Blog listing

Our Champions Scheme allows members to promote microbiology and the Society in their local areas by providing funding and resources for a variety of activities. In Autumn 2025, Society Champion Georgios Efthimiou (Hull York Medical School, UK) organised a spooky story competition to coincide with World AMR Awareness Week and promote microbiology to the general public. Below, Georgios reflects on organising the competition.

Our Champions Scheme allows members to promote microbiology and the Society in their local areas by providing funding and resources for a variety of activities. In November 2025, Champion Nkechi Egbe (Nigerian Defence Academy, Nigeria) organised an outreach activity for school children in her local area, to promote World AMR Awareness Week, the Society and our Knocking Out AMR project. Below, Nkechi reflects on organising the activity.

International Women’s Day takes place annually on 8 March with the aim of forging a gender equal world, free from bias, stereotypes and discrimination. This year, to mark the day, we caught up with a few of our Champions to discuss some of challenges of being a woman in science, as well as their biggest achievements.

Women’s History Month takes place every year throughout March. This year, to mark the occasion, we have an update and request from Champion, Dr Corrado Nai (Indonesia), who is creating a graphic novel about microbiology’s forgotten woman, Fanny Angelina Hesse (1850–1934). Fanny discovered that agar could be used to grow micro-organisms. You can read more about the idea behind the project in Corrado Nai’s previous blog: Creating a graphic novel about microbiology’s forgotten woman. 

5 December is International Volunteer Day and it’s a great opportunity for us to highlight why Microbiology Society volunteers have decided to become Champions and have generously given their time to promote microbiology and the Society in their local areas.  
 
This year, we want to show appreciation to Champions who contribute to the Society in many different ways. They have attended events on our behalf; organised their own events; taken part in interviews, written blogs and even helped the Society go viral on LinkedIn! Champions have also played a vital role in the Society’s focus on equality, diversity and inclusion by providing content for awareness days and organising social events for members of our community from historically marginalised groups.

International Day of Persons with Disabilities takes place every year on 3 December, during UK Disability History Month. Both look to highlight the challenges faced by Disabled people. Member, Iga Wieczorek, has provided insights on her personal experiences, those of others and what needs to change.

In his third blog, the Society’s President, Professor Gordon Dougan FRS, writes about his experiences as he approaches the end of his first year in the role.

LGBTQ+ STEM Day takes place annually on 18 November to celebrate and highlight the work and barriers of LGBTQIA+ people in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM). 

This year, we caught up with Members Panel member, Liam Cremona. He shared his insights and journey as a Gay person working in STEM.