MBL Science Council Charter

Adopted by the MBL Society on July 1, 2020

  • I. Composition of Council
  • The MBL Science Council will be comprised of no more than thirteen (13) members, with up to four (4) Resident scientists, three (3) Whitman Center scientists, three (3) Education faculty, one (1) Emeritus Society member, one (1) postdoc/graduate student, and one (1) at-large member.
  • The Director and/or his or her designee and the Speaker of the MBL Society will serve as ex officio, non-voting members.
  • Members eligible for nomination to Science Council are all MBL Society members in good standing.
  • II. Council Elections
  • MBL Society members shall elect members of the Science Council annually.
  • MBL Society members may be nominated for consideration as Science Council members by other MBL Society members or by self-nomination.
  • A Nomination Committee will be composed of six (6) members appointed by the Science Council Chair in consultation with the Science Council.
  • The Nomination Committee will prepare slates from the nominations for election by MBL Society members
  • III. Science Council Terms
  • Science Council member terms will begin on July 1, continue for three years, and end on June 30.
  • Science Council members may serve two (2) consecutive three-year terms, and then must stand down for at least two (2) years before being eligible again.
  • Chair and Vice Chair positions will be elected from and by members of the Science Council at the first Science Council meeting following the elections.
  • IV. Science Council Meetings
  • The Science Council shall meet three times per year.
  • The MBL Director and the MBL Society Speaker will be invited (as ex officio and non- voting members) to the MBL Society Science and Community Council meetings.
  • Directors of the Division of Research and Division of Education, the Chief Operating Officer (COO), the Chief Advancement Officer (CAO), the Chair of the Whitman Steering Committee, other future MBL Committees, and relevant staff representatives will be invited to provide status reports at the Council meetings.
  • All Council members vote during MBL Society Council meetings, but postdoc/student member(s) may be asked to step out if there is a sensitive item to be discussed, e.g., regarding an MBL faculty member or a faculty visitor who works/conducts research at the MBL. This will be at the discretion of the Director and Council Chair.
  • V. Conflict with Bylaws
  • In the event of any conflict or inconsistency between these MBL Science Council Policies and the MBL Bylaws, the MBL Bylaws shall control.