Rebecca Jeffery wins microbiology in society award 2023
22 June 2023
The Microbiology Society is delighted to announce the winner of the 2023 Microbiology in Society Award, Rebecca Jeffery.
Rebecca completed her PhD in infection, immunology, and translational medicine and is now a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Oxford.
The Microbiology in Society Award is given annually to a member of the Microbiology Society for an education, outreach or public engagement initiative that promotes the art and science of microbiology. The award recognises projects that inspire or educate people to enable them to make informed decisions about everyday issues surrounding microbiology.
The aim of the project is to evoke discussion and interest in how host-microbiome interactions underpin human health and disease. Rebecca and her team plan to do this by running a stall at the Glastonbury festival called ‘The gut florists’ which will introduce the microbiome and it’s role in human health and diseases such as IBD. There will be craft activities where visitors can make their own pompom ‘macroscopic’ bacterial microbiome member, temporary tattoos will be available with a ‘headliner’ bacteria that will be promoted on a given day.
To gauge current public interest and knowledge on the microbiome, Rebecca and her team will collect information on what individuals know about gut bacteria by, for example, probing notions of “good” versus “bad” bacteria and dietary modulation of the gut microbiome e.g., through probiotic and fermented food consumption. This will be done by setting up florist buckets in which people can vote for multiple choice questions with coloured eppendorfs.
Rebecca said of her award: ‘I am honoured to receive the Microbiology in Society award for our Glastonbury stall - The Gut Florists. We look forward to showcasing our own microbial headline acts and talking to festival goers about the microbiome and its importance in health and disease.’
To find out more about the Microbiology in Society Award visit our Grants Page.