Biological Fluorescence Bylaws
Article I
Purpose: The purpose of the Biological Fluorescence Subgroup is to promote the interchange of information and to foster the advance of knowledge pertaining to the development of new capabilities in fluorescence methodologies, both theoretical and experimental, and the application of these developments to the study of biological systems.
Article II
Membership: Members of the Biophysical Society may join the Biological Fluorescence Subgroup; nonmembers of the Biophysical Society are welcome to attend Biological Fluorescence Subgroup symposia but are unable to join the Subgroup, serve as Officers of the Subgroup, or vote.
Article III
Meetings: Business meetings of the Subgroup membership shall be held in connection with or in close proximity to the Annual Scientific Meeting of the Biophysical Society. If any matters come up that require a vote at any time of year, Subgroup members can transact Subgroup business by a virtual vote. For virtual votes, decisions shall be made by two-thirds of the Subgroup members voting on the measure.
Article IV
Officers: The Officers of the Subgroup will be a Chair, Chair-Elect, Past-Chair, and Secretary-Treasurer. The Chair-elect shall serve one year as such, followed by one year as Chair. The Secretary-Treasurer shall be elected for a term of two years. These positions have the following responsibilities:
Chair & Chair-Elect & Past-Chair: Under normal circumstances, the Chair will be in charge of organizing and conducting the annual Subgroup meeting; apprising the Biophysical Society of the activities and needs of the Subgroup; advising the Society on matters related to the Subgroup; promoting and overseeing the Student Research Achievement Award (SRAA) competition; communicating with the Society concerning meeting plans and public communications (flyers, announcements, newsletter reports, etc.); organizing work done around the subgroup award that is not judging, i.e. advertising to the members, communicating with the award sponsors; and participating in activities that benefit the Subgroup and Society. The chair will also be responsible for the Subgroup meeting all deadlines established by the Subgroup Manager and monitoring all efforts that contribute to the Subgroup Report Card. The Past-chair and the Chair-Elect will provide advice and support by executing tasks delegated by the Chair.
Secretary-Treasurer: Will work with the Society to manage Subgroup membership, budgets, keep up to date with financial information and sponsorships, and will work with the Chair to carry out necessary correspondence and other organizational tasks.
Article V
Eligibility for Office: Only members of the Biological Fluorescence Group may be elected to Subgroup leadership positions. If an elected officer does not become a member prior to the Annual Meeting where they would be taking office, the second runner-up candidate shall assume the position instead. The runner up must also be a BPS member and a member of the Subgroup in order to assume office. In order to serve as a regular Subgroup Officer, the member must be a Regular, Emeritus, or Early Career member of BPS. Graduate students/Postdocs can only serve if the Subgroup has a designated trainee position, in which case the position title will reflect the career stage of eligible members. Members may not be elected to the same position in the Subgroup more than once every five years.
Article VI
Elections: Elections will be held electronically and concluded two weeks prior to the Subgroup’s business meeting. The candidates for each office receiving the highest number of votes will be elected. In the case of a tie, the deadline will be extended for an extra three days. If the tie remains after three days, BPS staff will send out a new ballot with just the tied candidates to break the tie. The results will be announced to the Subgroup’s membership during the Subgroup’s Business Meeting. Officers will take office at the end of the annual Business Meeting held in conjunction with the Annual Meeting of the Biophysical Society. Interim vacancies in officers or councilors will be filled in accordance with Bylaw Article XVIII of the Biophysical Society.
Article VII
Executive Committee: The Executive Committee will be responsible for fulfilling the scientific and business obligations of the group. The Executive Committee will consist of the Officers: Chair, Chair-Elect, Past-Chair, and Secretary-Treasurer. The affairs of the Subgroup shall be handled by the Officers in accordance with the policies determined by the Executive Committee and the Biophysical Society Council.
Article VIII
Nominating Committee: The members of the Executive Committee shall constitute the Nominating Committee. Nominations can come from anyone, with self-nominations also permitted. The Nominating Committee is responsible for soliciting nominations from subgroup membership and for preparing the final slate of candidates. Nominations will be received electronically no later than one month prior to the Subgroup’s business meeting. Nominees must accept their nomination prior to being placed on a ballot.
Article IX
Awards Committee: The Awards Committee will be responsible for inviting nominations from all Subgroup members and selecting awardees based on the established eligibility criteria, nomination packets, and judging rubric.
The Subgroup currently has three awards: (i) Student Award in Biological Fluorescence, (ii) Young Fluorescence Investigator Award, (iii) Gregorio Weber Award for Excellence in Fluorescence Theory and Applications. For the Young Fluorescence Investigator Award and Student Award in Biological Fluorescence, which are sponsored, a representative from the sponsoring organization will join the Executive Committee to constitute the respective Award Committee. For the Gregorio Weber Award for Excellence in Fluorescence Theory and Applications, which is also sponsored, the Awards Committee constitutes of: Five former winners, who are encouraged to be Subgroup members, the Past-Chair, and a representative of the sponsoring organization. It is the intent of the Group that the Award Committee members shall rotate to represent different specialties.
If any of these have a conflict of interest with the Award nominees or sponsors, the Chair may appoint Subgroup members to serve in their place on the Awards Committee.
Each year, the Committee must review and confirm award eligibility requirements and the rubric with BPS staff. While the primary selection criteria will focus on scientific excellence, the committee is also responsible for ensuring that the candidate pool gives meaningful access to underrepresented individuals and groups of the Biophysical Society. Committee members must avoid any conflicts of interest with nominees or award sponsors in a given year.
Article X
Dissolution: The Biological Fluorescence Subgroup must be in accordance with the Biophysical Society’s constitution and bylaws, mission, values, goals, and operational guidelines. If not, the group will be placed on probation and may be dissolved at the discretion of the Council of the Biophysical Society.
Article XI
Amendments to the Bylaws: Amendments can be proposed by any member of the Biological Fluorescence Subgroup must be approved by a two-thirds majority of the Subgroup’s Executive Committee, and be ratified in an electronic ballot by a majority of the members of the group voting.