Hello Everyone!

After two years of an online-only conference, we are excited to get back to an in-person conference this year in Costa Rica! We are overwhelmed at the registration that already has 240 people who will be joining us in San Jose, Costa Rica this June 26-29. Due to the generosity of our members and the success of last year’s online conference, we were able to offer scholarships to 24 student members and 7 professional members. In-person conferences are key to bolstering membership, building networks, and reinvigorating scholarship. We recognize that not everyone can travel this year and are also offering a three-day virtual conference October 4-6. Together, these two conferences reflect an enthusiastic membership and the potential for a sustainable practice in the future; we are considering this year a pilot to adopt a model of two meetings per year – one as in-person and the other virtual.

We’re implementing a few activities directed at building membership and enhancing retention of current members. Along with the in-person and virtual conferences this year, we are excited about webinars planned by the Professional Development Committee to provide relevant, topical information to our members. In addition, we are developing plans to implement IASNR hubs across the world in efforts to extend our international reach. Referred to as a “hub model,” we already have a few pockets of the world in which regional members have come together for periodic meetings and events. Stay tuned for more information on how these hubs work and what needs to be done to establish one in your corner of the globe.

We are reinvesting in social media and delighted to work with two social media coordinators, Rishabh Mahendra and Zoe Ketola. They are working hard to update and integrate our Linked In, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter accounts. If you use these social media, please ‘like’ us and share content to build our community network. We are eager to enhance member benefits and improve our ability to connect with one another.

As a final highlight, we are entering the next phase of re-branding IASNR. Two years ago, we changed the name of the conference to match the society. This year, we are re-designing the IASNR logo to give it a contemporary and inclusive appeal. Our new logo and color scheme will help to improve our brand recognition and offer consistency across our programs and initiatives. Doing so will be important for our hubs, as well as our new social media sites.

We hope to see you in June at San José or in October at the online conference.

Bill, Becky and Lee