Spring 2019 BSDB Vol.38 Newsletter British Society for Developmental Biology www.bsdb.org BSDB Newsletter. Vol. 38, Spring 2019 My first newsletter – some thoughts on open access publishing and the role of developmental biology in teaching biological sciences. It’s a daunting task to take over the role has been pushed back slightly to of BSDB Communications ofFicer From coincide with the BSDB Spring meeting Andreas Prokop. He has done a and AGM. The aim is to integrate its fantastic job over the years, contents with what will be discussed at transforming the society website and the meeting, so that attendees can know general Feel of the BSDB more oF what will be discussed. This communications. He has orchestrated year, we are planning on opening a the digitization oF the BSDB archive, that discussion around the subject of Open is now saFely housed within the John Access publishing. This is a highly Innes Center and spearheaded an pressing issue, as the cOAlitition S advocacy campaign for research and group are moving Forward with PlanS to teaching of Developmental Biology that be implemented by 2020. Essentially, continues From strength to strength. So this will mean that researchers how exactly does one continue on From supported by speciFic Funders (including a person with such drive and energy? I the ERC, major research councils and think the answer is not so daunting after the Wellcome Trust) will be required to all, and that is to continue to stoke the publish only in entirely open access journals. For more on what this will fires that are already burning. mean For non-for-profit community The look and Feel of the website and journals such as those oF the Company newsletters will remain the same. For of Biologists, please see articles 8 and the newsletter itself, the release date 9. One initiative that the Company of Contents Editorial 1 Chair's Welcome note 3 Articles and images Introducing the new BDSB committee members 4 are copyright of the British Society for Meetings OfFicer's report 7 Developmental Meeting Review: Spring 2018 8 Biology or the respective authors Meeting review: Autumn 2018 14 unless otherwise Treasurer's report 17 indicated. The views Hopes and concerns For PlanS 21 published in articles herein are not PlanS consultation response From the Society Publishers’ Coalition 22 necessarily those of preLights – a community platform for preprint highlights 25 the BSDB or its committee. The Waddington Medal 26 The Cheryll Tickle Medal 29 The Beddington Medal 32 Dennis Summerbell Lecture Awards 34 Developmental Biology in Bioscience teaching 36 Gurdon Reports 37 - 1 - Biologists have launched to support the continues to go very well, with another wider commenting oF pre-prints is the set of exciting research projects that “Our Gurdon summer PreLights platForm, read more about this were undertaken last summer. Please student program in article 10. IF you will be at the Spring take the time to have a look through continues to go very meeting this year, come to the AGM to their reports and see what they got up to well, with another set hear more about how the PlanS this time around (article 16). of exciting research movement will impact both our projects that were membership. Advocacy For developmental biology undertaken last continues to be a priority For the BSDB. summer. Please take The BSDB archive is continuing to be the time to have a The Company oF Biologists have also be used a great deal and having all look through their a source of great support For the previous newletters published online reports and see what community on this issue, and a series of means that one can easily delve into the they got up to this review articles in Development make For history of the society and developmental time around (article an excellent source of ideas and biology research in the UK. As Andreas 16)”. opinion. At last year’s Spring meeting, a pointed out in the last newsletter, our few members came to me to say how regular communications are principally much they felt developmental biology mediated either by the Node, or directly was oF great importance For the teaching “A key point that was through our website. This means that of biological sciences. As an initial raised is the role that the newsletter itself forms a record for all developmental biology exploration into this issue, Bethan Clark past communications and is important plays in providing a has nicely summarized the opinions of for this function, as well as a complete framework for previous Gurdon summer student annual communication of Society associating multiple awardees (article 15). A key point that activities. Again, we are indebted to aspects of the was raised is the role tha developmental biological sciences”. Meghana Mortier at the University