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The Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole is offering a course June 11-August 14, 1998 entitled "Biology of Parasitism: Modern Approaches". This is a unique course for advanced graduate students, postdocs and independent investigators who are seeking thorough training in modern approaches to the study of parasites. The course consists of four sections: cell biology, immunology, molecular biology and biochemistry of parasites. Each section includes daily lectures juxtaposed with intensive laboratory experiments. Director: Edward J. Pearce, Cornell University. Tuition is $3,750. Partial financial aid is available to qualified candidates. For application forms contact: Carol Hamel, Admissions Coordinator, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA 02543-1015. Telephone: (508) 289-7401. Internet: <admissions@mbl.edu>. World Wide Website: <http://www.mbl.edu>. The MBL is an EEO Affirmative Action Institution.

CYBERSUBMISSIONS OF MEETING ABSTRACTS MOVE ASP INTO 21ST CENTURY

Don Duszynski and Mark Siddall have implemented on-line submissions of meeting abstracts for the Hawaii meeting in August of this year. The intention was to create an alternative to the existing methods of submission, not to supercede those. The advantage is that for those who are amenable to the idea, their abstracts will be available for searching well in advance of the meeting. Also, since the information is lodged in a database, all such abstracts will be consistent in their appearance. It also provides an opportunity for procrastinators to make it in on the last day.

MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL REMINDER

Tim Walker, Administrative Assistant to ASP Secretary-Treasurer George Cain, sends a gentle reminder to all ASP members who have not renewed their memberships for 1998 to please renew promptly. Gratitude is extended to those who have already done so. Tim Walker, Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242. Telephone: (319) 335-1329.

ATTENTION LATE BREAKER PARTICIPANTS

The call for papers recently sent to ASP members contains an incorrect fax number for Late Breaker Submissions (pg. 17). The correct fax number is (915) 747-5808.

ASP MENTOR AWARD NOMINATIONS SOLICITED

Nominations for the ASP Mentor Award are to be sent to the Secretary-Treasurer for transmittal to the ASP Mentor Award Committee. This award, to be presented during the 73rd Annual Meeting of the Society in Hawaii, honors an individual who, during his or her career, has demonstrated extraordinary leadership in the training of young scientists who have successfully pursued the independent study of parasites or aspects of the host-parasite relationship. Further, the individual shall have influenced the research and/or graduate education of a department, college or institution to significantly increase the number of students completing graduate level training in the various disciplines of parasitology.
The award will consist of a prize of $1,000, a certificate and travel expenses to the annual meeting of the Society. The recipient will be expected to deliver a 30 minute oral presentation to the membership of the Society emphasizing his or her views and experiences related to mentoring.
The selection criteria for the Mentor Award include but are not limited to one or more of the following:
1. Evidence of scholarship in research and graduate education;
2. Evidence of success of his or her graduates or postdoctoral trainees;
3. Innovative teaching methods;
4. Innovative or unique aspects of bench training;
5. Letters of support.
The ASP Mentor Award is administered by the ASP Mentoring Award Committee which has been appointed by the ASP President and Approved by Council.
Please send nominations to:
Dr. George D. Cain
Secretary-Treasurer, American Society of Parasitologists
Department of Biology
University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa 52242
Telephone: (319) 335-1054
FAX: (319) 335-1069
E-mail: george-cain@uiowa.edu

OPPORTUNITIES IN GRADUATE STUDY FOR INTERESTED STUDENTS

ATTENTION: STUDENTS INTERESTED IN GRADUATE STUDY IN INTESTINAL PHYSIOLOGY AND/OR INTESTINAL PARASITISM

Positions for graduate students with stipend support are IMMEDIATELY AVAILABLE at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. We currently have positions for up to three graduate students interested in the interdisciplinary research area of enteric physiology and the interaction of the intestine with Luminal organisms. Available to graduate students selected for these positions are stipends ($18,380/yr with the availability of health insurance), a selection of graduate departments in which to enroll and fully funded graduate research.

Once admitted to our program and the University of Wisconsin-Madison Graduate School, students may also be selected for a position on the Cellular and Molecular Parasitology Training Grant, Advanced Opportunity Fellowship or additional training awards. These opportunities are supported by Drs. Oaks' and Bass' NIH funded research program entitled, "Regulation of Intestinal Function by Adult Tapeworms." Enteric motility research and parasitological research at The University of Wisconsin-Madison is a collaborative interaction between 15 faculty and their laboratory staffs. Drs. Oaks and Bass have published widely in these overlapping fields and are presently examining the mechanism(s) by which the adult tapeworm is able to regulate the enteric nervous system and ultimately the muscle of the intestine. Our current research examines intestinal function at levels from that of the whole animal to the molecules involved.

