Publisher Profile

Tell us about yourself. What sparked your interest in science, and what did you study? What inspired you to get involved with your society?

I grew up in Wantagh, New York, the home of Jones Beach. With the ocean just minutes away from my house, I developed a strong interest in marine biology at a very early age. As an undergraduate, I became fascinated by invertebrate animals and studied the population biology of a snail in a Virginia salt marsh and the settlement of gymnolaemate bryozoan larvae. My research has continued to focus on the biology of bryozoans and mollusks. After positions at the Jules Stein Eye Institute, the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard, and the Smithsonian Marine Station at Link Port, I returned to New York to teach at St. Lawrence University, where I am a Professor and Co-Chair of the Biology Department. I joined the American Microscopical Society to receive its journal, Invertebrate Biology. I was appointed to the AMS Executive Committee as a Member-at-large in 2018, elected President-Elect in 2020, and served as President of the Society from 2021-2024. I am currently serving as Past President.

Tell us about your society and your scientific community. What inspired your society to establish this journal?

The American Microscopical Society and its journal were established following the first National Microscopical Congress in 1878. A group of medical doctors, dentists, biologists, and microscope makers formed our society to advance the compound light microscope as a vital tool for research in medicine and biological diversity and to promote the use of microscopy through the presentation and publication of their work. Initially, the Society published articles on new developments in microscopy and histological techniques. However, it quickly shifted its focus to research on the biology of organisms, particularly emphasizing freshwater and marine invertebrates. In 1995, the Society decided to publish exclusively on biological research about invertebrates—an incredibly diverse group representing at least 95% of all animal biodiversity—and changed our journal’s name to Invertebrate Biology. The articles published in Invertebrate Biology investigate all aspects of invertebrate life, including cell biology, molecular biology, ecology, physiology, genetics, development, evolution, systematics, behavior, and biogeography.

Today, the American Microscopical Society remains dedicated to the two goals of its mission. First, we promote the presentation, discussion, and publication of new and significant information regarding invertebrates and other organisms. Second, we encourage new generations of researchers to use microscopes and other imaging instruments to address biological questions. In support of this goal, we provide grants to our members for 1) professional training in microscopy, 2) undergraduate and graduate research that involves significant use of microscopes and/or other imaging devices, and 3) student travel to present research at AMS-sponsored meetings.

What trends or challenges in your field are shaping the priorities of your society?

Two major challenges are shaping the priorities of our society. The first is keeping people interested in our society because although microscopes are now a basic and ubiquitous research tool in the biological sciences, most researchers do not consider themselves “microscopists”. Second, the financial positions of many universities and museums have resulted in fewer resources being used to support the teaching and study of invertebrate animals.

Can you share a recent project or initiative from your society that has had a particularly meaningful impact on your community?

Last year we decided to change our model for publishing our journal, Invertebrate Biology. For the past 25 years, Invertebrate Biology was published by Wiley. Starting in January 2025, we have returned to self-publishing our journal and managing our society’s membership.

What trends, challenges, or opportunities do you see for your journal?

The trend toward open access by publishers is a challenge for many authors who lack the funding to pay to publish their papers. Most of our authors do not have the resources to pay for open access publishing. Our Society is committed to publishing manuscripts submitted by authors worldwide without imposing page charges, and fees for editing or color figures. This is one of the reasons we decided to self-publish Invertebrate Biology.

I urge my students to become broadly trained in biology. I tell students that it is not the title of their major but their classroom, research, and life experiences that will prepare them to take advantage of the professional opportunities during their careers. For established researchers, the American Microscopical Society has a great collaborative community that is positive and supportive of scientists at all stages of their careers.

What excites you about joining the BioOne community of publishers? What do you look forward to as part of your participation?

We could not ask for a better partner than BioOne to help us uphold our values as a publisher and explore innovative ways to broaden our readership. With the inclusion of Invertebrate Biology in the Subscribe to Open (S2O) pilot program, we hope to provide open access to our journal starting with the 2026 volume.