SEB Bulletin July 2006 - In this issue
“We’ll meet again, don’t know where, don’t know when
But I’m sure we’ll meet again some sunny day.
Keep smiling through, just the way you used to do
Till the blue skies chase the dark clouds far away.”
Ross Parker
It was shortly after the end of WW2 in July 1946 that the SEB held its first of an annual series of symposia, a full seven years before Watson and Crick proposed the double helix structure. This first symposium on nucleic acid has now been researched by one of our members, Rupert Fray, who has written a very comprehensive and interesting account of the research presented there. Times have moved on but the SEB still continues to hold meetings on topical subjects – this month the Cell Section presents the latest research on the Eukaryotic Cell Cycle with keynote lectures from prominent names such as Dirk Inzé and Tim Hunt. This meeting will be reported on in our October issue, however, we report on our immediate past and future meetings in this issue.
SEB played host to another well-attended Annual Main Meeting this year in Canterbury, with many of our members organising, contributing and participating in its success. The variety of research fields covered there is continuing testament to the wide ranging interests of our membership and its scientific contribution to global issues and developments. Sessions included: patterns of bird and fish migration and adaptation in response to environmental change; genomics and systems biology, complemented with a bioinformatics tutorial workshop; using drosophila to model neurodegenerative diseases; new techniques for measuring plant responses to the environment and advances in cellular manipulation. In addition, delegates were offered teaching and careers support from the Education & Public Affairs programme as well as another inspiring Women in Science dinner which, this year, was attended by a significant number of men too. Many of these sessions have been reported on in this issue of the bulletin and the accompanying photographic evidence demonstrates well the colourful and dynamic atmosphere of the meeting.
Looking forward to later this year and 2007 we are announcing further meetings in this issue to give you advanced notice if you are intending to participate or attend. Two meetings in September 2006 are being organised by our Plant and Animal Sections: The Plant Transport Group’s meeting will be held at Wye College and is being organised by Alexander Grabov whilst our Animal Section Secretary, Richard Handy is running the Environmental Effects of Nanoparticles and Nanomaterials which will be held in London.
A comprehensive programme of sessions is already in place for the next SEB annual meeting to be held in Glasgow’s very impressive conference centre in April next year and will include topics at the forefront of scientific research such as nutritional genomics, symbiosis, fish welfare, freeze-tolerance, programmed cell death, and cell culture techniques for invertebrate and piscine ecotoxicological studies. There will be a high profile media session with a hands-on workshop to assist members and delegates in publishing popular science with additional workshops to support early-career scientists. We will also be offering a taste of science in the adjacent Glasgow Science Centre which will provide a debating platform for the local public.
Making good use of Glasgow’s facilities, the SEB is also managing the organisation of the ISPR’s Photosynthesis Congress in July next year and will play host to a week-long programme of the pure and applied aspects of this important field of research. A complementary education and outreach event aims to inspire the public and contribute to the effective throughput of future generations of plant scientists.
Offering recognition of our younger members, the SEB is calling for nominations for its 2007 President’s medallists who will receive their awards at the annual meeting in Glasgow. You may also be aware by now that there are opportunities for recognition in effective communication (talks and posters) at the annual meeting so ensure your up-and-coming stars apply for the Young Scientist session when they submit their abstracts. This year’s winners are featured in this bulletin. Further training and support workshops will also be available for this cohort of delegates.
Members who are keen on a career in science communication may also like to take a look at the reports from our two successful press officer bursary winners 2006, Lucy Moore and Vicky Just, who received a privileged opportunity to represent the SEB at the annual meeting in Canterbury. Their 22 press releases were picked up and used by the world’s media and, because they were based on our own delegates’ research, gave a public airing to some of the most exciting and unusual research being presented there. Lucy and Vicky have written summaries of some of this research in our extended Teaching & Learning Section. We are always on the look out for young writers so please get in touch if you would like to contribute to this section in future.
Looking at the broader picture, the SEB recognises the importance of its role in representing its members in policy issues and the part played by biologists in addressing global environmental and medical challenges. In this respect, we involve ourselves in discussions and consultations at governmental level as an affiliate member of the Biosciences Federation which acts as a voice for Biology in the UK. John Bothwell, one of our post-doc members, recently represented the SEB at the ‘Voice of the Future’ event held at Parliament this year and he is also in the process of setting up a UK-wide post-doc organisation to support the sustainability of young researchers in the UK. Such organisations also exist in other countries and we are keen to hear from them to join up our thinking to make an even greater impact.
Sarah Blackford
Editor