We are looking for students who wish to study for the Ph.D. If they do not currently have a M.S., they will earn one as part of this Ph.D. program. Recent graduate students starting the graduate program have finished the program in 4-5 years.
If you are interested in seeking one of these positions, please contact:
Dr. John Oaks,
Department of Comparative Biosciences,
School of Veterinary Medicine.
University of Wisconsin-Madison,
2015 Linden Dr. West, Madison,
WI 53706-1102.
Telephone: (608) 263-1107.
E-mail: OaksJ@SVM.VETMED.WISC.EDU
The University of Wisconsin-Madison is an equal opportunity employer and encourages women and minorities to apply.

DIAGNOSTIC PARASITOLOGY COURSE OFFERED BY UNIFORMED SERVICES UNIVERSITY

A course in diagnostic parasitology is being offered August 3-14, 1998, at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD. This course will consist of a series of lectures and hands-on laboratory sessions covering the diagnosis of parasitic infections of humans. In addition to the examination of specimens, participants will be able to practice various methods used in the diagnosis of intestinal, blood and tissue parasitic diseases. Parasitic diseases encountered throughout the world will be included. Slide presentations and video tapes will be available for study. The course will be held on the University's campus, utilizing up-to-date lecture rooms and laboratory facilities. Microscopes will be available on a loan basis and laboratory supplies will be provided. Certain reference specimens will also be available for personal use. The registration fee for the two week course is $1,000. U.S. Government and Military personnel may take the course at a reduced rate. Those interested should register as soon as possible as the number of students will be limited. Previous laboratory experience is recommended.
For further information contact:
Dr. John Cross (301) 259-3139 or Ms. Ellen Goldman (301) 295-3129.

WORKING E-MAIL ADDRESSES NEEDED

As part of updating our membership directory, I have been working for months now to find good e-mail addresses for ASP members. This is one of the reasons many of you have received one of my mass mailings! Its all very mysterious because addresses that worked for one mailing, failed for subsequent mailings. If you did not receive an e-mail from me this year, that means I do not have a working address for you. If this is the case, please send me an e-mail, to <parasite@biology-afs.biology.uiowa.edu> so that I can obtain your email address. If there are alternative addresses that work for you, please provide the most generic one. For example, the address <George-Cain@uiowa.edu> is more generic than <gcain@blue.weeg.uiowa.edu>. Generic addresses will still work if departmental servers are renamed or retired. Thank you. Tim Walker, Administrative Assistant to the Secretary-Treasurer.

SOUTHEASTERN SOCIETY OF PARASITOLOGISTS CALLS FOR PAPERS FOR 1998 ANNUAL MEETING

The Southeastern Society of Parasitologists (SSP) has sent out its call for papers for the 1998 annual meeting to be held April 22-24 at the Clemson University's Outdoor Laboratory. The local committee for this meeting is comprised of Dr. Gayle Noblet and her students. Attendees will be housed in cabins on the complex and provided buffet style meals with a steak cookout on Thursday evening (April 23). Students will compete with their presentations for the Byrd-Dunn Award and a recipient of the SSP Meritorious Service Award will be honored. Speakers for the President's Symposium to be held the evening of April 22 will include Rebecca Cole USGS, BRD, National Wildlife Health Center in Madison Wisconsin who will speak on "Two parasitic disease that may impacting recovery of the Southern sea otter population in California"; Anne Zajac from the Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology at Virginia Tech who will present a talk entitled "An uninhibited discussion of the biology of Haemonchus contortus"; and Byron Blackburn from the Department of Pathobiology, Auburn University who will present the latest developments in flea biology "Fleas and flea control: A 1998 perspective."

UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD OFFERS SHORT COURSE ON EPIDEMIOLOGY
AND CONTROL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES.

An intensive three week course presented by the Wellcome Trust Center for the Epidemiology of Infectious Disease, will be held September 7-25, 1998 at the University of Oxford, UK.

Course Content:
-Infectious disease population dynamics
-Basic concepts and principles; the basic reproductive ratio; invasion persistence
-Heterogeneity, including behavioral, immunological and genetic
-A range of case studies will be explored including
-Infections with prions, viruses, bacteria, protozoa and helminths
-Infections which are directly, sexually and environmentally transmitted, and vector borne and blood borne.
-Both Medical and veterinary fields
-Quantitative methods
-Mathematical modeling
-Estimation of epidemiological parameters
-Public health policy
-Theory of infection control
-Implication for the design, implementation and evaluation of intervention programs
-Illustration of population based intervention programs

Participants do not need a sophisticated knowledge of statistics or mathematics to undertake the course and to benefit from it.

