The Oxford University Biochemical Society (OUBS) is run by graduate students and organises a weekly schedule of seminars each term given by academic scientists from outside Oxford. The final seminar of 2005-6 was given by Prof. Robert Huber, from the Max-Planck Institute, Martinsried, Germany and was attended by around 250 people. Prof. Huber was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1988 for his role in obtaining a high resolution crystal structure of a cyanobacterial photosynthetic reaction centre. A Local Scientific Event grant of £200 from the Biochemical Society helped to finance Prof. Huber's public seminar, held in the University Museum of Natural History, on the molecular machines that mediate protein degradation.

We are grateful to the Biochemical Society for supporting this lecture, which, in the words of Prof. Huber, will hopefully inspire young scientists to work in the exciting area of protein structure determination. We are also grateful for the personal support of the Chief Executive of the Biochemical Society, Dr. Chris Kirk, who attended the seminar.

The award of £500 helped to support a research symposium on tendon and ligament. The topic is an important but previously relatively neglected area of medical research. It was one of the first UK meetings of its kind, with top quality scientists invited from the USA and Europe. Topics covered ranged from studies of horse tendons during exercise to the application of tissue engineering and stem cell therapy for the repair of tendon injuries.

The meeting was designed to meet the needs of scientists and clinicians working in this area of research. The aim was to provide a forum for younger scientists to meet and learn from more experienced researchers, and six junior scientists were given the opportunity to present their research to the group.

This was the first major research meeting of its kind in the UK to focus on tendon and ligament disease. The conditions affecting these tissues are common and often chronic, and they are very difficult to treat. They are the cause of many of the problems of arthritis and rheumatism, frequently seen by general practitioners and specialists in musculo-skeletal medicine. There is a burgeoning interest in the research of these conditions, and potential new treatments using the latest in biomedical technology were discussed at the meeting. This meeting has helped to establish communication and collaboration between research groups, and it is hoped that similar meetings will take place in the future.

The award of £500 helped to support a research symposium on tendon and ligament. The topic is an important but previously relatively neglected area of medical research. It was one of the first UK meetings of its kind, with top quality scientists invited from the USA and Europe. Topics covered ranged from studies of horse tendons during exercise to the application of tissue engineering and stem cell therapy for the repair of tendon injuries.

The meeting was designed to meet the needs of scientists and clinicians working in this area of research. The aim was to provide a forum for younger scientists to meet and learn from more experienced researchers, and six junior scientists were given the opportunity to present their research to the group.

This was the first major research meeting of its kind in the UK to focus on tendon and ligament disease. The conditions affecting these tissues are common and often chronic, and they are very difficult to treat. They are the cause of many of the problems of arthritis and rheumatism, frequently seen by general practitioners and specialists in musculo-skeletal medicine. There is a burgeoning interest in the research of these conditions, and potential new treatments using the latest in biomedical technology were discussed at the meeting. This meeting has helped to establish communication and collaboration between research groups, and it is hoped that similar meetings will take place in the future.

The aim of the meeting was to provide a one off opportunity for the world's leading scientific authorities to share cutting edge research findings with the overall aim of advancing the understanding of the age related loss of muscle-function. The meeting combined the latest studies performed on various ageing models including humans, rodents, flies and yeast.

The scientific sessions were split into four complementary sections: Muscle and ageing; Reactive oxygen species generation, adaptive responses and ageing; Stem cells and ageing; and Models of ageing. In addition, there were free communications presented through posters and presentations.

Professor Malcolm Jackson (Liverpool, UK) opened the meeting with an overview of the importance of ROS generation by muscle during exercise and ageing. The well attended poster session, wine reception and Conference Dinner at the Maritime Museum, Albert Dock allowed delegates to meet up and discuss their work in a more informal setting. The symposium also included several free communications which allowed more junior scientists to present their work.

