From the Editor-in-Chief: Changes to Enhance the Author Experience

©2014 Author(s). Published by the American Society for Microbiology. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the a Creative Commons Attribution – Noncommercial – Share Alike 3.0 Unported License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/), which permits unrestricted non-commercial use and distribution, provided the original work is properly cited. Corresponding author. Mailing address: St. Mary’s College of Maryland, 18952 E. Fisher Road, St. Mary’s City, MD 20686. Phone: 240-895-4376. E-mail: [email protected]. As I transition into the Editor-in-Chief position, I would like to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of all the volunteers who have made the Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education ( JMBE) what it is today. Volunteer support is the backbone of every JMBE issue and the journal would not thrive without its myriad reviewers, section editors, and editors, who donate their time to make JMBE a premiere journal in biology education. In particular, I would like to thank Chris Woolverton and the other previous members of the Editorial Board (Jean Cardinale, Kathy Takayama, and Ruth Gyure), who have been critical in positioning JMBE as an online, open-access journal which is now indexed in PubMed Central. Over the past six years, Chris and his team have created a solid foundation for JMBE, which allowed for a smooth transition for myself and the current Editorial Board. Of course, none of us would be able to function without the incredible ASM Education staff: Amy Chang, Kelly Gull, and Kari Wester, as well as the wisdom of Education Board chair, Neil Baker. Thank you all for “teaching me the ropes” during the past few months of my transition. The JMBE Editorial Board met in Washington, DC, this March to reaffirm our mission, scope, and develop a vision for JMBE’s future. Although this was the first time many of us met face-to-face, we quickly developed camaraderie and a consensus vision for the next five years. In particular, the Editorial Board affirmed that: