Mycologist News
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MYCOLOGIST NEWS The newsletter of the British Mycological Society 2010 (1) Edited by Dr. Ian Singleton 2010 BMS Council Honorary Officers President: Prof. Lynne Boddy, University of Cardiff Vice President: Dr S. Skeates, Hampshire Vice President: Dr F. Davidson, University of Aberdeen President Elect: Prof. N. Magan, Cranfield University Treasurer: Prof. G. Gadd, University of Dundee General Secretary: None currently in position Publications Officer: Dr Pieter Van West Programme Officer: Dr S. Avery, University of Nottingham Education and Communication Officer: Dr P. S. Dyer, University of Nottingham Field Mycology Officer: Dr S. Skeates, Hampshire Membership Secretary: Dr J.I. Mitchell, University of Portsmouth Ordinary Members of Council Retiring 31.12.10 Dr. M. Fisher, Imperial College, London Dr. P Crittendon, University of Nottingham Dr. I Singleton, Newcastle University Dr. E. Landy, University of Southampton Retiring 31.12.11 Dr. D. Minter, CABI Biosciences Dr. D. Schafer, Whitchurch Prof. S. Buczacki, Stratford-on-Avon Ms D. Griffin, Worcester Retiring 31.12.12 Dr. Paul Kirk, CABI Biosciences Ms Carol Hobart, Sheffield University Dr. Richard Fortey, Henley-on-Thames Prof. Bruce Ing, Flintshire Co-opted Officers - Retiring 31.12.10 International Officer: Prof. A. J. Whalley, Liverpool John Moores University Public Relations Officer: Dr. M. Fisher, Imperial College, London Contacts BMS Administrator President: [email protected] British Mycological Society Treasurer: [email protected] City View House MycologistNews: [email protected] Union Street BMS Administrator: [email protected] Manchester M12 4JD BMS Membership: [email protected] Tel: +44 (0) 161 277 7638 / 7639 Fax: +44(0) 161 277 7634 2 From the Office Hello and Happy New Year to all Mycologist News readers. This year looks to be an exciting and eventful year with the introduction of electronic access to BMS journals, and the upcoming IMC9 event in August. We hope to have a Special Edition of the Mycologist News to coincide Norman Porrett Allie Brown Sophie Embleton with the IMC9 meeting, highlighting all the Administrator Membership Field Mycology various aspects of the BMS. We look forward BMS Office Assistant Assistant to receiving all your news items over the coming months. Let us know what you’re doing and what you think other members would be interested reading about. Contents TTFN, the BMS Office Team. Message from President 4 New Feature Membership News 6 Ecology of Fungal Fruiting Meeting 7 Over the last couple of months, we’ve November 2009 received suggestions from our Members on ways to improve the Newsletter. One Largest Fungi Collection at Kew 8 comment which came up several times Fungi on 4th Plinth 10 was to create a page in the Newsletter which features correspondence from you BMS Upland Foray 11 about mycology or the BMS, which you would like to open up to the wider BMS Asian Mycological Congress 2009 12 Membership — be it discussion points, questions/queries, or general comments. BMS Roadshow goes North 13 BMS Inocybe Workshop, We’re calling the feature ‘Members 14 Forum’ and we want you to start sending Plas Tan y Bwlch in your comments, questions, discussion points. If questions are directed to the Fungi on Parade 16 BMS we will endeavour to contact the relevant person and gain their comments, Undergraduate Bursary Report 18 otherwise discussion points may be raised Small Grants Award 20 in one issue with feedback happening in the following. We’d like to feature a Obituary 22 number of letters in each Newsletter, so please keep your word count to no more Field Meetings 2010 23 than 150 words. UK Events 26 Please send your articles for inclusion into this new feature, (with subject head as International Events 27 ‘Members Forum’, to: Fungi Photo Corner 28 [email protected] or post to: Mycologist News Editor, City View House, Union Street, Ardwick, Deadline for article submission Manchester M12 4JD. 3 into next issue : 6th April 2010 Message From the President, Prof. Lynne Boddy Having just re-read what I wrote this time have the opportunity to visit. We are last year, it is very pleasing to note that we currently negotiating for the exhibition to have made excellent progress in most of travel to other venues in the UK and to the areas that I highlighted as high priority. other areas of the Globe. A book is being Top of the agenda has been consultation, written, aimed at the general public, to and planning the restructuring of the accompany the exhibition. Society to allow different constituencies to promote their specialised interests As usual, 2009 saw excellent scientific effectively in an intense, focussed manner, meetings including a joint 2-day conference appealing to potential new members, and in Manchester with the International