About the Union

Founded in 1927, the International Union of Microbiological Societies (IUMS) strives to promote the study of microbiological sciences internationally: initiate, facilitate and coordinate research and other scientific activities which involve international cooperation; ensure the discussion and dissemination of the results of international conferences, symposia and meetings and assist in the publication of their reports; represent microbiological sciences in ICSU and maintain contact with other international organizations.

About the USNC

The U.S. National Committees (USNCs) represent the United States scientific community in the international structure of the unions, work to promote positive international engagement and collaboration, and serve as bridges between the National Academies, the many disciplinary societies, scientific funding agencies, and individual American scientists.

The U.S. committee to IUMS supports the growth of biology by:

• Serving as a neutral venue where representatives of U.S. professional societies, government agencies, and other important stakeholders can meet to discuss trends in their disciplines
• Acting as a communication bridge between the U.S. and international scientific communities
• Initiating and facilitating activities on important disciplinary and trans-disciplinary issues
• Collaborating with other national and international organizations interested in the advancement of the biological sciences

Activities & Events

 Representing the U.S. in the International Network of the Union

The U.S. National Committee nominates scientists for leadership positions in the union, votes on union business matters, and sends a delegation of scientists to represent the U.S. in the triennial IUMS Congresses.

The IUMS XII International Congress of Bacteriology and Applied Microbiology (August 5-9), XII International Congress of Mycology (August 5-9) and XIV International Congress of Virology (August 10-15) were held in 2008 in Istabul, Turkey.  The next series of IUMS Congresses will be held in 2011 in Sapporo, Japan

The United States hosted the IUMS Congress and General Assembly, “Microbes in a Changing World”, July 23-28, 2005 in San Francisco, CA.

 Developing Disciplinary and Multidisciplinary Scientific Programs

MICROBIAL COMMONS CONFERENCE
June 12 – 13, 2008
Ghent, Belgium

An international conference on building an integrated infrastructure in microbial research dealing with issues such as bioinformatics, intellectual property rights, material transfer agreements, text mining, and integration with genomics databases

 Fostering Responsible Conduct of Biology
The IUMS Code of Ethics against Misuse of Scientific Knowledge, Research and Resources was adopted by the Executive Board in 2006 and by the General Assembly in 2008.  The code reaffirms the importance of the open exchange of scientific information for the benefit of humankind and the environment, while expressing opposition to the misuse of microbiological knowledge, research and resources.

SECOND INTERNATIONAL FORUM ON BIOSECURITY
March 30 – April 2, 2008
Budapest, Hungary
More than 80 people from 31 countries participated in the Forum and discussed challenges and opportunities for the scientific community in fostering policies that promote both scientific progress and security.

Current Membership

The National Academies currently convenes five U.S. National Committees in the biological sciences, one committee for each union to which it adheres.  Members of the committees are scientists from academe, government and industry who represent the U.S. research community and who have a strong interest in international science.  Members generally serve for 3-year terms and are eligible for re-appointment to a second 3-year term.  Members of the Executive Boards of the biology unions who reside in the U.S. serve as ex-officio members and are also invited to be actively involved with the committees.  Nominations for new members are sought from a variety of sources, including the members and other Boards within the National Academies, scientific societies, and the scientific community at large.

Keith Klugman, Chair
Emory University

Carolee Bull  
USDA/Agricultural Research Service

Lucia Rothman-Denes  
University of Chicago

James Staley  
University of Washington

Linda Lasure

Maureen Wright   
USDA/South Regional Research Center

Lily Young
Rutgers University

Ex Officio Members
Joan Bennett, IUMS Vice President
Rutgers University

Stephen Lerner, IUMS Executive Board Member
Wayne State University

Society Liaision
Lily Schuermann
Director, international Affairs
American Society for Microbiology

Sponsors

Support for the five U.S. National Committees in the biological sciences is provided by the Directorate for Biological Sciences
of the National Science Foundation.

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