September 2011
A F F I L I AT E S L E T T E R The official newsletter for FEMS Affiliates
New FEMS Focus issue now available!
38th FEMS Council Meeting held in Belgium The delegates of FEMS Member Societies were treated to Belgian hospitality this year at the 38th FEMS Council meeting. The two-day annual meeting was held at The Leuven Institute for Ireland in Europe on 16-17 September 2011.
Also in this issue Photos from the 38th FEMS Council Meeting FEMS Ecology new Thematic Issue New feature of FEMS Publications Answer the EMF Survey Know more about the European Academy of Microbiology Upcoming Grants deadlines Upcoming FEMS-sponsored meetings Microbiology tidbits
The Delegates met on Friday, 16 September, to be updated on all things FEMS. Dr Daniella Marchetti of the Italian Association for Clinical Microbiology made a presentation about the said society. So did Dr Andrei Sibirny of the Society of Microbiologists of Ukraine. The Council meeting was held on Saturday, 17 September, with more than 30 countries represented. Some of the highlights of the meeting were the elections for new FEMS SecretaryGeneral and Grants Secretary. Dr Stefano Donadio of the Italian Society of General Microbiology and Microbial Biotechnologies was elected as the next FEMS Secretary-General replacing Dr Tone Tonjum. Dr Jaroslav Spizek of the Czechoslovak Society for Microbiology
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Some of the participants at the 38th FEMS Council meeting. will be the next FEMS Grants Secretary replacing Dr Vaso Taleski. FEMS was lucky to have two candidates for each position. Drs. Donadio and Spizek will assume their posts at the Council meeting in 2012. Dr Roland Koerner’s election as FEMS Treasurer for the period 2012-2015 was also formalized and Dr James Prosser assumed his post as FEMS Publications Manager. The 38th Council Meeting was also the last executive event attended by former FEMS Publications Manager Dr Fergus Priest. The next FEMS Council meeting will be held on September 14-15 next year in Toulouse, France.
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Ecology and metagenomics of soil microorganisms Microorganisms are essential for the formation and biogenesis of soil, maintenance of soil structure and fertility and the biogeochemical cycling processes, as well as for other ecosystem functions, that are essential for plant growth and bioremediation. Understanding the factors that determine the growth, activity and diversity of soil microbial communities, their control by soil physicochemical characteristics and their interactions with other soil inhabitants is therefore essential for sustainable management of soil ecosystem function, and prediction of the impact of environmental change. This Thematic Issue brings together articles derived from two important international conferences on soil microbial ecology and on the application and exploitation of modern molecular methods in ecological studies.
Journal images now easy to download From now on, readers can quickly and easily download any image from a full-text FEMS article straight into a referenced PowerPoint slide. This is made possible with the new feature called ‘download to PowerPoint’. This (and the free online colour) will facilitate the use of FEMS figures in teaching and conference presentations.
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Get the combined online subscription to the FEMS Journals from €187. SUBSCRIBE NOW.
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Some pictures taken at the 38th FEMS Council meeting
and Andiorens.i ) LI C M A IT ( i t t arche ing t heir presentat Drs Danie(UllaA-MSM U) giv Sibirny
as held ea.t t he w g in t e e M il c n Cou op The 38t h eFEn MInSst itute for Ireland in Eur Leuv
Outgoing FEMS Publications Manager Dr Fergus Priest received a photo album from FEMS as a goodbye gift. www.fems-microbiology.org
Leuv fromeFnEMMayor Louis Tob Dr Jozef S President back receive Anne of t Bernhard s he Belgia Schink gwifhts n Society il looks oen. S e p t 2 0 11 | p a g e 3 / 6
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Let your voice be heard. Answer the EMF survey. Survey summary report
as of 27 September 2011
As FAL reported to you earlier, the European Microbiology Forum is one of two important FEMS Initiatives at the moment. Recently, we sent a survey to measure the importance of this initiative according to FEMS Affiliates, Delegates, colleagues and associates.
