EFCS Discussion Forum

Overview: Valet

G.Valet Dec.12,1996

Dear Colleagues.

the mailing list has become active today. It should facilitate the EFCS discussion because messages have only to be sent to the maillist server in order to be automatically redistributed to all members of the discussion forum.

Ole Laerum has sent me a letter. He is in favour of the foundation of a European federation of cytometric societies. Ole is on a one year sabbatical which he spends at various locations. I have been able to contact him recently in Salamanca. He sends greetings and good wishes for this work to all participants. Ole will spend several months in Seattle, WA in Ger van den Engh's laboratory from January of next year on. He will have an E-mail address and actively participate in the discussion.

Dr.Ruiz-Arguelles from the IFCC has kindly established contacts to the IFCC secretariat in Nancy, France to obtain a copy of the IFCC constitution and bylaws. The texts will be displayed on: http://www.biochem.mpg.de/valet/efcsfed1.html as soon as possible.

In continuation of the earlier discussion, I believe, a main topic is how the structure of a European association of cytometric societies should be. Once this point is clarified, it will be much easier to think about the details.

In my recollection there are so far two models:

• 1. Federation or Union by corporate membership of European national cytometric societies
  - Personal membership only via membership in national societies
  - Problem: scientists in countries without national societies

• 2. European Cytometry Society, corporate membership of national societies as well as personal membership of individual scientists
  - Advantage: personal membership for scientists from countries without national society
  - Problem: balance of interests between corporate and personal membership

I would encourage comments to these and earlier topics by all of you. It is clear that the idea of the foundation of a European cytometry association has not been officially discussed in some of the national societies. In so far much of this discussion represents personal views. These views should, however, be presented early on because they bring out the problems which have to be solved.

Best regards

Guenter

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