Join the Arabidopsis Community (AC) group supported by NAASC
Join the Arabidopsis Community (AC) group supported by NAASC
Who Are We?
The North American Arabidopsis Steering Committee (NAASC) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization established in 2006. The Board of Directors is comprised of ~ a dozen volunteer faculty members elected by the North American Arabidopsis community to develop & implement initiatives. Additional community members, including early career scholars, participate in shorter term commitments. Since 2006, NAASC has had a part-time Executive Director that provides all organizational support.
NAASC was formed in 1992 to forge relationships, foster communication among North American scientists, and provide representation to the international Arabidopsis community. For more information on NAASC’s mission & function, please see the About page.
NAASC established the Arabidopsis Community (AC) supported by NAASC in 2023 to further engage the community in promoting fundamental plant biology and establish a sustainable, self-renewing community that is more broadly representative.
Our goals are to support fundamental plant biology research using Arabidopsis, promote a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive plant biology community where people feel a sense of belonging, provide a venue for community members to share resources & career development opportunities, and to better engage the community with Arabidopsis initiatives.
MEMBER BENEFITS
The NAASC Arabidopsis Community Group is an association of scientists, students, and researchers across the globe that work with Arabidopsis, and/or derive benefits from, using tools, resources, and datasets developed in the Arabidopsis community. We invite all individuals who share involvement and interest in Arabidopsis from all levels of training, career-stage, stature, and expertise to become active members of the community. Your participation will support the entire Arabidopsis community and help maintain and expand an influential, shared voice at regional, national and international levels.
Reduced registration rates to NAASC-organized International Conferences on Arabidopsis Research (ICAR)* *Membership must be current at the time of ICAR to receive the discounted registration rate
Eligibility to apply for NAASC-organized ICAR registration fee waivers
Early access to/discounts for NAASC-organized seminars & events
Ability to nominate/be nominated for Arabidopsis community awards
Access to the NAASC Arabidopsis Community (AC) Reddit board for sharing protocols, best practices, gear & reagent advice, resources, solutions to common problems, conversations, & discussions.
Free job postings and listings on the AC Reddit board
5% of member fees go to our Equity Fund to support of minoritized members & others with financial need (e.g., subsidies for travel or child-care to enable ICAR participation)
Support of fundamental plant biology & diversity, equity, inclusion & belonging in plant biology
Opportunities to contribute to community initiatives
(North American members) Nomination, voting, and service eligibility for NAASC Board of Directors and Early Career Scholar members
During Membership Sign-Up you have the option to add a contribution to the NAASC Equity Fund
Once you register as a member, it may take up to 7 days to receive your member code by email.
Before major ICAR deadlines we will check multiple times a day and email codes daily.
MEMBERSHIP FEE TIERS
Join As: Undergraduate Student- $10 USD (1 year)
Join As: Graduate Student- $30 USD (1 year)
Join As: Early Career Professional & PUI Faculty- $45 USD (1 year)
(postdocs generally would fit into ECP category)
Join As: Professional-Academic & Non-Profit- $100 USD (1 year)
Join As: Company/Industry- $150 USD (1 year)
Join As: Retired- $60 USD (1 year)
Join As: Lifetime NAASC Arabidopsis Community Member- $1,000 USD (lifetime*)
*lifetime of NAASC; Reduced ICAR registration rates apply only to NAASC-organized ICARs, currently once every 3 years.
MEMBER LEVEL DEFINITIONS
Undergraduate Student: a student enrolled in college or university that has not yet received their first post-secondary degree (typically a Bachelor’s degree, but also an Associate’s degree)
Graduate Student: Students that have a four year degree (e.g., B.S., B.A.) and are currently enrolled in graduate school for a Master’s degree, PhD, or other post-undergraduate degree.
Early Career Professional (ECP) & PUI Faculty: ECPs are 10 years or less from finishing their terminal education (e.g., B.S., B.A., M.S., PhD). PUI faculty are faculty employed at Primarily Undergraduate Institutions that do not confer graduate level degrees.
Note: postdocs generally are in this category unless they are more than 10 years beyond earning their M.S. or PhD. Then- they’d be Professional category
Professional- Academic & Non-Profit: Academic and non-profit staff with 10+ years since finishing their terminal education (e.g., Bachelor’s degree, Master’s degree, PhD). Includes faculty, research & staff scientists, junior group leaders, etc., as well as non-profit staff e.g., journals, societies, and other non (or not for) profit organizations.
Company/Industry: All those with 10+ years since finishing their terminal education that are employed in Industry, and for-profit organizations & companies. Those within 10 years of finishing their terminal education qualify for the ECP category.
Retired: You may choose the reduced retired rate if you have retired from academia, non-profit organization, or industry.
Lifetime: Any person, at any career stage, who wishes to support the NAASC Arabidopsis Community group. You will be eligible for reduced registration rates to all future ICARs that are organized by NAASC. Please note that the fee reductions do not apply to ICARs that are not NAASC-organized (currently NAASC organizes ICAR once every 3 years. This rotation is subject to change.)
MEMBERSHIP FEE WAIVERS: We believe membership should not cause a financial hardship for anyone. If you do not have means to pay the listed membership fee, please complete the waiver request, below, with enough detail to assist the membership committee in making a decision on your request. Does not apply to Lifetime membership fee. **
**Note, requests will be processed once a week and there may be a delay in receiving a reply.
Please request a waiver in a timely manner relevant to funding application & registration fee deadlines