Celebrating International Volunteer Day 2021

03 December 2021

This year’s International Volunteer Day takes place on Sunday 5 December 2021 and it is a great opportunity for us to reflect on the important work of the Microbiology Society’s volunteers. We would like to thank all our members who have volunteered their time to support our work and guide our future in what has been another challenging but successful year.

The Microbiology Society is overseen by the Council, the Society’s governing board. Working with the Council are five Committees, two standing panels, four Divisions and six Editorial Boards, all of which are made up of dedicated volunteers. Thank you to everyone involved, and anyone who has given their time to the Society in other ways over the past year.

In a year where the world came to terms with the ‘new normal’, we have relied on volunteers more than ever to bring the community together online in the absence of in-person meetings and events. This year, together with volunteers, we organised the Annual Conference Online 2021, a series of online Focused Meetings, the Society Showcase and Annual General Meeting (AGM) 2021, Roadshows, Microbiology Educators’ Network meetings and the Early Career Microbiologists’ (ECM) Forum Summer Conference 2021. Thanks to the easing of restrictions in the UK, we were even able to hold the final Roadshow event of 2021 in-person at Aston University in Birmingham – fittingly also the final Roadshow for one of our most dedicated volunteers, President Professor Judith Armitage, who steps down at the end of the year.

Away from meetings and events, we have published insightful pieces written by our members in our magazine Microbiology Today, launched the Unlocking Potential Fund and SARS-COV-2 and COVID-19 Hub, as well as planning for the conversion of Access Microbiology to an open research platform in early 2022. It certainly has been a busy year!

Thank you again to all our members, Council, Committee, Panel and Division members, Editors, reviewers and Champions for your continued support of the Society.

Below, you can read what some of our members have to say about volunteering at the Society:

“I am currently co-Editor-In-Chief for Access Microbiology. In this role, I ensure that all manuscripts accepted by the journal are of highest quality. As a member of the Educators’ Network, I work with colleagues to improve microbiology teaching in higher education and develop new innovative delivery approaches. Finally, as a Prokaryotic Division member, I help develop symposia for future Society conferences that improve knowledge exchange and understanding of prokaryotes. Contributing as a volunteer to the numerous activities of our Society is a very fulfilling and beneficial experience, as I gain a lot from the frequent exchange of knowledge, opinions and ideas with so many fantastic microbiologists.”
Dr Georgios Efthimiou, University of Hull, UK

“In 2020, I was delighted to be elected to the ECM Committee as Impact and Influence Representative. I thoroughly enjoy playing this role within the Society, which involves attending Committee meetings, writing updates for Microbiology Today and organising ECM events. It is a privilege to be able to interact with other Committee members and the experience has allowed me to build strong networks. I am very grateful for the opportunity to sit on the ECM Committee and would recommend it to anyone who would like to contribute to the society.”
Dr Rebecca McHugh, Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy & Biomedical Sciences, UK

“This year, I was invited to co-chair a series of workshops organised on behalf of the Food Standards Agency, to kick off a large new project focused on antimicrobial resistance. This was my first experience of chairing any kind of meeting or workshop, so was a great experience and made me feel like a proper member of the research community again, after returning from maternity leave. I have already used the experience I gained by chairing a session at another symposium in Edinburgh. I am really grateful to the Society for the invitation, and for the opportunity to be involved.”
Dr Natalie Ring, The Roslin Institute, UK

“One of the reasons I joined the Society was to allow young researchers in my country, and in Africa more widely, to benefit from the different opportunities offered. This is what pushed me to become a Champion, to carry out capacity building activities for young African researchers, especially for their evolution and for a better contribution to the development of Africa through innovative scientific research. I would like to thank the Microbiology Society for its ongoing and active support, which has already provided me with funding opportunities that have enabled me to organise several symposia and workshops for the benefit of young African researchers.”
Dr Philippe Sessou, University of Abomey-Calavi, Benin

“I serve as a member of the Prokaryotic Division and as an Editor of Microbiology. Volunteering in these roles is one of the most pleasurable aspects of my working life. The diversity of the people and the science I interact with through these roles is tremendous and is a constant reminder of the breadth of our field and how lucky we are to be microbiologists. As a member of the Prokaryotic Division, I love the challenge of creating exciting sessions that contribute to the conference journey of our members at our annual meeting. Overall, the scientific network that the Society curates is of great value and it’s a privilege to be involved.”
Dr Nicholas Tucker, University of Strathclyde, UK

If hearing from our volunteers has inspired you to get more involved with the Society, there are details of various opportunities available via our Get Involved page, and our voluntary vacancies are also listed on our Jobs page. Alternatively, you can email us via [email protected].