The course fee of 2,795 covers the cost of tuition, course notes, text book and refreshments during the week. A residential place can be booked at historic Wadham College for an additional 850. A social program will also be provided during the course. For additional information contact: Administrator, Richard Suswillo.
Telephone: 44(1865) 281 230. Fax: 44(1865) 281 245.
E-mail: richard.suswillo@zoology.oxford.ac.uk
Website: http://www.ceid.ox.ac.uk

ANIMAL RIGHTS FRONT

The Americans for Medical Progress Educational Foundation's (AMP) motto is "Research Saves Lives". This is one of the most active organizations in educating the public to counter the tremendous potential harm that animal activists can perpetrate against science.

AMP has seriously damaged the popularity of animal rights among many of the Hollywood crowd that has in the past ardently defended the philosophies and actions of groups such as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), an animal activist organization. AMP has called attention to the apparent hypocrisy evident in the actions of PETA, an organization which condemns any scientific research involving animals but used less than $4,000 of its 1995 $12 million budget and only $6,100 of its 10.9 million 1996 budget to support animal shelter programs. AMP has also pointed out that the Humane Society of the United States does not operate a single animal shelter despite a $40 million budget.

Several actions by AMP are worthy of note and praise. AMP launched its "Shelter Challenge" with a opinion editorial challenging animal rights groups to invest their vast resources in helping millions of shelter animals that face bleak, brief lives. AMP made the point that the "true measure of the success or failure of the animal rights movement ought to be the number and condition of those animals which end up in shelters each year." The article was syndicated to several major newspapers. AMP received responses from animal rights donors who were furious that they has succumbed to misleading fund raising appeals.
The animal rights activists held their national convention in June 1997 ("Animal Rights 97"). AMP helped them celebrate by providing nationally syndicated columnist Cal Thomas with background information and statistics for an article on animal rights terrorism and its devastating impact on the search for cures and treatments for diseases. The article ran in over 450 newspapers nationwide, gaining unprecedented coverage for the pro-research perspective.
AMP prepared lawmakers for the "Animal Rights Lobby Day" by faxing every member of Congress information detailing the indefensible philosophy and tactics of animal activists. AMP also placed a full-page ad in the Roll Call, Capitol Hill's newspaper, which brought attention to acts of terrorism committed by animal activists.

AMP's expertise on the animal rights movement is in high demand. In addition to individually consulting with several institutions facing challenges from animal activists, AMP also delivers presentations on the threat the movement poses to important medical breakthroughs. A recent speech to leading scientists at the 1st International Conference on Mammalian Cloning is an example of AMP's commitment to inform the research community. Susan E. Paris, the President of AMP, recently talked at the University of Pennsylvania on "Exposing the Threat of the Animal Rights Movement." Those wishing to help AMP in its important efforts on behalf of science and scientists can send a donation to: Americans for Medical Progress Educational Foundation, 421 King Street, Suite 401, Alexandria, VA 22314. Telephone: (703) 836-9595. E-mail: <AMP@AMProgress.org>. Visit AMP's web page at: <http://www.AMProgress.org>.

STUDENT POSITION AVAILABLE

Dr. David Williams, Department of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, currently has NIH funds available to support a doctoral student. Research in Dr. Williams' laboratory is toward gaining an understanding of the enzymology of eggshell formation in Schistosoma mansoni in order to develop strategies to prevent or eliminate schistosomiasis. The specific projects targeted are the cloning and characterization of the parasite's phenol oxidases (PO). A full-length clone of PO has been isolated and the initial goal of the project is to understand the function of its gene product in eggshell formation. This will be accomplished by expressing recombinant PO, characterizing recombinant PO biochemically and localizing the native PO in adult worms using immunofluorescence microscopy. The project will incorporate a variety of molecular, immunological and biochemical approaches. Interested individuals should send a CV or copy of university transcripts (photocopy acceptable), list of references and copies of no more than three recent papers to:
Dr. David Williams
Department of Biological Sciences
Illinois State University
Normal, IL 61790-4120.
Tel: (309) 438-2608. Fax: (309) 438- 3722. E-mail: dlwilli@ilstu.edu.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

National and International Meetings

American Society of Parasitologists Meeting Schedule:
1998, August 16-20: Kona Surf Resort, HAWAII!!!
1999, July 6-10:Joint Meeting with the Society of Nematologists, University of California, San Francisco, CA
2000, dates TBA: Joint Meeting with the Society of Protozoologists, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, PR
Contact:
Dr. George Cain
Secretary-Treasurer
Department of Biological Sciences
University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA.
Tel: (319) 335-1061. FAX: (319) 335-1069. E-mail: george-cain@uiowa.edu

