About the North American Arabidopsis Steering Committee (NAASC)

NAASC Leadership- Current Steering Committee

Leadership Structure

  • NAASC is comprised of 10 members, nominated and elected by the North American Arabidopsis community, that serve 5 year, overlapping terms. Each fall, two new members are elected and two members rotate off. These members comprise the Board of Directors of the NAASC non-profit organization (incorporated: 2006, 501(c)3). The Board of Directors is not compensated for their service.

  • NAASC, the Board of Directors, has these officer positions: President, Vice-President, Treasurer, and Secretary. The positions are primarily assigned based on seniority (exception: Treasurer who serves for their full 5 year term).

  • NAASC is supported by a part-time Executive Director (ED) who is responsible for coordinating and implementing all NAASC activities. The ED reports to the Board of Directors who can delegate tasks to the ED. The ED will be financed from membership fees, sponsorships, in-kind services, and/or grants.

  • In 2022, NAASC added early-career scholars to the ballot to serve 1 year terms. These are students & postdocs that conduct research and/or education/outreach with Arabidopsis and that are in Canada, the USA, and Mexico.

Purpose of NAASC & the Arabidopsis Community

NAASC’s Mission

The organization, the North American Arabidopsis Steering Committee (NAASC), was formed to forge relationships, foster communication among North American scientists, and provide North American representation to the international community involved in research and education using the plant Arabidopsis thaliana.

 The function of NAASC is to serve as a liaison between members of the community and government and not-for-profit granting agencies, to provide representation of the community to international research efforts and service facilities such as ABRC and to play a major role in planning, running, and fundraising for the annual International Arabidopsis conferences. Members of NAASC also participate in domestic and international efforts involving plant biology research and support of plant biology communities, especially Arabidopsis.

NAASC’s purpose in establishing the Arabidopsis Community group

The purpose of establishing the Arabidopsis Community group is to promote fundamental research, education and training using Arabidopsis; redouble efforts to ensure funding agencies know the value of research using Arabidopsis; engage the broader community in activities and initiatives that support a sustainable Arabidopsis community that is self-renewing and represents the true diversity of all its members; provide a new venue for the community to share resources, professional and personal development opportunities, and to ask questions and receive community input (a venue previously provided by a past Arabidopsis list-serv), and support NAASC’s community-serving efforts.

NAASC will achieve its mission through the following:

  1. Develop the Arabidopsis Community (AC) group website and Reddit communication resource

  2. Support and promote personal and professional development activities including:

    1. Seminars and workshops; projects, collaborations, conferences, training programs, and annual meetings with membership

    2. Secure funding to enable member participation in events such as the annual ICAR

    3. Develop an Arabidopsis Community awards program to recognize excellence across a number of axes

    4. Activities developed and implemented by NAASC and AC subcommittees and working groups

  3. Engage directly with US funding agencies to advocate for fundamental plant biology research, education, and training

  4. Seek opportunities to engage with partners in other countries to leverage collaborative power to advocate for Arabidopsis

  5. Center Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) in all activities, decisions, and discussions

  6. Regularly survey the Arabidopsis Community group members about their priorities

  7. Engage the Arabidopsis Community in activities to broaden participation, increase the diversity of perspectives, leverage community creativity, and provide development opportunities

NAASC Subcommittees & Working Groups

NAASC implements it's actions via several subcommittees and working groups. The primary difference is that subcommittees are long-standing whereas working groups are typically established to address a time-limited task or issue. Over time, working groups may evolve into subcommittees (and vice versa).

NAASC’s 10 elected members serve on a subset of 1-2 subcommittees and working groups each, while the executive director serves on all. Due to NAASC’s limited bureaucracy and flat democratic structure, we can be flexible and responsive to community needs and pivot to address things as they come up.

Inclusivity Scholars Subcommittee (ISS):

  • Focused on increasing the presence of historically under-represented groups in the fields of Arabidopsis research, education and outreach, as well as to collaboratively address issues they face as plant scientists and in society.

