An Invitation to Join

Join the long tradition of scholarship in science and guide its accelerating evolution. Scholarly societies that include what were then considered sciences arguably date back to the 1400s. Their prime function was to hold meetings of scholars with common interests. Some regard 1603 and the Italian "Academy of the Lynxes" (of which Galileo was a member) to mark the birth of modern scientific societies. Scientific societies began their publishing function in 1665, with the launch of the Journal des Sçavans and the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, to greatly enhance the distribution system of scientific papers from the individually written letters of the past. The web is bringing the next great change in publishing and other functions of the scientific society, as your reading of this page attests. Become an agent of that change:

Benefits of ASLO membership

Contribute to and receive scholarly publications
Attend and contribute to innovative scientific meetings
Get connected! Meet leaders and peers in the aquatic sciences
Get involved! Join the ASLO Board or Committees and be a leader
Make a difference! Get informed and become involved in policy decisions
Make a difference through outreach programs that work
Develop professionally

Contribute to and receive scholarly publications

As a member of ASLO you can contribute to and receive:

Limnology and Oceanography: ASLO's flagship journal is thoroughly reviewed and edited to assure readability and durability. This highly cited journal is known for its innovative contributions to the field. Available in print or electronic version.
Limnology and Oceanography Bulletin: The L&O Bulletin is free to all members and provides ASLO news, book reviews and timely analyses of current events and issues affecting the aquatic sciences. Available in print and online.
Limnology and Oceanography: Methods: Introduced in 2003, this topical e-journal is ideally suited to the strengths of electronic media. Prior to the introduction of L&O Methods, aquatic sciences methods have been scattered over scores of journals. Journal articles are linked forward and backward to related material. Multi-media capability (e.g., film clips) enhances ease of adoption.
Electronic enhancements to ASLO journals: The original L&O CD archive contains Volumes 1-43. An update CD will be made available in 2005 with Volumes 44-49.; All articles in Volumes 1-51 of L&O are available on the ASLO website.; All articles in L&O and L&O:Methods published more than five years ago will be made available on the ASLO website without a subscription, and fully searchable via a web form.; Citations in ASLO journals are hotlinked within the ASLO journal family. You must have access through a current personal or institutional online subscription to take full advantage of this feature.

Participate and attend innovative scientific meetings

Network with leaders and peers! ASLO Meetings bring together the aquatic sciences and offer abundant opportunities to meet and interact with your peers. These include:

Aquatic Sciences Meetings: Generally held in February of odd-numbered years, these meetings are designed to integrate the aquatic sciences. They combine limnology and oceanography in novel ways, rapidly bringing innovations from one field to the other and incorporating advances from sister disciplines.
Ocean Research Conferences: In February of even-numbered years, ASLO joins with the American Geophysical Union (AGU), The Oceanography Society (TOS) and selected other societies, to bring together the many disciplines and research traditions of oceanography and allied marine science and engineering. Coffee breaks and hallways at these meetings are often the launch sites for new, interdisciplinary directions in the ocean sciences.
ASLO Summer Meetings: Generally held in June of even-numbered years, the summer meeting brings a gathering that is a counterpoint to Ocean Research Conferences and assures a venue attractive to all aquatic scientists. It is noted for highlighting recent advances and for innovative sessions.
International Meetings: Introduced at Copenhagen in 2000 and continuing with the meeting in Santiago de la Compostella, Spain in July 2005, ASLO will incorporate meetings every 3 to 5 years outside North America to serve their many members worldwide.
Special Meetings: Occasionally, ASLO will hold meetings, such as international meetings or joint meetings with other organizations, in summers of odd-numbered years.

Get connected! Meet leaders and peers in the aquatic sciences

ASLO members have access to:

The online membership directory: A membership database searchable by name, specialty or locality to find members with specific interests.
Job posting services: The ASLO Positions Offered Board is widely read, and was viewed more than 310,000 times last year. In 2003 the average announcement was viewed more than 900 times. Your position is sure to get the attention it deserves.
Employment opportunities: Position announcements include all levels from undergraduate research and internship opportunities, to professional positions for senior scientists.
Funding opportunities: Announcements from funding agencies are regularly posted to the Funding Opportunities Page.
Contact and interactions with recent graduates: The PhD programs and CareerLink pages provide opportunities for recent graduates to meet each other, interact, and seek career advancement opportunities.