British Society for Parasitology
Leishmaniasis/Trypanosomiasis Seminar
April 19-22, 1998: Arcachon, Nr Bordeaux,
France.
Contact: Dr. Simon Croft, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London WC1E 7HT, UK.
Tel: (44)(0) 171 927 2345. Fax: (44)(0)171 636 8739. ]
E-mail: s.croft@lshtm.ac.uk

8th International Congress on Infectious Diseases
May 15-18, 1998: Boston, MA
Contact: International Society for Infectious Diseases, 181 Longwood Ave., Boston, MA 02115.
Tel: (617) 277-0551. Fax: (617) 731-1541.

3rd International Workshop on Molecular Epidemiology and Evolutionary Genetics of Infectious Diseases
June 7-10, 1998: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Contact: M. Tibayrenc, Centre d'Etudes sur la Polymorphisme des Microorganismes, ORSTOM, BP 5045, 34032 Mountpellier Cedex 1, France.
Tel. +33 4 67 41 61 97. Fax: +33 4 67 4162 99.

British Society for Parasitology
Autumn Symposium: Exploring Parasite Genomes
September 11, 1998: The City University, London, UK
Contact: Dr. David Rollinson, Department of Zoology, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK.
Tel: (44)(0)171 938 8887. Fax: (44)(0)171 938 8754.
E-mail: d.rollinson@nhm.ac.uk

British Society for Parasitology: Malaria Meeting
September 21-24, 1998: Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh, UK
Contact: Prof. David Walliker, Institute of Cell, Animal and Population Biology, University of Edinburgh, Ashworth Laboratories, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JT, UK.
Tel: (44) (0)131 650 5548. Fax: (44)(0) 131 667 3210.
E-mail: walliker@ed.ac.uk

British Society for Parasitology
Annual Spring Meeting
April 11-14, 1999: University of Warwick, UK
Contact: Dr. Graham Medley, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK.
Tel: (44)(0)1203 524 456. Fax: (44)(0)1203 524 619.
E-mail: medley@oikos.warwick.ac.uk

WILDLIFE DISEASE ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE TO BE HELD IN WISCONSIN

The 1998 Wildlife Disease Association annual conference will be held at the University of Wisconsin, Madison on August 10-13, 1998. The meeting will be jointly sponsored by the National Wildlife Health center, The University of Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and the International Crane Foundation. In addition to contributed papers, two symposia are planned for the conference: "Algal Biotoxins in Wildlife" and Disease and Amphibian Declines".

For more information concerning the conference or to contribute a paper, please contact: Toni Rocke or Nancy Thomas at the National Wildlife Health Center, 6006 Schroeder Rd., Madison, Wisconsin 53711;
E-mail <WDAmail@usgs.gov>;
Telephone, (608) 270-2400; Fax, (608) 270-2415; or check out our Web page at <http://www.emtc.nbs.gov/nwhchome.html>. Deadline for submission of abstracts is May 15, 1998.

4TH INTERNATIONAL MEETING OF THE CHINESE SOCIETY OF TROPICAL MEDICINE
AND PARASITOLOGY IN GUILIN, CHINA

The 4th International Meeting of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology, sponsored by the Chinese Society of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology and the Chinese Medical Society, will be held October 8-10, 1998 in Guilin (Kweilin), located in southern China. Guilin has been referred to as the most beautiful spot in China. The City is located on the banks of the Li River, and is surrounded by hilly landscape provided by huge limestone peaks. The area is has been the subject of countless literary works and paintings. The meeting will focus on: arbovirus diseases, Scrub typhus, typhus and Q fever, psittacosis, ornithosis, AIDS, legionnaires disease, leprosy, infectious diarrhea, tropical fungal infections, malaria, trypanosomiasis, filariasis, schistosomiasis and other trematode diseases, larvae migrans, tropical eosinophilia, tropical splenomegaly, tropical anemia, tropical nutritional deficiency, spirochetal diseases, STDs, and other appropriate topics. Abstracts must be submitted by July 1, 1998. Presentations will be in English.

Registration is $300 and rooms run $75-$85/person/night (breakfast included). For additional information and abstract forms contact: Secretariat, 4th International Meeting of Tropical medicine and Parasitology, Department of Foreign Relations, Chinese Medical Association, 42 Dongsi Xidajie, Beijing 100710, China. Telephone: +86 10 6525 0394. Fax: +86 10 6512 3754.
Dr. John Cross with the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences is trying to organize a group to attend this meeting.

