How does ASET Select Annual Conference locations?

I have received more than a few comments about the location of the 2012 Annual Conference in St. Paul, MN.  Some people are puzzled by our selection of this location.  They ask: “Why St. Paul?”  Being from the East Coast myself, I will admit to having had a bit of an elitist attitude about other areas of the country in years past.  It seems like folks from the West Coast are prone to the same kind of thinking.  We tend to think that both coasts are great!  But the Midwest?? Images of corn fields, prairies, cities where things are produced that we use, but not many places we would want to visit.  I get the impression from folks in Boston, Philadelphia and Los Angeles, that the only city they are interested in visiting in this area of the country would be Chicago!  In my role for ASET, I have had the opportunity to visit some really lovely cities in the Midwest.  It has been a pleasant revelation. 

An official representative of ASET conducts a site visit to the city and the hotels we are considering for future ASET conferences, prior to signing any contracts.  St. Paul offers a nice, clean, walkable downtown, a riverfront hotel, and the Mall of America is easily accessible.  The geographic location means that it won’t be a transcontinental flight for either East coast or West coast attendees.

So why not Chicago??  The bottom line is that hotel rooms and meeting spaces in Chicago, Boston  and New York City are way too expensive for us.  We strive to select meeting locations that will include affordable hotel rooms for attendees, and reasonable prices for meeting spaces, as well as for the catered food and beverages we must order.  We understand that many techs are paying their own way to meetings these days, and that if funds are available, they are limited.  So, to avoid increasing registration fees we must shop for the most economically feasible meeting locations.  Some hotels offer us better deals than others, and some cities are outside of our price range.

We also try to rotate the annual conference location through various regions of America, so that all of our members will have a chance of attending a fairly local meeting at some point. 

Here is my checklist of important factors to be considered when choosing a city for a future ASET Annual Conference:

·        Geographic location is selected in reference to past and future meeting sites

·        Airport access must be convenient and also offer affordable ground transportation to our meeting site

·        Large medical centers within driving distance to help support the conference with potential speakers and local attendees

·        Reasonable hotel room rates for our attendees and good prices on meeting space and food.

·        Other attractive features: family destinations with local attractions, or resort amenities, entertainment and restaurants that will be interesting for our guests.

So, please consider coming to the ASET 2012 Annual Conference in St. Paul, and rethink any prior thoughts you may have about this lovely city.  I am so pleased that for the first time in years, we are able to include a Saturday night social excursion, a dinner cruise on a riverboat.  We have chartered the entire boat, so this will be a very special event.  Please don’t miss it!

And here is the ARG clue for those of you who did not read it in my last blog entry:

 Fantastic Neuro-Voyage Mission Clue # 2:
The Fantastic Neuro-Voyage team is having trouble navigating against the flow of blood as they are nearing the heart. Flow from the heart is too strong for the nuclear engines to overcome. They have sent a message to the support team of scientists and physicians about what can be done to overcome the powerful force of the blood flow against the small size of their vessel.

How can I improve ASET’s educational opportunities for you?

I really need to know what you like about ASET’s educational resources, and what you would like us to change.  What can we add to make education more pertinent to you?  How can we make our educational resources more accessible?   At the Mid-year ASET Board of Trustees meeting, a very astute facilitator spoke of association members as “owners”, just as stock holders “own” a company.  So, in that role, what instructions would you give to me to improve our “products”?  I will listen to your opinions and requests and try to incorporate as much as possible into future ASET educational initiatives. 

ASET Education encompasses many areas of interest and methods of delivery:

•         ASET Annual Conference – Special Lectures, Courses, Abstracts
•         Spring and Fall Seminar Courses
•         On-Line Courses
•         Webinars
•         Publications
•         Support of Formal Education Programs
•         Connections with other associations: ACNS, AES, CoA-NDT, and many others

We have just posted a member satisfaction survey on the ASET home page.  Please take a few moments and fill out the survey.  I had the opportunity to compose questions related to education and it will really mean a great deal to me, if you can tell me more about what you want from ASET.  You make a difference in your patients’ lives and I want to make a difference in yours!

Here is the link to the survey: www.aset.org/membersurvey

Thanks in advance for taking the time to provide us with feedback!

