Society launches new digital content hub on Vaccines: the global challenge for microbiology

30 March 2020

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We are launching new collections of digital content for our 75th anniversary, under the heading Why Microbiology Matters. The third of these digital content hubs is dedicated to ‘Vaccines: the global challenge for microbiology’.

Microbes are everywhere and affect almost all aspects of our lives. We cannot see them, but our world would not function without them. Bacteria, viruses, fungi, protists, archaea, algae and other microscopic life forms are on us and in us, in the air, soil, water and our food. They are in and on the surfaces of everything in our homes, workplaces and other environments. Most do not harm us and many are essential for the good health of humans, animals and the planet.

In 2020 we celebrate the 75th anniversary of our founding with a year of activities dedicated to demonstrating the impact of microbiologists’ past, present and future – bringing together and empowering communities that help shape the future of microbiology.

Why Microbiology Matters

In 2018 we launched a call to the community to nominate a discovery, event or activity that best highlights how microbiology answers big questions by giving us knowledge of very small things. 

From the submissions received from throughout the microbiology community, we have created a series of digital content hubs, each examining an important theme in detail, including testimony from our members working in each area and a wealth of rich and interactive content. We will continue to add new content to the hubs as it becomes available, and each one will grow and be added to beyond our anniversary year, as a lasting resource for the microbiology community.
 
If you are interested in getting involved, please email [email protected].
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© Nicola Stonehouse and Oluwapelumi Adeyemi

Vaccines: the global challenge for microbiology: content brought together for the first time

The third in our series, ‘Vaccines: the global challenge for microbiology’, will examine how vaccines work, vaccination and herd immunity, disease eradication and vaccine production.

The hub will include the following content:

  • An explainer on what vaccines are and why emerging research is so important for global health.
  • Interviews and case studies from microbiologists working on the innovative science involved in understanding disease and vaccination.
  • Resources available to explore, including current research on novel and therapeutic vaccines; how scientists are working to improve the development of rapid diagnostic tests in low and middle-income countries; and the role of global advocacy in eradicating disease.  

We invite the community and all those interested in understanding more about vaccines to access this wide variety of content, brought together in one place for the first time. 

Four further content hubs, all on different and fascinating areas of microbiology, will be released during the year. Keep coming back for more. Look out for further updates on our website or via Twitter using the hashtags #WhyMicroMatters and #MicrobioSoc75th.

Celebrating the impact of microbiologists past, present and future

Other anniversary events and activities during our anniversary year include our microbiology images project, which highlights how microbiology answers big questions by giving us knowledge of very small things.

We recently launched our latest 75th anniversary activity: ‘Microbiology Book Club’. Inspired by Jo Verran’s Bad Bugs Book Club, we have released digital guidance on starting your own microbiology book club and understanding how public perception of microbiology is influenced by the representation of the discipline in books and films.

We will be continuing work on our policy project, ‘A Sustainable Future’, demonstrating the value and raising the profile of microbiology in addressing the world’s biggest challenges.

Throughout 2020, we will convert our complete journal archive into the modern format, improving the visibility and reusability of our archive, and preserving our content for the long term.

Join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #MicrobioSoc75th and #WhyMicroMatters.