Much of the work presented focused on skeletal muscle wasting in the elderly, a feature known as sarcopenia, and the potential contribution of reactive oxygen species (ROS) to this process. The latest data were presented, suggesting that ageing muscle was associated with a change in ROS generation, for example through loss of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) activity in skeletal muscle, while other authors focused on how an imbalance in ROS generation could activate proteolytic pathways in muscle. Much data in this area indicates that a failure of muscle to adapt to ROS may be fundamental to the process of sarcopenia. Various contributions at the meeting examined this aspect. Regeneration of skeletal muscle involves activation of the resident satellite cell (or muscle stem cell) population (a process that is limited in ageing) and the impact of ROS on these cells received attention in several contributions. Much of the innovative work in this area now utilises transgenic or knockout models to study influences on ageing.

The conference organisers would like to take this opportunity to thank The Biochemical Society for sponsoring this event.

We proposed a one-day workshop to provide A-level students with insight into biochemistry work carried out in the clinical science research labs at the University of Warwick on 12th April 2005.

As such the event was coordinated by Dr Philip McTernan (lecturer, University of Warwick) with support by Post-doctoral research fellows, technical staff and PhD Students. The workshop focussed on the practical molecular biology techniques used to understand the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes. As such the workshop gave practical hands on experience for all the students involved. The workshop directly complemented aspects of their current A-level curriculum needs as outlined by the present Educational Board.

This workshop also imparted the excitement in actually producing data, and indicated the current opportunities for careers in Science to the students. The school identified for the workshop was Wood Green High School College of Sport in Sandwell, WS10 9QU. Wood Green has been part of the EAZ (Education Action Zone) and have a low number of students that continue on in science based careers. Therefore this scheme was designed to not only directly impact on the knowledge needed for their studies but also give students a chance to see cutting edge research in action. As part of the scheme, questionnaires were given to the students and teachers to determine how the experience was viewed in a class room style as well as informative methods of educational activity. The students and teachers were very enthusiastic following the day.

The findings of this have been presented to the University of Warwick, Warwick Medical School Postgraduate Education and there are present discussions for the University of Warwick to undertake a summer camp for A-level students. This scheme would bring top achievers in science classes from principally State maintained schools to partake in cutting edge research for two weeks. The findings from this research would be published within the current issue of N-Lighten a journal specifically designed for A-level students to publish their work.

The first summer camp is due to take place in July 2007 and will hopefully widen the current approaches to attract A-level students into science careers in the future. I would finally like to thank and acknowledge the importance of the Biochemical Society and its ability to fund such programmes which has had a positive experience for all concerned.

As part of the Institutes celebrations, a series of open days were held in September 2003 to communicate how nutrition can improve health and prevent disease to a family audience. This event was extremely successful, with visitor numbers in the thousands, which included members of the general public, schools parties of different ages and invited VIPs.

An interactive and educational display entitled "Where would we be without collagen?" intended to convey the importance of collagen in the human body (in healing, ageing, heart disease and cancer) was constructed with money from the grant. The exhibit will also be used in a range of other exhibitions, such as the Edinburgh Science Festival, Aberdeen's Techfest (annual science festival) and Stratosphere (part of British Science week at Aberdeen Maritime Museum). Additionally, it is also intended to be used in schools to increase the interest of children of all ages in science.

This two day science programme for Cornish school and college students is due to take place this Summer. Students will get the opportunity to enter a giant inflatable human cell whilst learning about cell processes and DNA. A performance to illustrate the Epstein Barr virus story is planned alongside workshops on bioethics and plant science. Teachers also stand to benefit from talks on new A-Level biology courses and future science opportunities in Cornwall.

This mini-symposium on molecular and therapeutic aspects of Parkinson's Disease was held to provide a research-level review of the current status of investigations into the causes and prospective treatments of the disease. Final-year neuroscience undergraduates and postgraduate students of King's College London attended this symposium as well as delegates from the research community nationwide.