 Fantastic Neuro-Voyage Mission Clue # 2:
The Fantastic Neuro-Voyage team is having trouble navigating against the flow of blood as they are nearing the heart.  Flow from the heart is too strong for the nuclear engines to overcome.  They have sent a message to the support team of scientists and physicians about what can be done to overcome the powerful force of the blood flow against the small size of their vessel.

                 

Incredible Imagery of the Brain

 

No, it is not a Mohawk hair-do!  It is the latest imagery that helps us understand brain structure and function!  This NPR article shows the connecting pathways within the brain.  Just look at the corpus callosum!  How did they do that?  It is so exciting to be in a field related to neurology.  I have never tired of looking at EEGs, thinking about how fascinating it is to view brain function on a daily basis. And in the 21^st Century, we have rapid technological advances, which will improve the way in which we can capture images of the brain at work.  To view or listen to the full NPR piece, follow this link for the article “Your Brain is Like Manhattan.”

 http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2012/03/29/149629657/how-your-brain-is-like-manhattan?ps=sh_stcathdl

At the ASET 2012 Annual Conference in St. Paul, we will feature educational events on another high-tech brain imagery process:  MEG, or Magnetoencephalography.  In addition to scientific platform presentation about the use of MEG to evaluate post-resection seizures, there will be a Sundown Seminar on MEG utilization and technology.  There are over 40 MEG machines in the United States now, and it is a growing and valid diagnostic tool.  If you work in a comprehensive epilepsy center, chances are that sometime in the future, a MEG will be coming to your institution.  EEG technologists who want to work in an advanced role and do something new and challenging should attend this workshop and find out more about it.  Electrodes must be applied for these studies, so who better than neurodiagnostic technologists to work in MEG departments!

You have a chance! Apply now for a Scholarship for the ASET 2012 Annual Conference

We have a May 1^st deadline for scholarship applications so take action now!  Most people don’t think they have a chance of winning a scholarship, so they just don’t apply for one.  But, members of ASET have a very good chance of getting a scholarship to attend the ASET Annual Conference in St. Paul, MN, Aug 2-4 this year.

ASET offers up to four scholarships to cover the cost of the full conference registration fee.  In addition we have company sponsored scholarships that vary in value, from covering the registration fee, to one that includes a cash stipend to cover travel expenses.  There are six companies sponsoring scholarships, and one of them offers two, so that is seven.  That makes a grand total of 11 scholarships!  It is also important to note that the application process is very simple and does not require a financial statement.  Every ASET member may be considered, from students, to entry level technologists to lab managers.  If funding for travel has been cut from your budget, this is a way to stay connected with your colleagues, and the Society, and experience the best education in neurodiagnostics, that inspire you, and improve your work life.

I encourage all ASET members to apply for a scholarship now!  You will find a link right on the home page of the ASET website, that will get you to the applications and instructions.  Please take a look at the 2012 Annual Conference Program on our website, and see how great this meeting is going to be!  Don’t miss out on this opportunity to attend!

Farewell to a friend: Dr. Niedermeyer’s Passing

When I posted a blog entry about Dr. Niedermeyer’s birthday, back in January, I knew that I would soon be following up with an “in-memoriam” piece.  When we visited him in December, he said to me:  “I won’t be here much longer”.  He was very matter-of-fact and seemed comfortable with his short future.  He told me he was grateful to reach the age of 92 and have such an active and wonderful life.   We will miss him very much!  I would like to thank Brian Markley and Sabrina Galloway for attending his funeral service on April 5^th, to represent those of us at ASET who could not get away to attend.  I will be making a donation to the ASET Foundation in his name, since he supported technologists so avidly and always aspired to making sure that technologists were educated about all aspects of neurophysiology.  He learned to run early EEG instruments as well as a technologist, so he really appreciated what it took to be a good technologist!  I encourage you to remember Dr. Niedermeyer with a contribution to the ASET Foundation also!  The funds go toward scholarships and other educational resources for technologists.

To read more about his fascinating life: here is a link to Dr. Neidermeyer’s obituary in the Baltimore Sun:
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/obituaries/bs-md-ob-ernst-niedermeyer-20120411,0,4357703.story

At the 2012 ASET Annual Conference in St. Paul I will be presenting the abstract:  The Life and Contributions of Dr. Ernst Neidermeyer first presented at the OSET meeting in Germany in May of 2011.