Get involved! Join the ASLO Board or Committees and be a leader

ASLO members have many opportunities to participate and receive valuable professional development. Some of these opportunities include:

Board of Directors: Nominate others to serve on the Board of Directors.; Volunteer or be nominated to become a member at large or an officer of ASLO. The ASLO Board includes two student members at all times.
Serve on a Committee: Publications Committee - Determine the future of scientific publication. The face of publishing is changing faster than it has ever changed before through consolidation of commercial publishers and the transitions to electronic publishing and open access.; Meetings Committee - Committee members gain and provide a longer view of meetings structure and add features that will make meetings even more valuable.; Finance Committee - Work with others to ensure ASLO's future financial stability.; Ethics Committee - Critical in maintaining the rational idealism that makes science an attractive career choice.; Nominations Committee - Help to choose ASLO's future leaders.; Awards Committee - Recognize achievements in the aquatic sciences by the distribution of a broad portfolio of awards to aquatic scientists at all career levels.

Make a difference! Get informed and become involved in Public Policy

Policy bulletins by e-mail: Timely information distilled for aquatic scientists about pending policy issues.
Policy workshops at ASLO meetings: Get up to speed quickly on how policy decisions are made and influenced. Learn the value of personal contacts, phone calls and individualized letters.
Action network: Sign on if you are willing to contact your legislators when relevant legislation is pending. Contact ASLO’s Public Policy Director, Adrienne Froelich.
Contact assistance: Get help from an insider in setting up appointments with Washington, D.C., policy makers. Contact ASLO’s public policy director, Adrienne Froelich.
Member rates: Member rates are available for participation in CVD (Congressional Visits Day) when scientists converge on Washington, D.C., each spring to learn the U.S. political process and meet with their Representatives and Senators.
Policy multipliers: ASLO is an active member of biological sciences and earth sciences umbrella organizations that multiply its impacts on science policy. ASLO participates with the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS) to influence US Policy. ASLO also takes an active role within the Council of Scientific Society Presidents (CSSP) to take advantage of the impact from its 1.5 million scientists and teacher members: Even rocket scientists recognize the value of water resources.
International policy: Through its well-placed international members, ASLO is developing ad hoc approaches to inform policy decisions made in Brussels and Ottawa. We anticipate more formal arrangements in the future and expansions to other centers of policy implementation to better represent the geographic spread of our membership and the global nature of sound water policy.

Contribute to outreach efforts that work

Consider these possibilities for "Broader Impacts" when you are writing your next proposal to the U.S. National Science Foundation.

ASLO's Education website: Contribute to the fastest-growing educational outreach site in aquatic sciences. Place your best materials on ASLO's pioneering and enduring website to reach over three million annual visitors and avoid the annoyances of maintaining your own website. Visit the website to see, use and contribute to a diversity of outreach efforts at every educational level.
Outreach workshops: Attend workshops at ASLO meetings to make your outreach efforts from K-Gray more effective. Minorities outreach - ASLO has proven success in minorities outreach. Join the expanding opportunities to participate.
Media outreach: Attend workshops at ASLO meetings to learn how to write science articles for newspapers and magazines.
Education and Human Resources Committee: Join the Education and Human Resources Committee to shape ASLO's future outreach and education activities.

Develop Professionally

Publishing: Peer review - Papers submitted to ASLO's journals are individually reviewed by peers. ASLO particularly seeks to engage advanced graduate students and postdocs in the review process.; Associate editors - Members who have accumulated substantial review experience, have significant opportunity to influence directions of the field by effecting strong quality controls and promoting exciting steps in new directions.
Proposal-writing workshops: Attend workshops at ASLO meetings to learn basics of proposal writing: Writing to your audiences, following the rules and benefiting from compliant persistence.
Book-author workshops: Attend workshops at ASLO meetings to meet with authors and publishers of science books to find out how to get started on your first book or to improve your next book. Focus on the review materials that most publishers require to approve a book project.
Town meetings with program managers: Hear about the latest funding opportunities at evening and lunchtime sessions with program managers at ASLO meetings.
Other workshops: Learn the best ways to run or participate in a meeting. Develop your leadership skills. Attend workshops at ASLO meetings.