President's column.

The 70th annual meeting of the Mississippi Academy of Sciences was held at the Vicksburg Convention Center in Vicksburg, Mississippi, February 23-24, 2006. The meeting was well attended and there was a high level of participation from throughout the state. This was very significant because of initial concerns raised after the devastation that had plagued our state. All that attended and participated are to be commended. The Academy has and will prosper as long as we the members continue to support the mission of our Academy.

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The highlight of the meeting was the annual Dodgen Lecture presented by Dr. John H. Marburger, III, Science Advisor to the President of the United States and Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy. Dr. Marburger gave a very timely historical and well-received presentation on the shaping of US science policy and the future direction of that policy. In addition Dr. Richarcd O'Callaghan, Chairman of the Department of Microbiology at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, delivered the opening session address. Also, there were several interesting symposia presented during the meeting.

A number of people contributed in very significant ways to assure the success of the meeting. I will mention some of these and will apologize for not recognizing all that did a fantastic job. I would like to thank Ms. Cynthia Huff, Administrative Assistant of the Academy, for her tremendous effort and keeping everyone on track. Dr. Edwin Swiatlo was instrumental in making arrangements for Dr. John Marburger, and Dr. Swiatlo also served as chair of the exhibits committee. Dr. Ann Marie Kinnell assembled the program edition of the Journal and was a photographer of the meeting. Drs. Sarah Lee McGuire, Rob Rockhold, Roy Duhe, Michelle Tucci, and Juan Silva helped with the development of the scientific program for the meeting. There was tremendous effort and time put forth by all the division chairs which meant that meeting ran smoothly. The effort of dealing with audio-visual needs for sessions is greatly acknowledged. I would like to thank Quincy Moore, Joel Davis, and Scott Wingerter for their efforts with the poster sessions. The assistance of Dr. Olga McDaniel in many aspects of the meeting preparation and on-site efforts were invaluable. Once again I would like to express my appreciation to all who attended the meeting without whom such a successful gathering would not have been possible. Finally, I would like to recognize Dr. William Turner, Chairman of the Department of Surgery at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, for his support. Thanks to everyone for providing me the opportunity to serve you and the Academy.