Program Committee

The Program Committee is the arm of EMGS that is responsible for organizing the annual meeting of the society. Rather than constitute a new committee for each annual meeting under the leadership of the elected vice-president, in 2017, the membership adopted a method in which representatives of each of the Special Interest Groups (SIGs) would constitute a standing Program Committee. The committee would retain institutional memory facilitating the preparation of the annual meeting’s program. Because advertising and fund-raising activities require a meeting program to be produced a year in advance of the meeting, the program committee simultaneously oversees preparations for two meetings.

Representatives to the Program Committee are selected by the SIGs to serve a three-year term. Terms are staggered so that two or three SIG reps rotate on and off the committee every year.

Every year in advance of the September annual meeting, the Program Committee nominates one of its members to chair the committee for the meeting two years in advance. The society President then confirms the nominated Program Committee Co-Chair, to begin a two-year term of service at the annual meeting. The Program Committee Chair is responsible for the next annual meeting. The Program Committee Co-Chair is responsible for the annual meeting after the next. At the completion of the business meeting at the annual meeting, the current Program Committee Chair will have completed their service, the Co-Chair is promoted to Chair of the Program Committee for the next year, and the newly nominated and approved Co-Chair begins their two-year term of service.
When the Program Committee Co-Chair is approved by the President, the Co-Chair selects four ad hoc program committee members to assist in preparing the meeting under the Co-Chair’s responsibility (the next-after-next). The Co-Chair will select a new/young investigator co-chair as well as three other committee members, as experienced intermediate-to-late stage scientists who are willing to serve on the Program Committee and accept the possibility of later nomination to become a Program Committee Co-Chair/Chair. The members selected by the Co-Chair have a two-year term of service, in contrast to the SIG representatives who serve for three years.

In addition to the SIG representatives, who are selected by their SIGs, and the ad hoc members selected by the Co-Chair and Chair, the program committee will include as advisors, the immediate-past program Committee Chair, the sitting society President and Vice-President, the Vice-President-elect and a Council liaison, selected by the President. Because advertising and fund-raising activities require a meeting program to be produced a year in advance of the meeting, the program committee at all times includes two chairs (the Chair and Co-Chair) overseeing preparations for two meetings. The Chair/Co-Chair should interact directly with the Chair of the Finance and Fundraising Committee, to ensure timely communication of program planning in support of fundraising activities. 

Program Committee composition: 

• Chair
• Co-Chair
• SIG Representatives to the Program Committee (3 year terms)
• New Technologies champion
• 8 ad hoc members appointed by the Program Co-Chair and Chair (2 year terms)

Junior members of these ad hoc appointments will serve as the New Investigator Co-chair 

Up to 4 ad hoc members appointed by the EMGS Presidents (2 year terms)

• EMGS Vice President*
• EMGS Vice President-elect*
• EMGS President*
• Past Program Chair*
• Council liaison*