SEB Bulletin March 2006 - In this issue
In this month's issue of the bulletin we profile three outstanding early-career scientists who will be honoured at the SEB Meeting in Canterbury when they are presented with the SEB president's medal. Katherine Sloman, Giles Oldroyd and Jon Pittman, were nominated by our members, and chosen as this year's medallists by those representing Animal, Plant and Cell Biology (our three Sections). They will each make a presentation about their research and about those people or events which inspired them along their career paths. In keeping with recent tradition, the SEB has also invited two eminent scientists to the Main Meeting to speak at our two plenary lectures; this year Professors Richard Mithen (Institute of Food Research) and Keith Roberts (John Innes Centre) will deliver the Woolhouse and Bidder lectures, respectively. Held each year, the lectures commemorate two prominent former members of the SEB; Harold Woolhouse, a past president, and George Bidder who was a member of Council when the society was formed in Birkbeck in December 1923. Steindór J. Erlingsson, whose PhD centred on the history of the SEB, has very generously written a short précis of his thesis for publication in this issue of the bulletin where you can read about the biologists who formed the society and about the dramatic events which surrounded its foundation. Interestingly, you might like to compare the fortunes of the society at that time: “… the Treasurer's report for 1925 revealed that the Society had £70 in hand, and the annual income now exceeded expenditure by about £40.” with that of 2005 in our present Treasurer's report: “Reviewing the year as a whole the excess of income over expenditure for the year, after allowing for changes in the value of investments, is much better than the 2004 level at £241,522 (2004: £187,837)…”.
So the financial future of the SEB seems bright for the time being and this is reflected by the extra funds being allocated to the sessions at our Main Meeting. If you're a young 'early-career' scientist don't forget that we also provide financial support for travel and are seeking new ways of offering additional support in the future. But what about the future of the SEB's core 'business', i.e. science and education? In the second article in our new Future Perspectives series Nigel Halford looks back at the first tentative arrival of commercialised GM technology in 1996, charts its subsequent opposition and asks whether there is a future for plant breeders and GM crops in the UK. If you missed the first in this series on Solar Biololgical Energy you can find it in our January 2006 issue. Many 'hot' research topics are being covered at our Annual Meeting in Canterbury including the progress being made by researchers who are using Drosophila to model neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. An overview of this up and coming area of research is described in our regular Teaching & Learning article.
With regard to education, our Teaching & Learning Section profiles the UK Science Learning Centres which were set up to bring about innovation and inspiration in the National Curriculum. There are ten centres in the UK with the National Centre based at York. In addition, we have the privilege of hearing from Pauline Lowrie, a college teacher, who has charted a comprehensive path through the tangle of the A-level qualification with its core subjects and assessment objectives. She also lists the different examinations boards in the UK and their specifications. Pauline, who also sits on the Biosciences Federation's Education Committee, will continue this series “Want to know more about …” in future bulletins - in our July issue we will publish an informative guide to the different curriculum key stages.
Looking ahead to the near future, don't forget the SEB Cell Cycle Meeting coming up in July which is being organised by John Bryant and Dennis Francis. It will include two keynote lectures from Tim Hunt and Dirk Inzé and sessions on cell division, mitosis, G1/S stage, cell cycle check points and cell division machinery. The SEB is also planning a series of career development and management workshops over the coming months covering areas such as self-awareness, commercial awareness, effective applications and selling your skills (see HORIZONS). And finally, if you're interested in a look back over 2005, take a look at our Reportage Section which reports on all the activities and happenings within the SEB last year. These reports will also be delivered at our Annual General Meeting in Canterbury so come along if you're interested in the business of the SEB.
Our business is your business!
Sarah Blackford
Editor