NASW members can read the statements of candidates running for office or a seat on the board of directors of the National Association of Science Writers. Officers and board members serve a term of two years, starting January 2007. Members should have received ballots in the mail; they are due Nov. 30.

With great sorrow, NASW announces the death of its president, Laura van Dam, on April 24, after a long and courageous battle with central nervous system lymphoma.

Laura van Dam

An independent book editor, Laura spent many years as a senior editor with Houghton-Mifflin, where she specialized in books related to science, technology, medicine, and health. She worked with authors including Natalie Angier (Woman: An Intimate Geography), Daniel Schacter (The Seven Sins of Memory), J. Richard Gott (Time Travel Through Einstein's Universe), and Steve Olson (Mapping Human History, a National Book Award finalist).

Many members still owe 2006 dues. By April 14, we will have entered current paid members info in the database, and then will send it to the Roster for printing. So please check your records and see if you paid. If not, please remit IMMEDIATELY. Do not pay twice — we have no way to refund the money and no way to keep track of it for next year. Please contact Executive Director Diane McGurgan if you have any questions about your status.

The NASW Board has voted to establish a freestanding Grievance Committee to represent the interest of NASW members who feel they have been subjected to objectionable behavior on the part of publishers, contractors, government agencies, or any other entities that employ the services of science writers.