Executive Officer's Column

As you will note, this issue of the Journal contains our annual call for abstracts. We hope you will also notice that we have gone back to our deadline of the beginning of November for abstracts. Previously, we had moved the deadline to the beginning of October because of printing difficulties around the end of the year. However, through the diligent efforts of our editor, Ken Curry, we now have a printer that actually works during the year-end holiday season and gives us a cheaper rate. We keep looking for the down side of this but haven't found it yet.

Just because the deadline has been moved doesn't mean that we won't accept early abstracts. In fact as Abstracts Editor, let me strongly encourage you to get your reports in EARLY. What little hair I have left turns a little grayer each year around the deadline as I try to match abstract with money. While the electronic submission of abstracts has been a boon for timely delivery and ease of transmittal, it has also exacerbates the matching process.

One new twist in the submission process this year will be our handling of late abstracts. In the past we have been lenient in accepting abstracts that were a little late. ("A little" is a relative term of course. We won't tell the most extreme examples, but you know who you are!) We will now charge a late fee and accept late submissions only if there is room in the program. This is detailed on the new abstract form. We are not trying to hinder scientists; rather, I am trying to avoid hair dyes.

See you in Elvis' home town of Tupelo.--John Boyle