News
25 February 2014
Creating an infectious brand
As you flick through the magazine, look at the website or receive material regarding our Annual Conference, you may notice some changes to the visual identity of the Society; this includes the logo and also the general look and feel. With revised Vision and Mission statements and to coincide with the relocation of the Society to Charles Darwin House, Council agreed at their November meeting 2013 this was an excellent opportunity to rebrand the Microbiology Society (SGM) and to put in place a new logo, including icon, and look and feel which both reflects and aligns with what the Society stands for – a modern, professional, forward-thinking, approachable, credible and outward-looking organisation. The story behind the brand and how it evolved can be found in this issue.
New Years Honours list
The Microbiology Society is delighted to announce that our President, Professor Nigel Brown, has been awarded an OBE in the Queen’s New Year Honours list. Professor Brown, Emeritus Professor of Molecular Microbiology at the University of Edinburgh, is recognised for his services to Science. He will receive his OBE from the Queen later this year.
Equality and Diversity
The Society’s working group on Equality and Diversity (E&D) has had a busy year. Following on from Council’s endorsement of the E&D Policy Statement it has been developing a set of recommendations to ensure there is a greater diversity within all of the Society’s activities.
Professor Hilary Lappin-Scott, the Societys Champion and Chair of the Working Group that drew up the recommendations, explained why these are central to the work of the Society.
The Society is committed to utilising the full talent pool of our members in all that we do. The E&D Policy Statement was our first step in this commitment. I am delighted that Council has supported the recommendations of the E&D Working Group and is now working to adopt them throughout the Society’s events and activities. I look forward to seeing the positive effect these recommendations have and the benefits for the SGM of fully utilising all of the talent pool.
Member of the E&D Working Group Pooja Aggarwal talks to SGM's Public Relations Manager on why E&D is important, how she got into scientific publishing and, probably most importantly, if she were sent to a desert island, what one album and luxury item would she take with her.
Bacteria Trumps
Microbiologists from the Blizzard Institute and the Centre of the Cell have produced a third set of their popular Trump card game. Both educational and entertaining, Bacteria Trumps is based on the successful Winning Moves Top Trumps and the SGM is delighted to have been able to sponsor this project. Members involved in outreach who would like a free pack of these cards please email Theresa Hudson ([email protected]), Education and Outreach Officer.
Prizes
Nominations are now open for 2014 Prize Lectures. Prize recipients are regarded as role models and leaders, so it is important that the nomination and award selection process is both inclusive and representative of our diverse membership and also reflects the wider microbiological community. In 2013, Council asked for a Prizes Working Group to be set up to review the Prize Lectures. The group was chaired by Council member Evelyn Doyle. More information regarding the Prizes review can be found in this issue.
Contributions and feedback
The Society welcomes contributions and feedback from members, particularly news items that appear in this section, future magazine theme suggestions and ideas for the Comment article. Please contact [email protected] with ideas.
Practical Microbiology in Schools: a survey of UK teachers
As part of his PhD, postgraduate and SGM member James Redfern from Manchester Metropolitan University carried out a survey into the state of practical microbiology in secondary schools. The results were heartening (practical microbiology was common), but concerns were expressed regarding equipment, time, cost and expertise involved in carrying out practical work. Teachers also noted that students enjoyed the subject of microbiology as a whole. However, he stressed that, 'microbiologists should engage with school education to support teachers and maintain the health of microbiology for future generations'.
If you are interested in supporting microbiology in schools or delivering outreach please contact Theresa Hudson ([email protected]), Education and Outreach Officer, who can provide both advice and curriculum-linked resources.
The full paper outlining all the findings is available.
Policy statement on sexually transmitted infections - successful launch at the House of Commons
The Society is pleased to report that its policy statement Microbiology and the challenge of sexually transmitted infections: are we up to it? was officially launched in the House of Commons on 12 December, at an event sponsored by Dr Julian Huppert MP. Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are one of our key policy priorities; they significantly impact the health of the nation, and are a prime example of where new knowledge and techniques emerging from microbiology research offer significant opportunities to cut the burden of disease, and tackle problems such as antimicrobial resistance. The Society's report highlights three major challenges – antimicrobial treatments, diagnostic devices, and vaccines – that we believe need expanded scientific efforts to improve the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of STIs over the coming decade. The report can be accessed from the Society’s website.
Dr Julian Huppert MP tabled an Early Day Motion (EDM) to highlight the importance of the research challenges raised in the document. If you are a UK citizen, you can ask your local MP to sign the EDM. You can find and contact your local MP on the TheyWorkForYou website.
SGM publishing and open access
The Publishing team is pleased to announce the publication of the Society’s new Open Access Policy, with dedicated FAQs to aid authors. These FAQs give information about SGM Open, the open access option for our four subscription journals, and explain the many benefits of publishing open access with SGM.
SGM Open discounts came into effect on 1 January 2014 for new submissions. The Society will be offering a 15% discount on the SGM Open fee to authors who are either members of the SGM or who are based at an institution which holds an active subscription to the journal. Full details can be found in the FAQs.
If you would like any further information please email the journals team who will be happy to answer any questions.
New grant for 2014
To support members who would not otherwise have the opportunity to attend our Annual Conference but whose attendance would benefit their professional development, the Society has announced its new Inclusion Grants.
Annual Conference Prize Lectures 2014
Congratulations go to the following microbiologists who have been awarded SGM prizes. The lectures will be given at the Societys; Annual Conference 2014 from 14 to 17 April 2014 at the Arena and Convention Centre Liverpool.
- Professor Rita Colwell (University of Maryland) has been awarded the Prize Medal.
- Professor Nikolay Zenkin (Newcastle University) has been awarded the 2014 Fleming Prize Lecture.
- Professor Laura Piddock (University of Birmingham) has been awarded the 2014 Marjory Stephenson Prize Lecture.
- Professor Stephen Curry (Imperial College London) has been awarded the 2014 Peter Wildy Prize for Microbiology Education.
DARIEL BURDASS
Head of Communications
[email protected]