  • Coordinates the Inclusivity Scholars Cohort Program at ICARs

    Early Career Scholars Subcommittee (ECSS):

  • Ensures that Early Career Scholars (ECS) have representation in NAASC activities at all stages of activity development and implementation, as well as to provide a forum to collaboratively address issues specific to ECS.

  • Develops ECS-focused activities such as webinars & activities at some ICARs.

    Fundamental Biology Advocacy Working Group

  • Focuses on advocating for the value of fundamental biology, with a focus on plant biology and especially Arabidopsis

    ICAR Working Group

  • Focuses on organizing ICAR when it is NAASC’s turn: currently every third year in the North America: Europe: Austral-Asia Pacific Rim rotation. Assesses NAASC-organized ICARs to collate lessons learned & recommendations for the future.

  • Considers proposing NAASC-led or co-led workshops or sessions at International ICARs

    Membership & Sustainability Working Group

  • Focuses on efforts to ensure NAASC sustainability including developing a new membership model (in 2022) as a way to raise funds for core NAASC functions. Also considers opportunities to seek additional funding.

  • Collaborates with other working groups when appropriate to create messaging & funding approaches.

    Arabidopsis Community Awards Working Group

  • Developed community awards in 2023; first awarded at ICAR 2024-San Diego.

  • Revisits/revises community award rubrics & review & selection processes on an annual basis. Establishes awards review teams.

  • Engages in advertising & outreach to solicit awards nominations from the community.

  • Collaborates with ABRC to administer the George Rédei Seed Stock Award annually.

NAASC Community Town Hall during ICAR 2021-Virtual

NAASC History

During the first years of the Arabidopsis Genome Project, an ad hoc committee was formed to forge relationships and foster communication among the groups and countries world-wide who were involved in the genome sequencing effort. It was determined that the committee should be made up of three representatives from North America, two representatives each from continental Europe and the United Kingdom, and one representative each from Australia and Japan. These representatives would be elected by the groups that they would represent, and they would serve terms of three years. This committee was known as the Multinational Science Steering Committee.

In February of 1992, in response to the need for elected North American representatives to the Multinational Science Steering Committee, Howard Goodman, Elliot Meyerowitz and Chris Somerville called for the formation of a North American Arabidopsis Steering Committee (NAASC). In the first election, six North American Arabidopsis researchers were elected.

In its first year, the NAASC dealt with a number of issues including the decision to have a National Arabidopsis meeting in Ohio in 1993, determining who should represent North America on the Multinational Science Steering Committee, and advising the NSF and other funding agencies of the community's needs for database services.

It was additionally determined that the committee would consist of six members and that members would serve for three years. Two new members would be elected annually via the Arabidopsis Newsgroup , and two members would retire.

Since that time, the NAASC has evolved into the main organizing and fundraising body for the International Conference on Arabidopsis Research (ICAR) when it is held in North America. ICAR is now held annually and rotates between North America, Europe, and Austral-Asia.

The NAASC also collaborates with MASC members that volunteer to host the annual ICAR. NAASC solicits funds to help North American early career stage scientists travel to these international meetings. Since 2004, the NAASC has applied for funding to allow members of underrepresented groups in US STEM, and scientists from US Historically Black Universities and Minority-Serving Institutions, to fully participate in ICARs. Additionally, the NAASC serves as a liaison between members of the community and government and not-for-profit granting agencies and provides representation of the community to service facilities.

The process for NAASC has been amended several times over the years. Currently, NAASC members serve 5 year terms. Further, members of the North American Arabidopsis research community who have served previously on NAASC may be re-nominated for the election, and if elected, may serve another term on the committee.

NAASC By-laws

  1. 1:30 - 5:45: What is NAASC? What does NAASC do?

  2. 5:45-9:45: ICAR 2024 information; NAASC approach including community-organized concurrent sessions

  3. 9:45-12:35: Benefits of NAASC membership

  4. 12:35-13:08: PMEX: Plant Methods Exchange Platform

  5. 12:08-13:35: 2024 membership stats

  6. 13:35-on: NAASC audience survey; art show raffle prize; Q&A

NAASC Town Hall during ICAR 2024 San Diego (18 July)