SEB Bulletin - March 2007
In this issue
Our current SEB president, Roger Leigh, writes his last letter in this issue of the bulletin as he hands over his two-year honorary position to Ian Johnston who will take up the reins as president at our AGM during the SEB's Annual Main Meeting in Glasgow. David Evans, who has served as the honorary Cell Section Secretary for 4 years will hand over to his deputy, Mathis Riehle, who will be replaced by Claire Grierson, currently a member of the Cell Section committee. Leaving aside the departures and arrivals of other committee members, all of our other SEB honorary officers remain in place for the time being and their reports can be read in our Reportage Section. They will also present their reports at the Annual General Meeting on Saturday 31st March in Glasgow to which our members are all invited.
Another major change of honorary personnel this year has been the retirement in January of Bill Davies as the Editor of the Journal of Experimental Botany. Jerry Roberts (previously an Associate Editor on the JXB Board) will take over and he provides an insightful and historical look at the JXB in his article and pays tribute to Bill's contribution to the success of the JXB under his 10-year editorship. This is particularly poignant for me as I was working as the journal's managing editor when Bill took over in 1995 from the then Editor, John Hall, who is also retiring from the Associate Editor Board of the JXB this year. Like John, Bill will continue his involvement with the journal on the Editorial Board.
The SEB Meeting this year honours two prestigious biologists, Alison Smith and David Baulcombe, who will deliver the Bidder and Woolhouse lectures (respectively) to mark their considerable contributions to their research fields. Alongside them we celebrate three outstanding early/mid-career scientists who are on track for highly successful research careers. They will each deliver a short biographical lecture during the conference dinner where they will receive their awards from the president. Who knows, they may find themselves being invited to deliver the Bidder or Woolhouse lectures in the future (it might be an interesting exercise to go back and trace the progress of some of our previous medallists to find out where they are now - watch out for a potential bulletin article). For those up-and-coming early-career members of the SEB who may be wondering what it takes to 'make it' in academic research it will be well worth taking a look at the short biographies of our medallists and, if attending the SEB Main Meeting, listening to their talks on Monday evening.
Taking advantage of the Company of Biologist's and SEB's travel grant scheme is another way in which younger members can experience the excitement of attending an international conference or undertaking a research visit to another laboratory. We gave away a record 20 grants in our last round of awards and, as always, we have published reports from our previous travel grant winners. These reports are inspiring and paint a picture of the enthusiasm and inspiration which can be instilled in postgraduates and junior postdoctorals as they meet others working in their field. Discussing their ideas can provide helpful insights into their own research, enhance their motivation and even lead to collaborations. With less than 5% of postgraduates achieving a permanent academic research position, this kind of networking is an essential ingredient for those aspiring towards an academic career. Our Meetings Diary provides a listing of forthcoming conferences and courses as well as advertising our SEB Symposium 2007 and Annual Main Meeting in Marseille, 2008.
The only certain thing in life is uncertainty and the only thing we can guarantee will not change is change itself. The SEB sees a good deal of change from year to year amongst its honorary officers and committee members but, with shifts in scientific focus and funding, changes in publishing practices such as Open Access and technological developments, the SEB constantly strives to look ahead and evolve to ensure it continues to provide the most relevant support to its members and the Biological community.
Sarah Blackford
Editor
