Scientific Assembly Activities

ASCLS members join the Scientific Assembly section or sections (up to two) of their choice.  New members who may be undecided are encouraged to join one or two sections that most closely match their interests, recognizing that they may change section membership at any time by indicating their new preference on their annual renewal form or by changing their preference on the Scientific Assembly Volunteer Form.

ASCLS Scientific Assembly Sections

• 01 Biochemistry/Urinalysis/Ligand Immunoassay
• 02 Microbiology
• 03 Laboratory Administration
• 04 Immunology/Immunohematology
• 06 Histology
• 07 Hematology/Hemostasis
• 09 Industry
• 10 Education
• 12 Phlebotomy
• 13 Cytotechnology
• 14 Consultant
• 15 Inspector/Surveyor

Histology, Cytotechnology, and Phlebotomy hold combined meetings. Scientific Assembly sections meet once a year for one hour at the ASCLS annual meeting.  Members may examine the annual program for the schedule of section meetings.  Those who do not attend the annual meeting may receive minutes of these meetings if requested and are invited to participate in the section's electronic bulletin board.

ASCLS Scientific Assembly Goals

• Provide expertise within a CLS discipline.
• Provide opportunities for basic and continuing education within a CLS discipline.
• Identify avenues for scientific and professional advancement.
• Assist in developing clinical laboratory standards.
• Participate in CLS discipline-centered written and electronic communication.
• Participate in the web-based ASCLS forum.
• Identify talent for scientific and professional activities.

Examples of ASCLS Scientific Assembly Activities

• Nominate speakers and recommend topics for state, regional, or national meetings.
• Nominate authors and recommend topics for ASCLS publications.
• Participate in the annual meeting or regional and state meetings as a meeting organizer, moderator, or presenter.
• Participate in the web-based ASCLS forum by answering student, technical, and patient questions.
• Assist with ASCLS publications efforts such as soliciting articles from authors, reviewing manuscripts, serving as editors, or writing articles.
• Participate in state and regional Scientific Assembly activities.
• Join the awards committee that reviews award nominations and presents awards to Scientific Assembly members at the annual meeting.
• Assist in reviewing National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Science standards and guidelines.

Scientific Assembly Volunteer Database

To engage in Scientific Assembly activities, members may provide information through the Scientific Assembly Volunteer Form.  By completing the form, the member indicates their areas of interest.  The information passes to the online Scientific Assembly Volunteer Database, which may be accessed by other ASCLS members.  The database is maintained within the secure members' section of the ASCLS web site.   Meeting and publications planners access the Scientific Assembly Volunteer Database to find those who would like to participate in ASCLS activities.

Scientific Assembly Talent Bank

At the annual meeting, Scientific Assembly section members recommend topics and speakers for subsequent meetings.  These recommendations are maintained in a database of topics and speakers accessed by meeting planners for state, regional, and national meetings.  The talent bank database is maintained separately from the Scientific Assembly Volunteer Database.  Members may send recommendations to the Scientific Assembly coordinator at any time.

Scientific Assembly Governance

Scientific Assembly governance is detailed in the Scientific Assembly handbook, available on request.

Each Scientific Assembly section has a chair and vice-chair, elected from among the section membership. The term of office is two years and the vice-chair succeeds the chair. A new vice-chair is elected every other year. The chair of the section serves as chair of the section's annual meeting and corresponds with new members.

Scientific Assembly section meetings are open to all ASCLS members in all membership categories. Attendance is recorded and distributed by the chair. Ad hoc and standing committees may be formed by a vote of the members attending.

The chair and vice-chair of the Scientific Assembly are appointed by the ASCLS president and serve for one year at the president's behest. A member of the ASCLS board of directors serves as liaison to the Scientific Assembly. The chair, vice-chair, and board liaison visit each Scientific Assembly section at the annual meeting and maintain communication with the Scientific Assembly section chairs and vice-chairs electronically throughout the year.

Business at the annual meetings may include discussion of topic areas for presentations and publications, recommendations of speakers and topics for the talent bank, presentations of awards, nominations of officers, and other issues that fit with the goals of the Scientific Assembly.

The chairs and vice-chairs of the Scientific Assembly sections are invited each year to the Scientific Assembly planning meeting held at the ASCLS annual meeting. The Scientific Assembly chairs and vice chairs meeting is chaired by the Scientific Assembly coordinator, is held in advance of the section meetings, and is open to all members of the Scientific Assembly.

Conclusion

Members of influential national professional organizations, such as ASCLS, often ask about the direction, educational efforts, and operation of the organization. The Scientific Assembly is the forum by which ASCLS learns from its members. Members may often ask "Why do they do this?" In the Scientific Assembly, the membership provides the answers and thereby directs the activities of the organization.