Proceedings of the Sixty-first Annual Meeting of the Northeastern ...

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2005, Hilary Sandler and Brent Lackey finally gained the ability to edit the site and get it up and
running by mid year. Abstract and title submissions worked on the website in 2005, but there
were still problems largely due to password and access issues. With the Host Depot contract
ending in January 2006, the EC is considering options for making server and webmaster
changes.
The Collegiate Weed Contest was hosted by Dave Johnson at the Penn State Southeast
Research and Extension Center in Lancaster County on July 26, 2005. The Weed Contest
Committee, chaired by Bill Curran, made several changes in the rules to broaden the scope of
the contest and to enhance the students experience across all contest events. More than 40
volunteers helped to make the contest a rewarding experience for the 45 students who
participated. I would like to thank Dave Johnson and all the event coordinators, volunteers,
coaches, and students who made this event a great success.
Planning discussions were held with NEAPMS board members throughout the year on the joint
meeting in 2006. The NEAPMS organization formed in 1999 and includes about 140 members.
The group primarily comes from areas in New York and New England and is composed of
industry, applicators, state regulators, and university researchers. Many of their members have
attended NEWSS meetings. NEWSS has much in common with NEAPMS in that we both work
on weed management issues, invasive species, and meet during January. A joint meeting is a
good fit given our common interests. A conference call was held in February, we met at The
Westin Providence in June, and again in October to discuss details about the joint meeting.
Renee Keese worked with NEAPMS members to organize a joint symposium and a weed ID
workshop. A joint social was planned, and changes to our traditional meeting format were made
to facilitate a good interactive meeting between both organizations. Working with both
NEAPMS members and The Westin Providence meeting coordinators was a pleasant and
productive experience.
WSSA requested that all regional weed societies prepare a history poster for the 50 th
Anniversary Celebration to be held in New York City in February. I worked with Bob Sweet and
Jeff Derr to prepare the “History of the Northeastern Weed Science Society (1947-2006)” poster
which will be presented at both NEWSS and WSSA meetings in 2006.
A last initiative in 2005 was to form an ad hoc committee on “The Future of NEWSS.” Rich
Bonanno agreed to chair the committee which will first meet during the 2006 annual meeting to
begin evaluating the future direction and strategic planning initiatives for our society.
Finally, I want to express my thanks to the Executive Committee members who worked hard on
society affairs and activities during the year. I also want to thank the society for the opportunity
to serve as President. It has been a very enjoyable and rewarding experience.
PRESIDENT-ELECT
William S. Curran
Collegiate Weed Contest: Dave Johnson from Penn State University at the PA SE Research
and Extension Center near Landisville hosted the 2005 collegiate contest on July 25 - 26, 2005.
Dave and the Weed Contest Committee revised the contest guidelines expanding some
activities and reducing others. A major focus was to integrate more weed biology and ecology
into the contest. Most participants of the 2005 contest were pleased with the changes. Dupont
has agreed to host the Collegiate Weed Contest in 2006. Greg Armel has agreed to coordinate
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