1. What happens at the AAS meetings each year?

The Arkansas Academy of Science has a meeting of its membership each year (2nd Fri/Sat in April). Scientists and students from institutions across the state gather to disseminate results of scientific research during the past year. There are presentations as well as business meetings of the membership to promote the advancement of science and the diffusion of scientific information in the state.

2. Does the location change each year?

The annual meeting location moves each year to a university or academic affiliated entity (e.g. U.S.D.A. Forest Service). This year's meeting will be April 13-14, 2012 at the Southern Arkansas University at Magnolia.

3. Are students nominated for awards at the AAS meeting?

Faculty mentors or students request their presentations be considered for an award prior to the meeting. The Academy and local organizing committee develops a peer-review judging process for the meeting to award student presentations. (Awards: Oral Presentation 1st-3rd, Undergraduate Life Science, Undergraduate Physical Science, Graduate Life Science, Graduate Physical Science, and Poster Presentations 1st-2nd Graduate, Undergraduate).

4. How many people attended prior meetings?

At the 2009 meeting, approximately 180 faculty and students from across the state made 68 oral presentations and 44 poster presentations. Attendees were registered from ATU, ASU, UArk, UALR, UAM, UAMS, UCA, HSU, UAPB, Harding, Hendrix, Lyon, SAU, OBU, JBU, UA-FS, UACCB, and Northark as well as the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, Nature Conservancy, Audubon Arkansas, U.S.D.A., Ouachita Biological Station, and U.S.F.S.

5. What do the students get for winning?

1st place ($100), 2nd and 3rd ($50) along with the prestige of the award on resumes, job or graduate school applications. In the future, the Academy is working on substantially increasing these awards, as well as offering travel stipends, and mini-research grants to undergraduate and graduate students for their work.

6. Anything else you would like to add about the AAS?

YES! The Arkansas Academy of Science is the oldest organization of its type in Arkansas. The Arkansas Academy of Science began meeting in 1917 as a group of scientists wishing to establish regular avenues of communication with one another and promote the advancement of science and the diffusion of scientific information in the state. The Academy is a volunteer, non-profit, non-partisan, non-political, professional organization consisting of scientists who pay dues to join with other scientists to promote science in the state and region. The specific areas of science include (but are not limited to) Medicine, Microbiology, Biochemistry, Genetics, Astronomy, Botany, Plant Science, Chemistry, Physics, Earth Science, Geology, Environmental Science and Conservation, Terrestrial and Aquatic Invertebrate and Vertebrate Zoology as well as Engineering. Proceedings of the meeting are published after peer review in the Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science each year.

Dr. Abdel Bachri,
96th Annual Meeting Local Organizing Committee Chair,
Associate Professor of Physics,
Southern Arkansas University at Magnolia
Phone #: 870-235-4283

LOCAL ORGANIZING COMMITTEE AT SAU:
Abdel Bachri, Engineering Physics—LOC Chair agbachri@saumag.edu,870-235-4283
Scott White, Chemistry srwhite@saumag.edu
Shawn Krosnick, Biology sekrosnick@saumag.edu
Tim Schroeder, Chemistry tsschroeder@saumag.edu
Pierre Boumtje, Agriculture pjboumtje@saumag.edu
Viktoriya Street, Biology VAStreet@saumag.edu