Community drafted By-Laws for the operation of CoMSES Net.
A. This organization shall be known as the Network for Computational Modeling in the Social and Ecological Sciences (CoMSES Net)
B. CoMSES Net is a scientific research coordination network to support and expand the development and use of computational modeling in the social and ecological sciences.
C. One of the primary nodes of CoMSES Net is OpenABM, which serves specifically as a platform to promote education and use of agent-based modeling
D. Toward these ends, the organization will develop actions and projects to further these aims, including cyberinfrastructure development and maintenance, workshops and winter/summer schools, foster various mechanisms to promote sharing of research and educational material related to computational modeling in the social and ecological sciences.
A. Membership is open to all persons who sign up to this website. Registered users can post materials to the website. Full members agree to the responsibilities and code of behavior and receive additional benefits and obligations as specified at the organizational website.
B. Full members have the right to vote for composition of the executive board and are eligible to be candidates for the board (See Article III).
C. Members can be expelled under exceptional conditions for repeated violations of the members rules, confirmed by a unanimous vote of the Board.
A. The board consists of six elected board members and additional ex-officio members (Principal Investigators on the main projects that fund this organization). Each board member will generally be responsible for a defined set of tasks related to management of the network. If a board member is both elected and qualified to serve as an ex officio member they still have only one vote, but are eligible for any rights which apply to either category of board membership.
B. The board elects every year an elected member to serve as a chair.
C. The board advises on the strategy and operations of the organizations beyond the current funded projects. The board can initiate and direct activities using the existing cyberinfrastructure. The principal responsibility of funded projects is held by the principal investigators.
D. The board meets at least three times a year. Meetings need not be in person, but can be by audio or video teleconference.
E. Decisions are made by majority vote of the board members.
F. Board member terms are three years. Each year two board members rotate off the board and new members will be elected. Any other vacancy (due to resignation, incapability determined by two-thirds of the board) will be filled by the next annual election.
A. Principal investigators of official projects supporting the CoMSES Net organization.
B. Typical support of CoMSES Net includes direct financial support of the organization, administrative support in-kind or research activities that directly benefit CoMSES Net and its member organizations.
C. Any member organization that believes it has met the criteria outlined in IV.A and IV.B can request to designate an ex-officio member to the board. This request must be approved by a simple majority of the current board.
A. All Full CoMSES members are eligible to vote on elected members of the board.
B. Elections shall take place in November/December of each year. Executive Board terms begin January 1st.