ISC - Letters

Dear ISC members,

The International Society for Chronobiology (ISC) is back to full activity and has just elected its new Board. This is the strongest support I can imagine for the traditional good wishes we exchange among Chronobiologists -many of us also longtime personal friends- at the end of a year, looking forward to a bright future.

The ISC was founded in 1937 in Ronneby, Sweden, under the name of "Societas pro Studio Rhytmi Biologici." In 1971, at the X International Conference in Little Rock, Arkansas, USA, its name was changed to the current one, and its contribution to advances in the applied and basic domains of chronobiology was highly recognized thereafter. Following the September 11th tragedy the activity of the ISC entered into a declining phase in its activity which lasted util three years ago when a revival process of the society was initiated.

Actually, the flame was never turned off. Thanks to the dedication of some old and new members (only in the last five years: Hakan Zengil in Turkey, Naceur Boughattas in Tunisia, Avraham Haim Ashkenazi Israel and Yaron Dagan in Israel, Atanu Pati in India, Ziyan Zaho in China) who kept organizing meetings and courses on chronobiology of high scientific quality under the auspices of the ISC, the international scientific community never ceased to recognize the creditability and importance of the ISC. As a result, the revived activity succeeded to reorganize the society and resumed the traditional interantional ISC conferences, culminating in this year's ISC Conference in Spain, a precious gift we owe to the skills and efforts of Ramòn Hermida and his team.
We particularly appreciate the accomplishments of all Colleagues who engaged in such activities, since they had to face and overcome the extreme difficulties due to the chronic shortages of financial resources available to scientists these days.

Since 2008, we also have a a new web site with online facilities for members. We are confident that the website will further progress to serve as a source of communication and information for a Society like ours. Altogether, this new phase brought a wave of new members and the ISC is slowly approaching its previous highest peak size. Today, we have members in six continents and we keep growing at an increasing pace.

Another irreplaceable pillar of the ISC is its official journal, Chronobiology International. Under the guidance of Yvan Touitou, Mike Smolensky, and Alain Reinberg the journal never ceased growing in scientific importance. Its impact factor has increased steadily and is now 3.99, ranking in the 12th position among the 76 journals of biology published today worldwide, and in the 14th place among the 75 journals of physiology. Those of you who are familiar with the chore of editing a peer-reviewed journal know how difficult it is to accomplish the required many tasks. We definitely owe enormous gratitude to the Editors of Chronobiology International and to its entire editorial Board, where many other ISC members serve daily with often unrecognized (and never paid) dedication.

Our Society has always been managed by a Board of reknowned scientists who made the history of chronobiology. For this reason, to have been elected to become the new President of the ISC is an extraordinary token of esteem for me. I am entirely aware of this, and I know how big is the debt of gratitude I owe you for this great honor you have bestowed upon me. More important, however, I am perfectly conscious also of the responsibilty you assigned to me with such a decision of yours: I take it as a debt of honor, the reason to always strive to live up to your expectations.

I know I will have to work steadily to make the future of the ISC at least as bright as its past. Not an easy task, but for sure a possible one when I consider the scientific and human qualities of the team of distinguished Colleagues who have been elected in the new Board to run our Society.

In anticipation of what is expecting us in the immediate future, and with the consciousness of the great past that is watching us, let me toast to the upcoming new year with the latin motto "A magnis ad maiora": from great things to greater!

Francesco Portaluppi, M.D., Ph.D.

President of the

International Society for Chronobiology

Prof. Rietveld’s Letter

Dear ISC members,

Being the immediate past-President of our society, let me be the first to congratulate the new President and the other Board members being elected.

For many years it was hard to believe that we could reach this point, a revitalisation, in a certain way a rebirth of our society. As the new President points out in his letter to you, there have been many activities in the past few years. The society was still alive, but on a moderate scale. Reasons have been given in previous mailings.

But now, being the oldest of all societies, almost 75 years, it is as a phoenix rising from its ashes, the society is back and will become stronger as ever.

Standing at the steering wheel of the society is not an easy task, especially not these days.

That will be the greatest challenge of the new Board and its President.

But I am sure they will manage. A new Board cannot act without the support of the members of the society. The last meeting in Vigo has convinced me that you, as members are more than willing to help.

I wish the Society a very prosperous start, meetings between friends.

All best to you in 2011.

Wop J. Rietveld