Stempra newsletter - Winter 2011
From the Chair
Ruth Francis runs through this year's highs and makes an impassioned plea to all members.
News:
Upcoming events
New members
Sci Comm news
Eurochat
Event Reports:
NHS reform debate
In August, the night before MPs got stuck into of the last Commons debate on the health bill before it headed to the Lords, Stempra got together in the cosy downstairs room at The Duke pub to unpick what it might mean for science and research. We also learned a great deal about what is going on to make sure parliamentarians consider these implications.
Society of Biology Science Communication Forum Report Launch
In September, the Society of Biology and Stempra held a joint event at the British Science Festival. This was to launch a report written by Stempra committee member Jenna Stevens-Smith of the Society of Biology (SB), representing the culmination of over 6 months work in fostering collaboration between members of staff at the Member Organisations (MOs) of the SB. It provided a perfect opportunity for regional Stempra members to meet their peers, as well as journalists from the national media, writes Lucy Harper, Society for Applied Microbiology (SfAM) Communications Manager.
Bright Club
Bright Club, 'the thinking person's variety night', held their second 'Science and the Media' special on Tuesday 22 November in conjunction with Stempra. Among those who bravely took to the stage were Stempra Chair Ruth Francis (Nature Publishing Group Press Office), and member Cathy Beveridge (MRC Press Office). Following a rather unscientific poll, the Stempra newsletter can exclusively reveal that they were the funniest!
Stempra Christmas party - the science of champagne
... and how to turn a decent red into a paint-stripping white! Last Wednesday, Stempra congregated in the basement bar at Drink, Shop and Dance, near London's King's Cross. We were treated to a sparkling show by Leanne Bloor, from Andrea Sella's lab at UCL, who demonstrated the science of champagne, gin and wine to an eager audience of around 50 Stemprans. It was a lot of fun, although some may regret the raw quinine powder being passed round!
Features:
Blurring the Lines: the future of PR and journalism
On Wednesday 25 January, Stempra will be holding an event entitled "Blurring the lines: the future of PR and journalism" in memory of Stephen White, the first chairman of Stempra who died in 2010 (obituary). This guest feature, written by Sallie Robbins - who will chair January's event - should whet the appetite ahead of what is sure to be a lively and interesting debate on a topic of relevance to all Stempra members. We would encourage everyone to come along - watch out for details of speakers and the venue.
Stem cell patents hit the headlines
Emma Kemp, Information and Communications Manager at EuroStemCell writes about her experiences getting press coverage for stem cell patenting in 2011.
Interview:
Some quick Q&As with new science correspondents
There are a few newish science correspondents at the nationals and we wanted to introduce them to our members. We asked Nick Collins and James Gallagher a few questions about their jobs: best and worst bits, what makes a good story for their readers, favourite story and, following the success of the Science and the Media Bright Club evening, what is the funniest story they’ve worked on.
Last Word:
Twitter highlights
A small selection of interesting/random/unexpected and slightly comedic Twitter feeds to follow, as picked out by the committee. Some of these could certainly be considered a "black hole for time"!
This newsletter is edited by James Lush, with help from Jen Middleton
and Ruth Francis. For feedback, comments or suggestions of topics to
cover, please contact newsletter@stempra.org.uk |
