AFS Fisheries Information and Technology Section

Executive Committee Meeting Minutes

March 13, 2020

Attendees: Kayla, Rebecca, Paul, Dan, Tiffany

• Old Business
  • Rebecca has fixed the email/newsletter issue.
    • Limited to one user on mailchimp and limits on sending emails
    • Difficult to manage as a group
    • MailPoet has been activated on the FITS Site. Action Item: Rebecca will work to transition the Section’s news entirely to MailPoet before the next meeting
  • CE workshop videos: Change SEO to relevant searches and see about single sign on SSO for our site (Rebecca).
  • Yoast SEO is a viable option for improving the “searchability/findability” of our website; Grant will work on implementing it on our unit site within the next week
  • SSO connecting a login from fisheries.org to the unit sites is fairly easily done, but a substantial enough project that it would need to be its own “line item” for the web programmer. Action Item: Rebecca will pursue this through the Electronic Services Advisory Board, as it affects all units and could be incredibly useful for all units.
• Midway meeting report (Paul)
  • Day and a half long with a lot of focus grouping and discussion
  • Climate Change Action
    • Things AFS can do about climate change and prioritize those actions
    • What can each chapter and section do?
    • President is working on a letter from AFS to be shared with other aquatic societies
    • Idea of starting a climate change section of AFS
  • Strategic plan
    • Alignment with chapters and sections
      • Getting sections to identify how priorities and goals align with strategic plan
      • Making sure chapters are aware and using it
    • Encourage Plan of Work for each incoming President for every section
  • Workshopped President’s Plan of Work
    • Four high priority areas
      • Public trust and visibility
        • Outreach, Media, and Policy
      • Skills Development for Career Advancement
        • Surveying members for needs
      • Increase Diversity
        • Increasing interest earlier on in a person’s life
          • High school chapters
          • Minors- legal factors/red tape?
        • Expanding Hutton program
      • Planning of Rebranding AFS
        • Name change discussion
          • Territory issues
          • Large Canadian membership (issues with “American”)
            • Difficult for Federal policies
          • It’s not just name and logo that are important, but also connecting with who we serve
          • Options so far
            • American Fisheries Society of North America
            • International Fisheries Society
            • The Fisheries Society
          • Software
            • FAMS is a good revenue source for us, do we plan to put more out?
            • Our role is to facilitate the process of software development that fits the needs of the overall membership
            • Open source packages in R is typical avenue for many things these days
            • FSA legacy plan- FITS could possibly help with this, but it would not be a revenue source.
              • Could we tie this into workshop
            • Pathway to donations for software development?
            • Repository or clearing house for app data or apps that have data
          • AFS 2020
            • Update on Big Data Symposium (Dan)
              • Asked for full day
              • Action Item– Dan to follow up with tentative speakers to encourage abstract submissions
              • Well-advertised among AFS sections
              • Deadline for abstracts is March 23^rd
            • Update on late CE workshop submission (Paul)
              • Data management workshop – Tentatively accepted for half a day
                • Action Item: Kayla to ask Keith Hurley to instruct workshop
                • If Keith cannot instruct, Julie has expressed interest
              • 150 booth update (Paul/Rebecca) and discussion
                • Photo competition sent out and posted on our site and Students and Early Career subsection site
                  • Deadline is July 31, 2020
                  • 3D camera as prize
                  • Rebecca plans to share with student listserv
                • Security provided by AFS
                • Booth package at $130
                  • Includes: Back drape, side drape, table with curtain, two chairs and waste basket and ID sign
                  • $132 for electricity to charge phones
                  • Need a power strip
                  • Action Item: Rebecca to fill out booth form, due July 20^th, try to submit before July.
                • CFTC status (Paul/Rebecca)
                  • Rebecca has a call with Jason on Monday
                  • Can start building now that WordPress is updated with necessary plugin
                  • Lay out schedule with target deadlines
                • Travel Award (Paul/Rebecca)
                  • Table until next meeting
                  • Goal for next meeting – decide on a timeline
                • Other business
                  • ExComm discussion on election cycle
                    • Proposal by Rebecca
                    • Change of by-laws to convert to new system: 4 year commitment
                      • Second vice president
                        • Learning year
                      • President elect
                        • Filling more duties
                      • President
                      • Past president
                    • Action item: Kayla will get with Rebecca and work on pursuing discussion with constitutional consultant

Next Meeting April 10^th