Abstract
Gregory F. Dummer, C.A.E. ALA Executive Director
ALA begins 2010 with a fresh focus on new opportunities and a continued commitment to quality improvement. We thrive as a scientific community when our association is responsive and flexible, and when member needs and priorities drive our goals and agenda. The success ALA enjoyed in 2009 is a testament to ALA's organizational agility and the determined creativity of the many volunteer leaders who conscientiously guide the ALA mission and vision.
ALA began last year by expanding its online presence with new tools including The Automation Station at www.labautomation.org, a showcase for informative video interviews and practical demonstrations of new laboratory automation products and technologies. To complement The Automation Station, ALA launched its own channel on You-Tube and embraced social networking opportunities through Facebook and Twitter. JALA Online also took a step forward by making its scientific content freely available to the public two years after initial publication, reinforcing ALA's commitment to educating and informing the scientific community while preserving tangible benefits for member stakeholders.
Later in the year, ALA shared important trend data with members via the results of the 2008 ALA Survey on Laboratory Automation and via exclusive free access to results of the 2009 North American Laboratory Purchasing Trends Report, which was researched and prepared by the Laboratory Products Association.
JALA's team of Scientific Advisors expanded significantly in 2009 with the notable additions of Eiji Osawa, Ph.D. of the NanoCarbon Research Institute based at Shinshu University in Nagano, Japan; Chad Mirkin, Ph.D. of Northwestern University in Evanston, IL; Nicolaas De Rooij, Ph.D. of the Neuchatel University Institute for Microtechnology in Switzerland; and Jing Cheng, Ph.D. of Tsinghua University School of Medicine in Beijing, China. These thought-leaders joined forces with existing JALA Scientific Advisors Raymond Dessy, Ph.D. of Virginia Polytechnic Institute in Blacks-burg, VA, and Leroy Hood, M.D., Ph.D. of the Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle, WA.
For students and new laboratory automation professionals, ALA re-engineered its Career Connections program online and on-site at LabAutomation, launched a mentorship initiative, and created a new membership category exclusively for this generation of emerging scientific leaders. In addition, ALA introduced a new Global Young Scientist Award Program that brought students from around the world to LabAutomation from Miptec (Switzerland), ELRIG (United Kingdom), IEEE Robotics and Automation Society and the Chemtech Foundation (India), Peking University (Beijing), PITTCON and the Analytical Sciences Digital Library (U.S.). ALA also served as a major sponsor for two U.S.-based student conferences, the 61st Annual Midwestern Universities Analytical Chemistry Conference at Michigan State University and the 41st Annual Pharmaceutical Graduate Student Research Conference at Purdue University.
At the other end of the spectrum, ALA acknowledged the value of the many years of participation by retiring laboratory automation professionals by introducing a new membership category based on membership-by-contribution. For all members, the ALA Open Winvitation once again encouraged robust peer-to-peer outreach and membership recruitment. The participation and results demonstrate that ALA's best “salesmen” are its own members.
Throughout 2009, ALA continued to work constructively with an ever-increasing contingent of scientific and commercial partners to further the ALA mission of education. Nonprofit organizations included the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists, DECHEMA, Miptec, PITTCON, Laboratory Robotics Interest Group, European Laboratory Robotics Interest Group, National Science Foundation, IEEE Robotics and Automation Society, Laboratory Products Association, Institute of Food Technologists, Chemtech Foundation, Peking University, University of Wisconsin, University of Minnesota, and more. From the for-profit segment of our scientific community, valuable underwriting from Syngenta Seeds, Pioneer Hi-Bred, Amgen, and Pfizer helped ALA extend its educational reach even further, particularly among college students.
ALA received more than its fair share of industry and media accolades in 2009. The American Society of Association Executives and the Society of National Association Publications both published feature articles that showcased ALA innovation in programming and organizational management. In the meantime, trophies and awards were presented to ALA for the practical value and leading-edge excellence of its LabAutopedia Wiki by the Society of National Association Publications (2009 SNAP Excel Award); the Business Marketing Association (26th Annual BMI Tower Award); and the American Society of Association Executives (2009 ASAE Gold Circle Award). The Take Off With ALA travel discount program for LabAutomation also received media attention from Meetings and Conventions Magazine, Expo Magazine, and Tradeshow Executive Magazine.
As 2010 rolls forward, ALA members will witness and appreciate the growth and evolution of The Market Place for Laboratory Automation. This new online product directory at www.labautomation.org serves as a quick and convenient channel for finding accurate and complete information about new and existing laboratory automation products and services. As the commercial extension of the ALA LabAutopedia educational wiki (which welcomes thousands of unique visitors each month), The Market Place provides quick links to technology provider company Web sites; announces news in-and-about laboratory automation; includes technical notes, videos and event notices; and much, much more.
We also begin 2010 by saying thank you to the retiring members of the ALA Board of Directors, Erik Rubin of BMS, Dave Dorsett of BMS, and Steve Vidakovic of Pfizer. Their energy and sound sense of direction contributed greatly to ALA's progress over their years of service, and for this, the organization and its members will forever be grateful. In their place, ALA welcomes the enthusiastic insight of three new board members, Robyn Rourick of San Diego, Craig Schulz of Am-gen, and Nitin Sood of Agilent Technologies.
As the executive director of ALA, it is my pleasure to be counted among the inventive leaders and active members who fuel this association's progress and shape its unique community spirit. Thank you for your enthusiasm, your participation, your many contributions, and most of all, thank you for your continued membership.
Sincerely
