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Foreign aid cuts: now is not the time to step back
May 17, 2021
The UK is facing severe financial pressures because of COVID-19 and its impact on the economy. As a result, the UK government has decided to reduce the funds available for Official Development Assistance (ODA), which includes research projects funded via UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) from the ODA budget. In this blog, Eva Scholtus discusses the impact of these cuts.
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Working with government during a public health crisis
June 11, 2020
During the COVID-19 pandemic, politicians are looking to experts from the scientific community to inform the government’s response to control the spread of the virus. Microbiologists have contributed to the management of many public health emergencies and we are reflecting on how members of our community have used their expertise to help manage these events. In this blog, past President of the Microbiology Society Professor Sir T. Hugh Pennington discusses his experience as Chairman of a number of Public Enquiries into outbreaks of Escherichia coli O157 in the UK.
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Microbe Talk: a sustainable future in soil health
May 22, 2020
As part of our 'A Sustainable Future' policy project, the Microbiology Society's policy team have produced three special episodes of Microbe Talk to explore the role of microbiology to address some of the world’s biggest challenges. This episode, Hannah speaks with Dr Ellie Harrison, Research Fellow at the University of Sheffield and Luke Hillary, PhD student at Bangor University to find out about how their research into soil health contribute to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs).
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The UK’s AMR strategy and coordinating a global response
April 14, 2020
The Westminster Health Forum on Antimicrobial Resistance took place on Thursday 20 February 2020 at Glaziers Hall, London – a month before the country went on lockdown due to the infectious disease SARS-CoV-2, the cause of COVID-19. The event was run by the Westminster Health Forum. Dr Tina Joshi was invited to attend as a member of the Microbiology Society Policy Committee, member of the Science Committee of Antibiotic Research UK, and on behalf of the University of Plymouth, where she lectures their future NHS biomedical scientists and healthcare staff on clinical microbiology (particularly on the impact of antimicrobial resistance).
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The Science Policy Workshop for Microbiologists
February 13, 2020
Last year Joanne Kite, PhD student at the University of Surrey, attended the Science Policy Workshop jointly run by the Microbiology Society and the Society for Applied Microbiology. The workshop discussed how scientists can influence government policies and how to communicate with policymakers. Here, Joanne discusses her experience of the event.
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Best of the blog 2019
December 20, 2019
As we come to the end of another year, we are having a period of reflection here at Microbe Post. Today, we’re looking back at some of the most popular blog posts of 2019, so grab a cup of tea and revisit some of the best of the year with us – what a year it has been!
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STEM Education and Skills at Westminster
August 14, 2019
On 8 July, Rachel Exley attended her first Parliamentary and Scientific Committee discussion meeting, at Portcullis House in Westminster. The title of the meeting was 'STEM education and skills' and provided a forum for discussion between Members of Parliament and representatives of scientific bodies, industry and academia on how to inspire and engage young people in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects in order to address the skills shortage in the future UK workforce. The focus was particularly on engineering, and members of a diverse panel of speakers were invited to share their perspectives. I attended the meeting to gather information and identify ways the Microbiology Society might contribute to this agenda.
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Parliamentary Links Day 2019
July 25, 2019
This year, after several years of attempting to get an invite, I was absolutely delighted to be able to attend Parliamentary Links Day as a member of the Microbiology Society Policy Committee. I attended alongside Dr James Kelly, Dr Justine Rudkin, Dr Yinka Somorin and Microbiology Society Policy Manager Jack Doughty. Organised by the Royal Society of Biology, Parliamentary Links Day is one of the biggest science events in the Parliamentary calendar, linking members of Parliament to scientific researchers. The theme of 2019 was ‘Science and New Frontiers’.
