Rogers and Paula Nicolson on ‘Getting Qualitative Research Funded’. Finally, a workshop was held on 22 October on ‘Using the Signifier “Psychosocial”: Practice, Theory and Research’ at Leeds Metropolitan University with presentations from Erica Burman, Ian Parker, Paul Stenner, Peter Branney and Stephen Frosh. We thank all our presenters and organisers for such interesting and informative events. All were very well attended and, we hope, provided a valuable service in training and networking.
Awards QMiP has established several prizes and competitions. These are important for rewarding excellence in qualitative research, providing a public acknowledgement of such achievements, and remaining responsive to initiations by our membership. The 2009 winner of Outstanding Research by an Early Career Scholar was Paul Sullivan, and two events (to be held in 2010) have been funded through this year’s Seminar Competition: Dora Brown, Adrian Coyle, and Patrick Coyne on ‘Maximising the Impact of Qualitative Psychological Research on Health’ and Viv Brunsden on ‘Visual Methods and Psychology’. We were delighted that our Section nomination for Academician of the Academy of the Social Sciences, Jonathan A. Smith, was accepted by the Society and subsequently by the Academy. Congratulations to you all. Details of QMiP prizes and competitions can be found at www.bps.org.uk/qmip/qmip_home.cfm.
Newsletter and website The QMiP Newsletter (now Bulletin) is published twice a year and sent to all members. The newsletter editor is Peter Branney. Peter is supported in the role by Zazie Todd as advisory editor and by four associate editors, each with separate areas of responsibility: Stephen Gibson (newsletter development), Victoria O’Key (book reviews/publication news), Helena Priest (research articles), and Victoria Tischler (events news/reviews). The Section website is updated regularly and is a further important way in which the section communicates its activities to the public.
In summary In all, 2009 has been a busy and successful year for the Qualitative Methods in Psychology Section. We are looking forward to 2010 in which we are holding our second QMiP Conference at the University of Nottingham on the 23–25 August. Dr Anna Madill, Chair
Transpersonal Psychology Section The year 2009 was another successful, although sometimes rather difficult, year for the Section due to a number of changes in the Society’s administrative machinery; these have now been incorporated into Section procedures. The year also saw us continuing to forge links with other national and international transpersonal psychology groups.
The 2009 Conference The Section held its 14th three-day Annual Conference at the ever popular venue of Cober Hill near Scarborough. Once again there were many excellent talks and workshops, and it was encouraging to see so many students keen to present papers. Keynote presentations were given by Bernard Carr, Professor of Mathematics and Astronomy at Queen Mary, University of London and former President of the Society for Psychical Research (‘Can science be extended to incorporate normal, paranormal and spiritual experiences?’), 30 T H E B R I T I S H P S Y C H O L O G I C A L S O C I E T Y