Abstract
As I write this, the SLAS Board of Directors, the SBS and ALA Executive Councils, and the SLAS professional staff team continue to work hard at making the merger of our two great organizations a working reality. As you read this, our core headquarters staff team is set to relocate into new, highly functional, cost-efficient, and centrally located offices near Chicago in St. Charles, Illinois. New contact information is as follows:
Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening
100 Illinois Street, Suite 242
St. Charles, IL 60174, USA
As we continue to reorganize and realign our professional team, we do so using a successful virtual management model that will yield even greater cost savings while generating improved operational efficiency.
Very soon our new Internet headquarters will be up and running as well at www.SLAS.org. This dynamic platform will replace http://www.sbsonline.org and www.labautomation.org and will be your resource for information about all SLAS programs, products, services, and events, including those from the Biomolecular Sciences Section and the Laboratory Automation Section. Here, you will be able to manage your membership and personal profile; access online benefits such as JBS Online and JALA Online; find out what is planned for upcoming conferences and symposia; participate in association programs such as The Lab Man discussion forums; browse current industry news headlines; and more.
Of especially timely interest and importance is the pending SLAS 2010-2013 Strategic Plan crafted by the members of the SLAS Board of Directors. Highlights of this important roadmap will become available at www.SLAS.org as soon as possible. This plan defines a viable futureview for our organization and raises our focus above and beyond the day-to-day management details that have kept us so busy since you approved this merger in May. Although it is understood that the complete union of SBS and ALA is an ongoing process that will require flexibility and continued adjustments, this plan gets us moving together toward realistic goals. It reaches beyond today to build practical value for SLAS members while reinforcing the strength and position of our organization and contributing to the greater good of our scientific community as a whole.
As clearly stated in our founding mission, “SLAS is a global organization that exists to provide forums for education and information exchange to encourage the study and improve the science and practice of lab-oratory automation and screening.” With this new strategic plan, we will be well on our way to bringing this mission to life. It is exciting to see new opportunities unfold before us. It is encouraging to see former SBS and ALA members come together and work with such vigor as SLAS members. It is a preview into what I believe will be a most positive and productive future for all of us.
Sincerely,