The European Microbiology Forum finds your participation and comments important so we hope you will take time to participate. This will take less than 10 minutes of your time.
To participate, please click here. To ask someone else to participate, please share this link to them: This survey has been going on for three weeks http://EMFsurvey2011.questionpro.com. now and will continue in the next week. Only after a month can the report be generated so we would like to ask your cooperation once again. If you have not participated in the survey yet, please do so by following this link. if you have participated in the survey already but know others in the field who have not, you may pass the information on to them to ensure a higher survey completion rate.
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www.fems-microbiology.org
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Know more about the European Academy of Microbiology One of the goals of FEMS has been to amplify the impact of microbiology and microbiologists in Europe. For this purpose, it is important to establish a leadership group of European microbiologists that will be in close association with FEMS. FEMS executives discussed and supported the concept of establishing an “academy” of senior microbiologists within Europe with the objective of providing a source of advice for the Federation and a united advisory source for governmental and other bodies. The idea was brought to Council 2007 for discussion. Two years after, during the 3rd FEMS Congress, the European Academy of Microbiology (EAM) was formally launched. The EAM logo was designed by Dr Miguel Vicente, who also contributed to the latest issue of the FEMS Focus, following the pattern of Antoni van Leeuwenhoek’s bacteria drawings. He made a presentation on the creation of the logo which you may watch here. The EAM promotes excellence in microbiology in Europe through targeted programs and activities.
www.fems-microbiology.org
The activities of the academy include: • Organize high standard meetings on “cutting edge” subjects • Organize colloquia to discuss critical issues in microbiology • Publish recommendations on critical issues in microbiology • Promote microbiology education • Provide expert advice to European and local authorities • Initiate special awards for microbiological achievements • Support FEMS EC activities, such as The European Microbiology Forum (EMF). Members of the academy will be elected through a highly selective, peer-reviewed process, based on their records of scientific achievement and original contributions that have advanced microbiology. Here is a list of the founding members of the EAM. It is currently open for new enthousiastic members. If you are interested to be a part of the EAM, you may check the nomination form on the members page.
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FEMS-Sponsored Meetings October - November 2011
DEADLINES 1 October 2011 FEMS Advanced Fellowships
The 2nd Int’l Fungal Cell Wall Meeting 7 October, France
1 December 2011 15 June 2012 FEMS Research Fellowships FEMS Visiting Scientist Grants
Comparative Genomics of Eukaryotic Microorganisms: Understanding the Complexity of Diversity 15 October, Spain
15 December 2011 1 June 2012 FEMS National & Regional Congresses Grants
Power of Fungi and Mycotoxins in Health and Disease 19 October, Croatia
1 March 2012 FEMS Meeting Grants
7th Balkan Congress of Microbiology 25 October, Serbia
(for meetings to be held in 2013)
2011 Symposium of the Danish Microbiological Society 7 November, Denmark
1 April 2012 1 September 2012 FEMS Meeting Attendance Grants
Looking for free articles to enrich your microbiology knowledge?
Microbiology Tidbits... Invasion of Genomic Parasites Triggered Modern Mammalian Pregnancy Genetic parasites invaded the mammalian genome more than 100 million years ago and dramatically changed the way mammals reproduce -- transforming the uterus in the ancestors of humans and other mammals from the production of eggs to a nurturing home for developing young, a new Yale University study has found.
Wiley-Blackwell, the publisher of FEMS Journals has Microbiology Open, “a peerreviewed, open access, journal delivering rapid decisions and fast publication of microbial science” in which the FEMS Journals participate. The Royal Society on the other hand recently launched Open Biology, “a fast, open access journal covering biology at the cellular and molecular level.”
source: Science Daily
The FEMS Affiliates Letter is a production of FEMS Central Office
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The voice of microbiology in Europe. We advance and unify microbiology knowledge.
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