briefly describe the purposes for which contributions will be used.
History
Since 1985 BEMS has honored the memory of Curtis Johnson with a Student Award paid from BEMS funds. In 1999 and 2000, the deaths of Alessandro Chiabrera, Mary Ellen O'Connor, and Charles Polk led to the desire to honor their scientific contributions and memories. In 2000 the Mary Ellen O'Connor Student Award Fund was established with the intention of raising enough money to fund awards in the areas of behavioral and biological sciences from income on the fund monies. Friends of Alessandro have suggested a lecture in his name at the Annual Meeting might be an appropriate memorial. Friends of Charles Polk suggest a student award for physical science papers may be most suitable. A number of people believe travel support is the greatest need for which memorial funds should be used.
In memoriam
- Contact the MFC
|