Protists are a diverse and poorly understood aggregation of microbes, often considered to include fungi, certain algae, protozoans, and other unicellular groups. Dr. John Corliss has embarked on a long.term effort to coordinate the nomenclature and taxonomy of these disparate groups, leading eventually to a clearer understanding of their evolutionary relationships. He proposes to lead a delegation of American researchers to an international biological meeting in Australia for the purpose of helping to revise the international systems of nomenclature, and to plan activities for the Protozoology Congress that will be held in Japan in 1989. Dr. Corliss' efforts to create an integrated approach to protistology have wide implications. The international cooperation and collaboration that will result from these meetings will affect generations of microbial research. The meetings that he is coordinating will take place over the next five years, and will lead to an unprecedented view of protistan evolution.