of biology plays in providing a Framework Manchester For her time investment in for associating multiple aspects of the putting the newsletter together. It Forms biological sciences. I would be very an essential summary of all that has happy to hear more of your ideas on this happened over the previous year, at that issue and how we might take the includes past and upcoming society discussion Forward. meetings (articles 4, 5, and 6), treasurer’s report (article 7), incoming committee members (article 3) and 2018 Benjamin Steventon award winners (articles 11-14). Our Gurdon summer student program The BSDB gratefully acknowledges the continuing financial support of The Company of Biologists Ltd (CoB). www.biologists.com - 2 - Chair's welcome note by Ottoline Leyser This is already my last BSDB News It has been a pleasure and an honour to Letter contribution as Chair, giving me Chair the Society For the past 5 years. the opportunity to quote my favourite The committee have been wonderFul. science(ish) joke. Time flies like and They truly encapsulate the BSDB arrow, Fruit Flies like a banana. collaborative spirit and it’s great that so many oF you are willing to give their time This year the highlight was without to run the Society. I would particularly doubt the 70th Birthday Spring Meeting. like to thank Kim Dale, Josh Brickman It was eXtremely uplifting in these and Andreas Prokop who have provided turbulent times to celebrate sterling service as Secretary, Meetings developmental biology and OfFicer, and Comms OfFicer respectively. developmental biologists and to look I am deeply grateful to Megan Davy, forward to the neXt 70 years of Sally Lowell and Ben Steventon who discoveries and discoverers. The have stepped into their shoes, and to “…thanks to the atmosphere at the meeting was Tanya WhitField, Jens Januscheke and tireless efforts of wonderFully positive. Anyone who would Shankar Srinivas who have joined the Andreas Prokop, the like to rekindle that spirit, cheer committee. BSDB Archive has themselves up when reviewer 3 is found a stable home particularly energetic with the hatchet, or It has also been very inspiring to work at the John Innes finally manage to eXplain to their granny with the Michelle Ware and AleXandra Centre in Norwich. If what they do all day can play back the AshcroFt, the postdoc and graduate you can’t get there but you really want to BSDB history rap on our website. For reps. They have worked very hard and know what the Chair me the meeting really encapsulated with impressive creativity and wrote in the very first what the BSDB is all about- a great enthusiasm to ensure that the Society News Letter in 1979, community working together to do serves the next generation of then you can find out, excellent science. developmental biologists. It is great that and much much more Charlotte Bailey and Jessica Forsyth by visiting the And iF that gets you thinking about have taken on these roles with equal digitised archives via BSDB history, this year thanks to the verve. our website. There tireless efforts of Andreas Prokop, the have already been BSDB Archive has Found a stable home I look forward to seeing as many of you more than 35000 downloads.” at the John Innes Centre in Norwich. IF as possible Warwick in April For my last you can’t get there but you really want to Spring meeting as Chair. I would also know what the Chair wrote in the very like to highlight that For our Autumn first News Letter in 1979, then you can Meeting this year we are contributing to “I would also like to find out, and much much more by the European Congress For highlight that for our visiting the digitised archives via our Developmental Biology in Alicante. We Autumn Meeting this website. There have already been more may be leaving the European Union, but year we are than 35000 downloads. we are still deFinitely in Europe. contributing to the European Congress for Developmental Biology in Alicante. We may be leaving the European Union, but we are still definitely in Europe.” - 3 - Introducing the new BSDB committee members Tanya T. Whitfield levels at the University oF SheFField. Her Tanya is ProFessor oF Developmental lab also makes regular contributions to Biology at the University oF SheFField, outreach events, introducing the public where she is a member oF the Bateson to the beauty and logic of embryonic Centre and Department oF Biomedical development. Science [LINK]. Shankar Srinivas Tanya studied early Xenopus Shankar is ProFessor oF Developmental development For her PhD at the Biology and a Wellcome Senior University oF Cambridge, under the Investigator in the Department of supervision of Chris Wylie. In 1994, she Physiology Anatomy and Genetics at the was an EMBO short-term fellow in the University oF OXFord [LINK].