President's column.

It was an honor and a privilege to preside over the 69th annual meeting of the Mississippi Academy of Sciences, which was held at the Oxford Conference Center in Oxford, Mississippi, February 17-18, 2005. This meeting celebrated the 75th anniversary of the Academy, and I am pleased to report that it was a tremendous success. The highlight of the meeting was the annual Dodgen Lecture, presented by Dr. Bruce Alberts, President of the National Academies of Science, followed by a combined poster session and reception. Continuing the tradition begun at the 2004 meeting, the 69th annual meeting included a number of interesting symposia which covered a variety of topics, including earthquakes, astronomy, drug delivery, supercomputing, advances in health science, and the biotechnology industry. Several educational workshops were also conducted, continuing the Academy's long-standing tradition of supporting science education in Mississippi.

The success of this meeting is due to the hard work and dedication of many people, who have my most sincere gratitude: John Boyle was responsible for bringing Dr. Bruce Alberts as our Dodgen Lecturer, as well as serving as abstracts coordinator and maintaining the web page; Charles Swann was responsible for arrangements with the Oxford Conference Center; Roy Duhe developed and planned the Biotechnology Industry Symposium; the format of the scientific program was developed by a team of persons that included Ham Benghuzzi, Roy Duhe, Maria Begonia, Rob Rockhold, Larry McDaniel, and Cynthia Huff; and the program itself was assembled by Ken Curry, Ann Curry, and Ann Marie Kinnell. I would also like to thank each of the division chairs for their work in designing divisional programs, symposia, and educational workshops which continue to enhance the quality of the annual meeting. I would also like to thank the chairs of standing committees for their valuable contributions: Ken Butler (Publicity; Awards and Resolutions), Michelle Tucci (Membership), Elgenaid Hamadain (Exhibits), and Lance Yarbrough (Poster Chair). In addition, the on-site assistance of Ryan Day, Shruti Chandna, Brandon Fontenelle, Madeleine Leake, Michael Yablick, and Michael Jackson was invaluable. Without the efforts of these persons, the meeting would not have been successful. Finally, I would like to thank our major sponsors for the meeting, The University of Mississippi and Millsaps College, whose sponsorship enabled us to conduct a first-class meeting in a quality location. I look forward to continued success of the Academy and its annual meeting next year!

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