The programme of talks included topics such as:

• A novel transgenic mouse model of Parkinson's Disease
• Pharmacotherapeutic approaches to the treatment of Parkinson's disease
• Stem cells and Parkinson's disease

This series of workshops is planned to give Girl Guides the opportunity to work with DNA and discuss the ethics of genetic testing. The grant will be used to buy kits that simulate a genetic screen for approximately 50-60 Guides.

The Guides will also be given the opportunity to discuss what they understand by the terms "human genetic disease" and "gene cloning" at the start and the end of the workshop, to see if the workshop has increased their understanding of these concepts.

The post-war years were a very lively and productive time for biochemists in Cambridge where Nobel Prize-winners Fred Sanger, Rodney Porter and Peter Mitchell conducted much of their innovative work. A number of the members of the Cambridge Biochemistry Department of the 1940's and 1950's are still with us, and have interesting stories to tell of this time.

Earlier this year, biochemists both retired and presently active from Cambridge, elsewhere in the UK and the USA met up for a one day discussion about this fascinating time in the field of biochemistry. Grant money was used for travel bursaries to allow younger biochemists to attend the event and make them aware of the origins and development of their discipline. We look forward to an article resulting from this event being published in a future edition of The Biochemist.

Friday 6 June saw the formal unveiling of the Science Time Capsule that was subsequently buried on the site of the new Centre for Molecular Bioscience (CMB) Building in Ulster. Presentations were given by the Directors and Shauna Lowry (of Animal Hospital fame) to the winners of the Schools Competition for their suggestions of items that should be stored in the capsule. A lecture on the contribution science has made to our lives and "hands on" science experiments were also part of the day.

This forum brought together molecular cell biologists working in the specific areas of membrane trafficking and molecular motors from the Sheffield, Leeds and Manchester areas. Postdocs and graduate students gained valuable experience in communicating their research.

This exhibition centred on the theme "DNA and ME" and was open to different age categories across Mid-Wales. Participants were encouraged to highlight the advances in DNA technology made since the advent of determining its structure using any medium. Winning entries were displayed at the University of Aberystwyth and the presentation evening was well attended.

Translation 2003 was a two-day workshop-style meeting held at the University of Surrey. It was part of an annual series of such meetings that provided a forum for researchers in the UK and other parts of Europe who work on the mechanism and regulation of protein synthesis to exchange information on their latest data.

This one-day conference was set up for PhD and junior Postdocs to chair, and deliver poster and oral presentations to peers on all aspects of Neuroscience and it was open to all young Neuroscientists based in the North East Universities.

A full-day Master-class for local 5th and 6th formers was held at the University of Glamorgan. Talks, lab visits, demonstrations and a debate on the pros and cons of genetic engineering made for an inspirational day for teachers and students alike.

Two guest lecturers (from Queen's University Belfast and Birmingham eye hospital) presented their research and diagnostics last April at the University of Ulster, Coleraine. Both undergraduate and postgraduate students attended and the seminar session was video recorded and digitised and put on the web. The resulting virtual school immunology module will now be used to benefit distance learners worldwide.

An international research meeting for those interested in chemicals toxic to the nervous system was held at the University of Nottingham with around 300 delegates from UK and overseas. The Biochemical Society grant provided several bursaries that enabled students to attend this event.

This one day symposium on Apicomplexa served as a non formal platform for exchanges of expertise and ideas. The opportunities for networking helped to stimulate new interactions between scientists working on the cell biology and biochemistry of the apicomplexan parasites.

The CHaOS team provided fun hands-on science for children and the public with their extensive repertoire of experiments and enthusiastic student demonstrators. The 2003 tour exceeded all expectations, attracting around 1500 visitors over two weeks in the Summer with venues in the North-West, Midlands and South-West of England.

You can see the CHaOS team in action at the "Bioscience Kids" event at the Glasgow Science Centre as part of the Bioscience 2004 annual meeting in July (see www.bioscience2004.org/bioscience_kids).