Volunteers’ Week 2020
02 June 2020
In celebration of National Volunteers’ Week, we would like to say a big thank you to the members of the Microbiology Society who are actively contributing to the growth of the Society and the microbiology community by volunteering their time and knowledge.
Over the past few months, we have seen how passionate and dedicated our members are. Many have played a large role in the response to stop the spread of SARS-CoV-2 through media appearances and assisting with government efforts. Despite the difficulties many of us continue to face in our day-to-day lives, our volunteers have once again proven how strong the microbiology community is, embodying why microbiology matters.
Earlier this year, we made a difficult decision to cancel our Annual Conference 2020 and ECM Forum Summer Conference, as well as postpone the Roadshow events and the Candida and Candidiasis Focused Meeting. We know how much our members value being able to attend and contribute to these events – we would not be able to organise them without so many volunteers willing to sacrifice their time to help.
There has been an amazing response to all our calls to get involved this year. At the beginning of 2020, we launched the Why Microbiology Matters project to celebrate our 75th Anniversary. Over 150 individuals have come forward to share their experience working as researchers and to highlight the importance of microbiology. We have also received many great submissions for the Microbiology Images and A Sustainable Future projects.
We encourage our community to continue to take advantage of the opportunities that come with membership. Although our events programme has been postponed, there are still many ways for members to stay active within the Society by contributing to our blog and podcast and calls to get involved.
Thank you to all our members, Champions, speakers, editors, reviewers, committee members and volunteers for your continued interest in and support for the Society.
If you would like to find out about the current opportunities and how to become a more active member, please get in touch.
