Letter From the President
Already in 2026, the IZFS has news to report: the success of the Strategic Conference for Zebrafish Investigators (SCZI) which was held on the campus of the National University of Singapore, in the heart of the Asia-Pacific region. Nine years ago, IZFS made the commitment to rotate its two major conferences among each of the three global regions—Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific—every three years. The goal in doing so was to broaden access to the conferences to all of our international members. In spite of best laid plans, the pandemic and other challenges prevented the SCZI from being held in the Asia-Pacific region until this year. However, the goal was realized: 57% of the attendees at the Singapore SCZI were from the Asia-Pacific region compared to only 7% at the last SCZI held in Asilomar, California in 2024. I encourage you to read about some of the highlights of the meeting in this issue of the News Splash.
The next SCZI rotates back to the Americas region in January 2027. The meeting will be held in beautiful Merida, Mexico. Merida has an international airport and is easily accessible from the larger international airports of Cancun and Mexico City. Mexico is friendlier for visa-free travel and warmer in many respects than other destinations in the Americas. In the meantime, this year’s big zebrafish meeting, organized by the European Zebrafish Society, will be in Vienna this summer (July 7-11). The March 15 abstract deadline is soon approaching, so make your summer plans. For links to these and other meetings see the Upcoming Events below.
In other news, IZFS election season is upon us! Nominations are open for President, Treasurer and four regional representatives on the Board of Directors (East Asia, Europe and North America). If you are interested in serving you can self-nominate, or you can nominate a respected colleague who would be a valuable addition to the Board. Then, as a member of the society it will be your privilege to cast your vote during the election period in March.
Read and enjoy this issue of the News Splash, created by a committed team of volunteer writers and editors. It includes two Science Spotlight articles written by Ph.D. students Octavia Santis Larrain and Mizuki Tojo. In her “Alternatives to Academia” feature, Maria Blumenkrantz interviews former zebrafish trainee Maegan Harden, who transitioned into a leadership role as Director of Alliances at Illumina. This issue’s “Zebrafish in Translation” feature by Yevgenya Grinblat focuses on recent advances using zebrafish as a model for Spinal Muscular Atrophy in an interview with Jean Giacomotto. Also find our regular Sustainability and Meet the PI sections and celebrate the exceptional recognition that some of our zebrafish colleagues have recently received in the Member News section. Congratulations, all!
Sincerely,
Cecilia Moens