SEB Bulletin October 2005 - In this Issue
Have you ever heard someone remark: “You're listening to me but you're not hearing what I'm saying” or something similar? In other words, “my words may be entering your ears but they're not penetrating your mind”. This happens a lot in a society which has developed a very short attention span and, at times, distaste for mental stimulation. And it's especially true of science which, often portrayed as unfashionable and boring, creates a constant struggle up a steep hill for any scientist trying to court the attention of a potential listener. Speaking in an accessible language is therefore crucial in order to engage the non-scientist public let alone inspire the disenchanted! In some ways, this has taken the average scientist by surprise and as pressures increase, especially for future scientists and those working in areas of 'controversy', the SEB continues to offer support to its members in various ways to assist them in this extra remit. This issue of the bulletin reports on a recent workshop on Science Communication which the SEB's Education & Public Affairs Committee ran with Oxford-Brookes University in June aimed at early career biologists where we covered four key areas of science communication skills training including the media, policy, ethics and schools to a delegation of 40 from around the UK.
This workshop geared us up for a double-bill during the SEB's Annual Main Meeting in Barcelona where we ran a further two science communication workshops on publishing and on how to engage non-academic audiences. This report and those of other scientific sessions are published in this issue as well as an account of the overall organisation, awards and social events. Roger Leigh, in his President's Letter also reflects the overall very positive response we have received from delegates who attended our first main meeting outside of the UK. Who can argue that icecream and sangria is not a great way to round off each day?
Looking to the not-so-distant future we are, of course, gearing up for the 2006 Main Meeting which will be returning to the University of Kent at Canterbury. We are also returning to our usual April slot so perhaps warm beer and hot pies will be more the order of the day there. In the packed programme, for the first time, we will be running a session on water which goes across the whole scope of the SEB's scientific spectrum of plant, animal and cell biology. Be aware that the abstract submission process has changed this year so make a note of the new format and deadlines.
With the excellent science writing skills of one of our regular contributors to the bulletin, Laura Blackburn has done a great job of reporting on the research associated with one of our Barcelona sessions on Phloem-Insect Interactions organised by Jeremy Pritchard in our Teaching and Learning section this month. We thank Syngenta for the fantastic front cover picture too and hope people find the article useful if they teach the subject to their students.
Finally, still on the subject of science communication, look out for opportunities to get your research into the public domain by taking advantage of our SEB press service. With 16 press releases derived from the abstracts submitted before the conference, we achieved the best ever coverage of our scientific sessions during the Barcelona meeting this year using the specialist press websites of the BA and AAAS, Alphagalileo and Eurekalert, respectively. We will be offering the same service for the meeting in Canterbury and, in the meantime, can assist members in getting coverage of their work in the media or being nominated as an expert with Eurekalert or with the Science Media Centre.
Do you hear what I'm saying ?
Sarah Blackford
Editor