Beginning in 2014, SIMB News will be changing. Based on comments from individual members, corporate members, sponsors and advertisers, SIMB News will be returning to a paper format during 2014. Issues will be published and mailed quarterly to all members. Watch your mailboxes for the new, improved SIMB News! During this transition I’d like to thank the members of the Society, including sponsors and advertisers for your continued support.

Elisabeth Elder
Editor-in-Chief

Dear Colleagues,
As the Society for Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology enters its 65th year, under the leadership of our former Presidents Neal Connors and Tom Jeffries, our Treasurer Jan Westpheling and our Executive Director, Chris Lowe, we find ourselves in the enviable position of a secure financial footing.

A large part of this is due to very successful meetings we have run over the past 3 years. Success of a meeting is dependent upon the quality of the program and speakers, our ability to attract exhibitors, and effective and efficient organization and management of the event. We are indebted to the Program Chairs and Program Committees for the high caliber of talks and posters presented, to Bob Berger for increasing the number of booths purchased by exhibitors (at the 2013 Annual Meeting the booths were completely sold out), and to Chris Lowe and her staff, Nancy Gorell, Jennifer Johnson, Suzi Eller, and Espie Montessa for their superb organization and management of the events, all of whose efforts ensured success.

The RAFT X keynote speaker is Dr Matthew DeLisa, William L. Lewis Professor of Engineering from Cornell University. Prof DeLisa will be giving a lecture on “Bacterial glycoengineering: from cellular enzymes and pathways to human therapeutics and vaccines.” Prof DeLisa is an up and coming star in the area of biopharmaceutical research and has been recognized with a number of awards for his work including

The RAFT 10 programme looks great with academic and industry experts ready to inform and excite with some stimulating lectures. Our session chairs have put together a great programme and all we need now are the poster presenters and attendees that will make RAFT 10 the most successful meeting yet in this very popular series. As a result of positive feedback from the previous meeting, we are returning to stunning Marco Island, FL from November 3-6, 2013.

Call for papers for 36th SBFC

Abstract submission is now open for the 36th Symposium on Biotechnology for Fuels and Chemicals happening in the spring of 2014. Please submit your abstract online.

Session topics for 36th SBFC

Feedstock I – Plant Genetics and Recalcitrance
Research aimed at producing improved plant cultivars is underway worldwide with the goal of developing biomass sources with improved cell wall structure, growth and composition characteristics beneficial to bioconversion. This session will highlight research on breeding to improve plant yield, advances in domestication of promising biomass species, in planta expression of enzymes, fundamental understanding of biophysical origin of biomass recalcitrance, developments in crops with reduced recalcitrance for better processing characteristics, and advances in plant systems biology research.