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International Day of Persons with Disabilities: Kirsty Jones
December 2, 2022
International Day of Persons with Disabilities takes place annually on 3 December to promote an understanding of disability issues and mobilise support for the dignity, rights and well-being of persons with disabilities. This year, to raise awareness, we interviewed Members Panel member, Kirsty Jones, to discuss her work, the challenges she faces and some great advice for others with disabilities hoping to work in science.
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LGBTQ+ STEM Day 2022: Rebee Penrice-Randal
November 18, 2022
LGBTQ+ STEM Day takes place annually on 18 November to celebrate and highlight the work and barriers of LGBTQ+ people in science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM).
This year, to celebrate the diversity of its community, the Society is hosting an online event: Queer in Microbiology: A Conversation. Rebee Penrice-Randal is one of our members organising the event, so we caught up with them to find out more about their work and experience of being queer in microbiology. -
A day in the life of an NHS Clinical Scientist
July 5, 2022
The UK’s National Health Service (NHS) celebrates its birthday on 5 July. It was on this day in 1948 that the service was born, with the aim of providing free healthcare to all. To highlight what it’s like to work in microbiology in the NHS, member Dr Benjamin Johns (@DrBenJohns) tells us about his role as a Clinical Scientist in the Public Health Wales NHS Trust.
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World Refugee Day: Adnan Al-Hindi
June 20, 2022
World Refugee Day takes place annually on 20 June to honour the strength and courage of people forced to leave their home country to seek safety from conflict or persecution. Taking place since 2001 to commemorate the anniversary of the 1951 United Nations Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, the aim of the day is to increase empathy and understanding for refugees around the world.
In the UK, Refugee Week also takes place around this day to celebrate the contribution, creativity and resilience of refugees. This year’s theme is #HealingTogether through creativity and conversations.
Our conversation took place with member Professor Adnan Al-Hindi, who received support from the Society through a collaboration with the Council for At-Risk Academics (Cara). We find out more about Adnan’s life and career.
“Despite the hard conditions we lived in, as all refugees do, we were committed to education.” Professor Adnan-Al-Hindi
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International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia: Charlotte Roughton
May 17, 2022
International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia is an annual awareness day which takes place on 17 May to draw attention to the violence and discrimination faced by LGBTQ+ communities around the world. This year, for the first time, our members organised an LGBTQ+ Networking Event during Annual Conference 2022 and so, to celebrate this important day, attendee, member and Champion, Charlotte Roughton, has written a review of the networking event and shared her experience of coming out recently.
“I thoroughly enjoyed meeting and networking with fellow queer microbiologists at all different stages of their careers and felt safe and comfortable being my entire authentic self.” Charlotte Roughton, Newcastle University, UK
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International Transgender Day of Visibility: James Oliver
March 30, 2022
International Transgender Day of Visibility (TDoV) was founded by trans activist, Rachel Crandall; it takes place on 31 March every year to celebrate trans and non-binary people as well as raise awareness of the discrimination faced by trans people.
Back in July 2019, we interviewed member and Champion, James Oliver, for LGBTSTEM Day (now LGBTQ+ STEM Day) and we thought TDoV would be a good opportunity to catch up with him to find out how life has changed over the last few years and allow him to share his experiences.
“I encourage embracing your identity as much as possible, but sometimes you need to prioritise your safety before you focus on anything else.” James Oliver
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International Day of the Elimination of Racial Discrimination: Omololu Fagunwa
March 21, 2022
International Day of the Elimination of Racial Discrimination takes place annually on 21 March as a commemoration of the same date in 1960 when police in South Africa killed 69 people at a peaceful protest against apartheid. This year’s theme is ‘voices for action against racism’, which specifically aims to highlight the importance of public participation and representation, freedom of expression and to peaceful assembly, as well as recognising the contribution of people and organisations in fighting racial discrimination.
This year, to raise awareness, we interviewed member and Champion, Omololu Fagunwa. Omololu discusses some of the challenges he has faced as a Black, international student in the UK.
“Black people and people of colour are still hugely underrepresented in most fields of science. The ceiling needs to be removed.” Omololu Fagunwa
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International Women’s Day: Petra Fay
March 8, 2022
International Women's Day (IWD) takes place annually on 8 March and is a celebration of the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women, as well as a call to action for women’s equality. The awareness day started in 1911 as part of the women’s suffrage movement and this year’s theme is #BreakTheBias which focuses on promoting a diverse, equitable and inclusive world.
To celebrate this year’s IWD, we were very pleased to catch-up with member, Petra Fay, to find out more about her career in microbiology as well as what and who has inspired her, both as a woman and a microbiologist.
“I am inspired by organisations that embrace diversity, engage in dialogue to address these issues and empower women from all backgrounds.” Petra Fay
