In the spring of 1994, the Parasitology Journal Club was founded in the Department of Biology at Georgia Southern University. The club meets weekly for informal discussions concerned with host-parasite interactions. The meetings are attended by faculty, students and staff. Everyone is welcome.
The Parasitology Journal Club is the longest-lived, continuously running journal club/discussion group in the history of the Georgia Southern Biology Department. The Club has remained active since its inception and members have met over 250 times to discuss current parasitology research.
The meetings are coordinated by a graduate student, staff or faculty member who initiates the first meeting of the semester, sends out weekly announcements to participants, and introduces the discussion leaders. At each meeting a different club member serves as discussion leader. This individual selects that week's topic and decides on the meeting format.
Discussions center around research articles, proposed or in-progress research projects, and reviews of parasite-related topics. Participants also use the club meetings to practice upcoming presentations at scientific meetings. Topics include, but are not limited to, the basic biology, ecology, epidemiology, evolution, systematics, physiology, behavior and relevance of eukaryotic endoparasites, ectoparasites, bacteria and viruses.