SPR President’s Mid-winter Message
SPR President’s Mid-winter Letter
Dear Fellow SPR Members,
A new year signifies a time for renewed engagement and positive intentions. While these ideals remain true, they exist within a backdrop of widespread sociopolitical upheaval and profound uncertainty. In the face of these challenges, SPR’s Officers and Board of Directors are working hard to make SPR a source of intellectual community and stability in these uncertain times.
It isn’t always obvious just how much goes on throughout the year to run this society. In addition to the major efforts surrounding the annual meeting, there are approximately 20 standing and ad hoc committees that work throughout the year to advance new initiatives and programming. These committees are populated by members volunteering their time to their academic community. Please reach out to any of these committee chairs if you would like to get involved or have any constructive feedback on how we can better deliver on our commitment to the SPR member experience.
Of course, the biggest undertaking that the Society does is the annual meeting planning. With the added challenges of transitioning to a new management association company, a new website provider, and new abstract submission system, I want to think Annmarie Macnamara and the whole 2025 Program Committee for an exciting and successful meeting in Montreal. I also really want to thank Anna Weinberg’s incredible leadership as SPR secretary, Dan Foti’s exceptional management as Treasurer, and Therese Clemens and her team at Degnon for their daily support. I really can’t emphasize how hard this team has been working this year.
For those of you who have been involved in SPR for decades, you know that we typically schedule our conferences in North American cities, with a European location approximately every 4 years, and these locations are typically contracted years in advance. This schedule was majorly disrupted in 2020, and we have struggled to return to the former routine. However, we have found that not being bound by contracts years in advance has been critical in allowing us to respond more flexibly to current events. As was communicated previously, the political turmoil in the United States presents significant impediments for many members’ ability to travel to the U.S., leading us to host the 2026 meeting in Canada for a second year, and we are actively exploring options for a European meeting for 2027. We do very much appreciate the challenges this may present for U.S residents, particularly trainees and those on visas; we are striving to make the most out of a difficult situation.
I do hope to see you all in Halifax this year. Halifax is a vibrant seaside city with much to offer. While October may seem far away, the program committee, co-chaired by Becky Brooker and Sarah Karalunas, is hard at work. Very soon we will be announcing the keynote speakers and several exciting pre-conference workshop opportunities. The call for abstracts is out now so get ready with those symposium proposals! We will also be continuing our annual video competition Psychophys Is. Take a minute to check out the amazing videos from the past two years and get your creativity flowing! There are cash prizes for the top 3 submissions. I encourage everyone to plan to join us at the Saturday banquet to see the winning videos announced.
Finally, please know that SPR remains steadfastly dedicated to the principles of equity, inclusion, and belonging. During my time chairing the Diversity and Outreach Committee, I worked with the Women in Science and Education (WISE) Committee to propose a single-tracked diversity-focused symposium, which was approved by the Board. I am so excited that this year will mark the 6th annual offering of this event! If you have any suggested speakers or topics, or would be interested in sharing your own work, please reach out to me.
Best wishes to you all for a safe, productive, and joyful year.
Lisa Gatzke-Kopp
SPR President 2025-2026
