Flash Talks and Bursaries at the Microscience Microscopy Congress 2017

The Microscience Series has a history of supporting Early Career Researchers (ECRs). This has long-been supported by International Labmate which features the winning poster presentations within its pages. This gives ECRs added exposure and it is a reward for the effort that goes into presenting at a major conference.

Further support and encouragement of ECRs continues in 2017 with the appearance of “Flash talks” within the scientific programme of mmc2017, which again incorporates the Institute of Physics’ Electron Microscopy and Analysis Group (EMAG) Conference.

A Flash Talk is shorter than a traditional oral presentation yet it has the potential to make a similar impact. In addition, it introduces ECRs to the challenge of talking to an international audience in a conference environment.

As always, those submitting abstracts to mmc2017 can request either an oral or poster presentation. Some ECRs will be successful with oral presentation requests. Those that are offered poster presentations may also be invited to give a Flash Talk.

“We trialled Flash Talks at this year’s EMAG Conference and they were very popular – both for the presenters and the audiences,” said Dr Sarah Haigh who is Reader in Materials Characterisation at the University of Manchester, and is a member of the mmc2017 organising committee. She is also Honorary Secretary and Treasurer for EMAG.

“They bring interesting variety and they provide great opportunities to test your presenting skills, especially for student researchers. I am very pleased to see them within the Microscience programme. They will definitely enhance it, allowing a greater variety of speakers and acting as further enticement to attend the poster sessions.”

The mmc2017 conference is the centrepiece of the congress and will be running six parallel sessions that cover the full breadth of light, electron, confocal, and scanning probe microscopy. It will include sessions organised by EMAG, and national societies such as the Scottish Microscopy Group, and the Microscopical Society of Ireland. This inclusivity is another hallmark of Microscience and allows microscopy communities to come together and enjoy the benefits of such a large-scale event. The exhibition will be significantly larger than 2015 and there is a programme of features such as pre-Congress workshops and the renowned RMS Learning Zone. The exhibition and features are free to attend for conference delegates and day-visitors.

The organisers – the Royal Microscopical Society (RMS) – understand that the cost of travel to events can provide a barrier to attendance. As in previous years it has initiatives in place that will help to overcome this.

“Both the RMS and the EMAG committees are committed to promoting opportunities for those in the early stages of their careers,” said Dr Haigh. “In addition to the Flash Talks there is a range of RMS bursaries to assist with travel. If you are looking to gain experience of a large-scale event then mmc2017 is a great place to start, and I would encourage anyone who is active in microscopy to take a look at the call for papers.

Details of bursaries – for conference delegates and day-visitors - will be announced in the coming months. If you are interested in these and other offers, you can keep up to date by subscribing to the mmc2017 e-newsletter that is published regularly in the build-up to the event.

The Microscience Microscopy Congress 2017, 03 – 06 July 2017, Manchester, UK – www.mmc-series.org.uk

Article Credit: Melanie Reedman, Royal Microscopical Society