Call to Order - 9:00 am

Attendees:

Angela Foreman (AngelaLeeForeman@yahoo.com)
Richard Mankin (rmankin@nersp.nerdc.ufl.edu)
Erica Penn (ericalyne@aol.com)
Josh Penn
Laureen Summers
Richard Weibl

Each attendee gave brief descriptions of their current professional activities.

Minutes

The minutes from the last meeting (February 13, 2009 - Chicago, IL) were reviewed and approved as posted at http://www.ars.usda.gov/sp2UserFiles/person/3559/annmeetminute09.html.

Treasurer's Report

Robert Van Etten (not present) submitted a report.  The report was discussed and aproved.

Science Student Grant Committee Report - Richard Mankin

Shaun Kane, a graduate student in information sciences at the University of Washington was awarded a $1000 student grant for work on the project, “Accessible touch screen-based user interfaces for mobile devices.”

Officer Elections 

Election Results –
Treasurer, 3-year term beginning February 19, 2010, Angela Foreman
President, 3-year term beginning February 18, 2011, Erica Penn

New Business

Laureen Summers asked if the Foundation was considering any new initiatives for 2010.  Possible initiatives were discussed, including setting up of a Facebook page to establish more linkages among members and other scientific organizations.  Erica Penn volunteered to set up a Facebook page to see if it would be a useful networking tool for younger members.  Richard will provide Erica with copies of information on the Foundation website that can be included on the Facebook page.  Erica and Laureen also plan to contribute to the 2010 Newsletter, which is expected to be posted next October.

There was some discussion of ways to increase the numbers of researchers with disabilities who attend the AAAS meeting.  This has been a longstanding concern, and the recent economic problems may lead to even lower attendance for the next few years.  No clear solution to this problem was identified.

The meeting adjourned at 10:45 AM.

Submitted February 20, 2010
Richard Mankin