Constitution of the Asian-Pacific EPR/ESR Society

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Article I. Name

The Name of this Society shall be the Asia-Pacific EPR/ESR Society (APES), hereinafter called “the SOCIETY”.

 

Article II. Objectives

The objectives of the SOCIETY shall be:

(a) To advance and stimulate knowledge of the principles, recent developments, and applications of Electron Paramagnetic (Spin) Resonance (EPR/ESR) or Electron Magnetic Resonance (EMR) spectroscopy, hereinafter collectively referred to as EPR, and related techniques;

(b) To communicate information and news about EPR and its applications among its members and to serve as a clearing house on EPR among scientists in academia, government, and industry;

(c) To encourage appropriate and useful application of EPR in a wide variety of fields including physics, chemistry, biology, materials science, medicine, geology, and other disciplines;

(d) To provide a central voice for the EPR community in the Asia-Pacific region by promoting support for research and development utilising EPR through interaction with other societies, government funding agencies, and international scientific organisations;

(e) To stimulate educational programs on EPR and related spectroscopic techniques through organisation of schools, workshops, courses, and seminars;

(f) To foster scientific interaction among EPR spectroscopists throughout the Asia-Pacific region and to engage in any lawful activities which further this end.

 

The SOCIETY is for the Asia-Pacific region and is to cover the entire range of disciplines that use EPR. .

 

Article III. Membership and Fees

1. Membership. Any person actively engaged in research involving the EPR techniques or their applications in the Asia-Pacific region shall be eligible to become Member of the SOCIETY.

2. Fees. No membership fees are to be collected.

3. Admissions. Persons satisfying the required conditions may become Members of the SOCIETY on submitting the filled in Membership Application Form [available on the SOCIETY’s website] to the Secretary of the SOCIETY.

4. Rights and Privileges. All Members of the SOCIETY shall have the right to attend any meeting of the SOCIETY and to participate in the discussion, to hold office, and to vote on candidates for office and on matters of policy.

5.Termination of Membership. Membership of the SOCIETY may be terminated by resignation in writing.

 

Article IV. Council and Officers

1. Council. The management of the SOCIETY shall be vested in a Council consisting of the President, two Vice Presidents, the Immediate Past President, the Secretary/Treasurer, Founding President, as Officers, and Country/Regional Representatives and Advisory Council Member. The composition of the Council shall provide for a balanced geographical distribution within the Asia-Pacific region, as well as a proper balance of researchers in different branches of EPR.

  • The term of office of elected members of the Council shall be two years or until the next General Meeting, normally held every two years.

  • The Council shall meet normally during the Asia-Pacific EPR/ESR Symposia. Business may be transacted by mail or electronic mail between meetings. The Council will determine its own rules of conduct of business.

2. President. The President shall be the chief executive officer of the SOCIETY and shall chair meetings of the Council. The President shall direct the general affairs of the SOCIETY and execute such other duties as may be determined by the Council. The term of office of the President shall be two years, subject to re-election for no more than one further period of two years except for the following two cases: (i) if the Provisional President is elected as the President [applicable to the initial stages of the SOCIETY] and (ii) if the Vice President succeeds to the office as a result of the death, disability, or resignation of the President. In either case (i) or (ii) such service shall not be counted as a regular term. The President elected for the current term of office shall be responsible for coordination of organization of the subsequent Asia-Pacific EPR/ESR Symposium.

3. Vice Presidents. The two Vice Presidents will carry out any duties assigned by the President or Council, will carry out the duties of the President in the absence of that person, and shall assume the office of President in the event of the death, disability, or resignation of the President. The term of office shall be two years, subject to re-election for no more than one further period of two years. Normally, the Vice President elected for the current term of office shall take responsibility as the Chairman of the Local Organizing Committee of the subsequent Asia-Pacific EPR/ESR Symposium.

4. The Immediate Past President. The Immediate Past President shall serve as a full member of the Council for a term until the current President assumes the office of the next Immediate Past President.

5. Secretary/Treasurer. The Secretary/the Treasurer shall maintain the SOCIETY’s website, all the records of SOCIETY meetings, and be responsible for the distribution of all essential information to members. The term of office of the Secretary shall be two years, subject to re-election for no more than two further periods of two years. If necessary, for external purposes the Secretary may assume the role of a Treasurer of the SOCIETY.

6. Founding President. During the lifetime of its founder and in recognition of his special contributions to the establishment of the SOCIETY, the SOCIETY shall maintain the personal office of the Founding President.

7. Country/Regional Representatives. The Representatives are to be elected for the current term of office at the General Meeting upon recommendation of the group of Members from a given country or region.

8. Advisory Council Members. The Advisory Council Members (e.g. former Immediate Past President, former Vice President, or other APES members deemed useful to the SOCIETY) shall serve as a supernumerary member of the Council with voting rights for a regular two-year term, renewable by vote of the General Meeting and shall perform such duties as may be defined by the Council.

 

Article V. General Meetings

1. General Meetings of the SOCIETY shall be held during the Asia-Pacific EPR/ESR Symposia normally every two years. All participants at that scientific meeting may attend and speak at such meetings; only Members of the SOCIETY may vote. The President of the SOCIETY, or one of the two Vice Presidents, shall chair any General Meeting.

2. Quorum. No quorum for a General Meeting is required. By decision of the Council any matter deemed to be of major impact on the SOCIETY shall be submitted to the Membership for a mail/email ballot.

 

Article VI. Organization of the Asian-Pacific EPR/ESR Symposia

To fulfil the objectives of the SOCIETY, the APES Council shall coordinate organization of the subsequent Asia-Pacific EPR/ESR Symposia under the auspices of the SOCIETY, normally to be held every two years.

(a) International Organizing Committee for the subsequent Asia-Pacific EPR/ESR Symposia shall consist of the APES Council Members elected at the previous General Meeting of the SOCIETY.

(b) Local Organizing Committee shall be set up by one of the two Vice Presidents responsible for organization of the next Asia-Pacific EPR/ESR Symposium.

(c) The Asia-Pacific EPR/ESR Symposia may be organized jointly with other EPR/ESR-related Societies. .

 

Article VII. Elections

1. Elections will be held normally every two years during the General Meetings. In the event that an office of the SOCIETY or a position on the Council becomes vacant due to any cause, the Council will nominate a candidate or candidates and a special election will be carried out as soon as feasible.

 

Article VIII. Miscellaneous Provisions

1. Affiliations.

  (a) The APES became an Affiliate Society of the International EPR (ESR) Society (IES) in March, 1999. This Affiliation shall be maintained as long as it is deemed suitable by the Council.

  (b) The SOCIETY may maintain affiliations with other appropriate organisations as determined by the Council.

2. Amendments. Any provision in the Constitution may be amended, or repealed by the Members present at a General Meeting.

3. Dissolution. The SOCIETY may be dissolved by a two-thirds majority of the Members present at a General Meeting or casting ballots in a mail/email ballot. The assets of the SOCIETY, if any, will be distributed in a manner determined by the Council, in a manner that is consistent with the non-profit status of the SOCIETY.