1. Name

The name of this group shall be the Division on Biological and Biologically Inspired Materials.

2. Purposes and Goals

The purpose of the Technical Division on Biological and Biologically Inspired Materials, hereafter referred to as the Technical Division, shall be to provide maximum technical benefits to its members by:

(a) Providing a forum or exchange of information on bioinspired materials.

(b) Advancing bioinspired material technology through timely exchange and dissemination of information.

(d) Assisting in the promotion of uniform terminology in bioinspired materials documentation.

(e) Providing improved technical interaction between scientists, engineers, manufacturers and users of bioinspired materials.

(f) Promoting and/or organizing special sessions, symposia, short courses, workshops, manuals or monographs.

(g) Interacting, assisting and cooperating with other committees, societies, associations or organizations on the topic of bioinspired materials.

3. Membership

3.1. Two types of committee membership are recognized:

(a) Voting - SEM member interested and/or active in bioinspired materials.

(b) Non-Voting - Non-SEM member.

3.2. Membership may be subject to termination because of conduct unbecoming the Technical Division or because of sustained lack of participation.

4. Organization and Governance

Organizational responsibilities shall be vested in the Executive Board of the Technical Division. This Board shall consist of the Officers, Past-Chair and others as appointed by the Chair of the Technical Division. It shall be the Executive Board's responsibility to schedule, coordinate, plan and organize activities, and to establish policies and procedures for submission to the Committee for consideration.

5. Meetings

5.1. Regular meetings of the working group shall be held at 12 months intervals which coincide with the annual spring conference. It shall be the duty of the Secretary to notify (with agenda) all members of forthcoming meetings at least one (1) month prior to a meeting.

5.2. The agenda for regular meetings will be formulated by the Executive Board of the Technical Division.

6. Officers and their Duties

6.1. Chair - The Chair of the Technical Division shall also be Chair of the Executive Board and shall preside over the meetings of each body. The Chair shall be a member of the Nominating Committee, an ex-officio member of all Subcommittees and represent the Technical Division to - and interface with - the national SEM. The Chair shall be a member of the SEM Technical Divisions Council.

6.2. Vice-Chair - The Vice-Chair shall discharge the duties of the Chair in his absence or disability and undertake such other duties as may be requested of him by the Chair. The Vice-Chair will belong to the Executive Board.

6.3. Secretary - The Secretary shall be responsible for preparing and mailing meeting notices, absentee ballots and other correspondence of general interest to the Division. The Secretary will also take minutes during the Technical Division meetings and will prepare and distribute copies of such minutes to each of the Technical Division members. The Secretary will belong to the Executive Board.

6.4. Past-Chair - The Past-Chair will act primarily as an advisor to the incumbent Chair and shall be a member of the Executive Board. The Past-Chair shall also act as Chair of the Nominating Committee, conduct the election, count the votes and make the results known to the Technical Division.

6.5. All officers shall be members of SEM.

7. Election of Officers

7.1. The Chair and Past-Chair shall constitute a Nominating Committee for the elective officers of the Executive Board. Nominations for elective officers can also be made from the floor or by letter and can only be made by voting members or designated alternate.

7.2. Voting will be by secret ballot if there are multiple nominees and by acclamation when only one nominee exists for a given office.

7.3. The nominee for each office receiving a simple majority of votes cast shall be elected. Ties shall be resolved by a run-off election.

7.4. The election of officers shall normally be held during the spring technical meeting of every second year, with elected officials taking office at the following meeting. The terms of office shall be two years.

7.5. Vacancies - Should a vacancy occur on the Executive Board, the Chair shall appoint a replacement to fill the vacancy subject to approval of the remaining Board members. In the event the Chair's seat becomes vacant, the Vice-Chair will assume the position and make appropriate appointments.

8. Subdivisions

The Executive Board may establish subdivisions. These subdivisions will concern themselves with special areas of interest to the Technical Division. Subcommittee reports shall be presented at each Technical Division meeting until the subcommittee is dissolved. The chair of such subdivisions shall be appointed by the Chair of the Technical Division.

9. Publications

9.1. A copy of the minutes of each Technical Division meeting shall be sent to each member.

9.2. Proceedings and other publications shall be prepared and distributed as deemed appropriate.

10. Records

Permanent past and current records such as copies of meeting notices, lists of meeting attendees, minutes, correspondence, membership list, publications, etc., shall be maintained by the Secretary. Such information should also be sent to National SEM Headquarters for filing.

11. Finances

There shall be no dues or financial obligations of the members other than their personal expense incurred in attending meetings.

12. Amendments

These Bylaws may be amended at any time using the following procedures:

12.1. Amendments can be proposed by any voting member. Proposed amendments shall be submitted in writing to the Executive Board no later than eight (8) weeks before a Committee meeting.

12.2. Proposed amendments shall be distributed by the Secretary to Committee members for comment, after which the proposals will be considered in open discussion during the next regular Technical Division meeting.

12.3. Following discussion, the amendment shall be voted upon. A two-thirds majority of all votes cast by members present and eligible to vote shall be required for adoption of the proposed amendment.

13. Procedures

All instances not covered by these Bylaws shall be governed by Roberts' Rules of Order.