maintaining the Society's tradition of Biodeterioration Society, the truly promoting cross-disciplinary activities. outstanding “Fungal Cell” meeting at These plans have been detailed in recent Dundee, and the Autumn Kew meeting on letters that I have sent to all members and I “The Ecology of Fungal Fruiting”. We were will not re-iterate them here. We must now also delighted to organise, jointly with the build on this and concentrate our efforts on Mycological Society of Japan, a session at fulfilling our major purpose of ‘promoting the Asian Mycological Congress. We intend fungal science’. to put on more events overseas, and in 2010 we plan to run a series of workshops The second major aim that I proposed was in Thailand. Field meetings and workshops to boost fungal education and outreach. We were also very popular, including the Swiss have certainly had success here. The gold Foray, Upland Foray in the Forest of Dean, medal winning display at the RHS Chelsea the Suffolk Autumn Foray and the Inocybe Flower Show attracted the attention not workshop. 2010 has a full field mycology only of many thousands of visitors, but also programme including the Spring Foray in The Prince of Wales and Duchess of East Lothian, an overseas foray in Italy, Cornwall, and the BBC. The latter spread and the Autumn Foray on the Isle of White. the ‘fungal word’ across the nation in a There will be an Autumn meeting at Kew, prime time TV slot, albeit only for 3.5 on “Molecular methods in taxonomy and minutes. There was again a gold medal ecology: everything you wanted to know but winning stand at the RHS Malvern autumn were too frightened to ask”, followed by the show, that allowed people on the west of AGM. There will not, however, be a Society the country to experience the intrigues and Main meeting as we are hosting IMC9 at delights of the fungal world. It will be the beginning of August. The programme difficult to top these successes in 2010, but for this is now almost complete, and we are we are certainly going to try. We are on target for a superb meeting. In fact, I currently planning a large exhibition on the would be so bold to hope that it will be even role of fungi on planet Earth and, better than all of its predecessors. I hope to anthropocentrically, in our daily lives. The see hundreds of BMS members in venue for this is the splendid, new Gateway Edinburgh for this orgy of fungal science. Exhibition Centre at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. It will run for 5 months The journals, upon which we rely to spread from July to November 2010, with an fungal knowledge far and wide and to fund expected hundred thousand visitors. As it the Society’s activities, are doing well. will be running during the International Mycological Research has had a makeover Mycological Congress (IMC9) delegates will and will emerge this year as Fungal 4 ► I ought also to mention the website that we have been awaiting with baited breath for several years. There have been problems! The website is now under new development, and I fervently hope that it is established with Fungal will be up and running before the summer. We have certainly had a successful year, Lynne Boddy and 2010 promises to be equally rewarding. Biology. Fungal Ecologyis gaining momentum and This success is due to huge effort on the plenty of good qualityis alsocopy, prospering. and will receive part of many people, in many and varied its first impact factor this year. ways, and I thank everyone who has Biology Reviews contributed to these activities. Field Mycology Members are now able to subscribe to electronic access of the journals, which brings the huge benefits of easy searching Early registrat ion deadline: and taking up little wall space. Many of us 12 February 2010 have embraced the digital publishing revolution whole-heartedly, though others Abstract submission deadline: may take a little more persuading. 9 April 2010 Undoubtedly, the time will come when all journals are available only in an electronic form, though probably not simply as a page of text on a screen. 5 BMS Membership News Membership Renewals PRICE OF PRINTED JOURNAL IF E-COPY IS PURCHASED Membership renewal is now due and Field Mycology £15 personalised membership renewal forms Fungal Biology Reviews £15 have been posted to all members. If you Fungal Ecology £30 have not received your form please contact Fungal Biology (formerly Mycological Allie ([email protected] or Research) £30 +44 (0) 161 277 7639). As a result of these changes we need all As communicated in the last newsletter, members, including life and honorary there has been a change to the members, to return their renewal forms membership pricing structure due to the if they wish to remain members. This is introduction of electronic access to BMS especially important for life and honorary journals.