BYLAWS
DIVISION OF DEVELOPMENTAL & CELL BIOLOGY

(Adopted at the Pennsylvania State University Meetings August 31-September 2, 1959)
(As amended August 1975; December 1978; July 1979; December 1981; September 30, 1983; June 2005)

The purpose of the Division of Developmental and Cell Biology shall be to advance, coordinate, and assist research and publication within this field, and to act as a liaison agency between workers in the various scientific fields involved.

The official name of this division shall be "The Division of Developmental and Cell Biology of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology."

The Division of Developmental and Cell Biology shall be a subdivision of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology and shall be governed in all its operation by the Constitution and Bylaws of that Society.

Any member of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology who so desires may become a member without payment of additional dues. Notice in writing to the Secretary of the Division of Developmental and Cell Biology shall be only formality required.

The Officers of the Division shall be a Chair, a Past Chair, a Chair-Elect, a Program Officer, a Program Officer-Elect and a Secretary. All Officers except the Chair, Past Chair and Program Officer shall be elected by majority vote of all those members responding to a ballot submitted to the entire membership, as required by the bylaws of the Society at least sixty days before the expiration of the current officers terms. The post of Chair will be filled automatically every two years by elevation of the previous year's Chair-Elect. In addition, the office of Past Chair shall be occupied by the individual whose term of office as Chair has most recently ended. The post of Program Officer shall be filled automatically by the elevation of the Program Officer-Elect, who will be elected one year prior to the expiration of the Program Officers term. The post of Program Officer-Elect shall be limited to one year, the year prior to his/her elevation to the office of Program Officer. The terms of all officers shall be filled on the basis of the calendar year, beginning January 1.

The Chair shall preside at the meetings of the Division and shall promote in every practical way the interests of the Division. He/She shall represent the Division in dealings with the Executive Committee of the Society. He/She shall appoint each year, a Nominating Committee of three members of the Division and designate one of them as Chair, and such other committees as may be desirable. The Chair of the Division shall serve for a term of two years.

The Chair-Elect shall assume the duties of the Chair whenever that person is unable to act. He/She shall serve for a term of one year after which he/she shall automatically assume the position of Chair.

The Program Officer shall be responsible for the arrangement of programs at the meetings of the Division. He/She shall serve for a term of three years and shall be eligible for reelection through the office of Program Officer-Elect. The Program Officer shall chair the Program Planning Committee, a standing committee composed of the members of the Divisional Committee plus the Program Officer-Elect as stipulated in Article IX.

The Program Officer-Elect shall serve on the Program Planning Committee for the one year preceding his/her elevation to the post of Program Officer. The office will be filled only during this period.

The Secretary shall keep the records of the Division and handle the business affairs and shall perform such other duties as may from time to time be assigned to him/her. He/She shall serve for a term of three years and shall be eligible for re-election.

The necessary expenses of the Division shall be paid from the treasury of the Society, but in no year shall the total expenses of the Division exceed the amount allotted for this purpose in the annual budget of the Society. No officer or member of the Division shall have authority to incur any expenses in the name of the Society, except as above specified.

In intervals between meetings a Divisional Committee composed of the Chair, Chair-Elect, Past Chair, Program Officer, and Secretary of the Division may operate the Division.

A business meeting of the Division shall be held at least once a year concurrently with the regular Annual Business Meeting of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology, but if such a concurrent meeting is not feasible, then the Divisional Committee shall decide when and where the business meeting will be held. Divisional meetings may be held at other times and places on call of the Chair or when requested by ten members of the Division. Notice shall be sent to each member of the Division sixty days in advance of any meeting.

An annual prize shall be awarded for the best paper presented by a student at the annual meeting. In addition to a certificate, the prize will carry with it an award of $100.00. Students who have not yet been awarded the Ph.D. are eligible for the prize, as are new Ph.D's who have received the degree no more than 12 months prior to the meeting and are presenting a paper on their graduate research. The work must be original and must have been carried out principally by the student presenting the paper. The prize can be awarded only once to any student. Prior to the Annual Meeting, students who have submitted abstracts will be given the option of competing or not competing for the prize. However, if, in the opinion of the judges, none of the papers presented at a given meeting are deserving of a prize, the prize may be omitted for that year. In the case of a tie, duplicate prizes may be awarded. The Chair of the Division shall appoint annually 3 full members of the Division to act as judges. All papers identified as competing for the prize must be attended by at least one judge, and preferably by all three. No member who has a student competing for a prize shall be eligible to serve as judge.

The annual report of the Division and its official notices shall be included with the regular records and proceedings of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology.

These Bylaws may be amended in response to a ballot by two-thirds vote of those ballots received, provided that notice has been given to all members sixty days in advance.

The passage of regular business at the annual business meeting of the Division shall be by a majority vote of those in attendance. Regular business may also be carried out by a ballot with passage dependent upon a majority vote of those received in return.