For additional information on this trip contact:
Dr. John Cross,
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences,
F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine,
4301 Jones Bridge Road,
Bethesda, MD 20814-4799.

BOOK NOOK

Listed below are recent publications of possible interest to ASP members.

1. A Color Atlas of Parasitology, J.T. Sullivan, University of the Incarnate Word, 1997, $30. This book is a bound collection of color inkjet prints of mostly parasitology teaching slides that the author has digitally photographed, along with accompanying information on each parasite. Details on this publication can be found at the following Web site: <http://www.geocities.com/Sunset Strip/Venue/2851/parasitology.html> .

2. Host-Parasite Evolution: General Principles and Avian Models, D.H. Clayton and J. Moore (eds), Oxford University Press, 1997, 60 (hardback), 25 (paperback), 473 pages, ISBN 0-19-854893-1 (hardback), 0-19-854892-3.

3. Analytical Parasitology, M.T. Rogan (ed), Springer, 1997, DM 128.00, 365 pages, ISBN 3-540-58919-8.

4. The Molecular Biology of Insect Disease vectors: A Methods Manual, J.M. Crampton, C.B. Beard and C. Louis (eds), Chapman & Hall, 1997, 65, 579 pages, ISBN 0-412-73660-8.

5. Trypanosomiasis and Leishmaniasis: Biology and Control, G. Hide, J.C. Motram, G.H. Coombs, and P.H. Holmes, CAB International, 1997, 35, 366 pages, ISBN 0-85199-139-4.

NEW PARASITE REFERENCE COLLECTION TO BE ESTABLISHED: CALL FOR DONATION OF SPECIMENS

Dr. Michael Patrick, a new faculty member at The Pennsylvania State University, wishes to establish a parasite reference collection at Penn State. He is interested in obtaining any surplus parasite specimens in vials or on slides. Anyone having such material available and willing to donate it to Dr. Patrick for his reference collection should contact:
Dr. Michael J. Patrick,
Department of Biology,
The Pennsylvania State University,
3000 Ivyside Park,
Altoona, PA 16601-3760.

CHANGES ANNOUNCED IN JOURNAL EDITORIAL BOARD

Dr. Gerald Esch, Editor of the Journal of Parasitology, recently announced several "amicable" changes in the Journal's Editorial Board. Judy Sakinari has replaced Jim Tracy in Molecular-Cell Biology; Bill Granath and Bruce Conn have agreed to serve in a new category, Functional Morphology; and, Bill Font is being coupled with Jeff Lotz to handle Life Cycles-Survey.

HELMINTHOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON ANNOUNCES NEW WEB PAGE

The Helminthological Society of Washington has established a new Web site with links to contents pages of several recent past issues of the Journal. The Helm. Soc. Web site address is: http://www.gettysburg.edu/~shendrix/helmsoc.html This announcement was submitted by Sherman S. Hendrix, Editor, Journal of Helminthology. Contributions to and comments on the new Web site may be subnitted to: Dr. Sherman Hendrix, Professor and Chairman, Department of Biology, Gettysburg College, Gettysburg, PA 17325.

OBITUARY NOTICE

Mette Strand (born, April 20, 1937; ASP member since 1988) died on October 10, 1997. A WebSite honoring the memory of Dr. Strand can be seen at http://www.med.jhu.edu/m-strand-memorial/

SPECIMEN RECORDS OF U.S. NATIONAL PARASITE COLLECTION AVAILABLE ON THE INTERNET

The specimen records of the U.S. National Parasite Collection (USNCP) maintained by the Agricultural Research Service at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Beltsville, Maryland are now available in a fully searchable format on the Internet. You may access the database at http://www.lpsi.barc.usda.gov/bnpcu. Other parasitology web sites are encouraged to add a link to this address.

A description and history of the USNPC were published to mark its Centennial year in 1992 (Lichtenfels, Pilitt and Hoberg, J. Parasitol. 80: 831-840). The USNPC loans specimens for research purposes. Currently there are no charges for accessioning or loaning specimens.
Loans are for 60 days. Requests can be addressed to the curators: J. Ralph Lichtenfels, Patricia A. Pilitt or Eric P. Hoberg by e-mail <rlichten, ppilitt or ehoberg@lpsi.barc.usda.gov>.

The Web-Edited ASP Newsletter was modified slightly from the Printed Version that is Edited by George Stewart.
This was done by by Scott L. Gardner.

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COURSE ON MODERN APPROACHES TO STUDY OF BIOLOGY OF PARASITISM OFFERED BY MARINE BIOLOGICAL LABORATORY AT WOODS HOLE