July 2011
A F F I L I AT E S L E T T E R The official newsletter for FEMS Affiliates
New FEMS Focus now available
FEMS 2011, well-attended More than 2000 microbiologists turn-out amongst all FEMS around the world discussed congresses. microbes in the recently concluded FEMS 2011. The 4th FEMS Congress Year Turn-out Congress for Microbiologists was 2003 1,254 held at the Geneva Palexpo in Geneva, Switzerland. 2006 1,355 2009 1,746 Numbers, numbers, 2011 2,370
numbers
There were exactly 2370 participants at the congress, according to congress organizer Kenes International. They represent 87 countries. Switzerland led the countries with the most number of participants.
Also in this issue
Top Countries
Participants
Prof. Miroslav Radman receives 5th FEMS-Lwoff Award
Switzerland France Germany
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A list of FEMS 2011 Awardees FEMS 2011 in pictures News from the FEMS Publications DEADLINES FEMS-Sponsored Meetings (partial list) Microbiology tidbits FEMS is social!
Ten special Events, around 50 Symposia/Workshops and close to 2000 posters attracted congress participants.
Next FEMS Congress FEMS congresses offer professionals the latest information on microbiology, an in-depth understanding of the interdependence between key fields, and a chance to discuss solutions to future challenges. The location of the next FEMS Congress has yet to be chosen. However, FEMS President Dr Bernhard Schink assured microbiologists at the end of the FEMS 2011 congress that there will certainly be one in the summer of 2013.
To make sure you’ll be one of the The congress covered all aspects first to be informed about this, of microbiology from genetics, Follow us on Twitter or Like us biotechnology, environmental on Facebook. microbiology, pathogenicity, systems biology to biochemistry. The 4th FEMS Congress started on 26 June and lasted five days. It boasts of having the biggest
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Prof. Radman receives FEMS-Lwoff Award Prof. Miroslav Radman of Croatia received the 5th FEMS-Lwoff award during the 4th FEMS Congress in Geneva, Switzerland. He was chosen for this distinction based on his research on the DNA repair mechanism in Deinococcus radiodurans.
Mainly for the courage “Why would I give myself a Lwoff award?” was his opening statement during his Prize Lecture, titled “Molecular biology of survival and the robustness of bacterial cells and populations”, before he was handed the award and medal. To which he added: “Mainly for the courage”. Prof. Radman was honoured for his outstanding achievement in microbiology, mainly, “his contributions to our understanding of the SOS response in bacteria and of the strand-directed mismatch repair in Escherichia coli.” FEMS President Dr Bernhard Schink handed the award to Prof. Radman. The certificate further read: “His discoveries are widely cited in leading journals and modern textbooks. With this award, FEMS recognises Miroslav Radman as a top-rank scientist who has also acted as an ambassador for the unification of Life Sciences in Europe.”
Most remarkable microbe Prof. Radman is known not only in the field of the molecular mechanisms of DNA damage repair and their role in carcinogenesis and evolution but also for bringing to light the unique self-repair ability of the bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans which he called the “most remarkable microbe”. He urged scientists present at the awarding ceremony to continue to believe in their research and pursue their dreams. Prof. Radman is the initiator and co-founder of the European Institute of Technology in Paris, France and of the Mediterranean Institute for Life Sciences in Split, Croatia.
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FEMS President Dr Bernhard Schink hands the FEMS-Lwoff Award to Prof. Miroslav Radman
List of other FEMS 2011 Awardees Best Papers Eveline Peeters, Belgium Jana Beranova, Czech Republic Maria Blanca Sanchez, Spain Martin Pilhofer, USA Nabil Wilf, United Kingdom Zhilin Lil, Finland
Best Posters Luis Camacho, Singapore Kay Marin, Germany Wasana Sukhumsirichart, Thailand Francesco Imperi, Italy Daniela Kiekebusch, Germany Rikke Meyer, Denmark Niculina Musat, Germany Georgina Dowd, Ireland Francesco Renzi, Switzerland
ASM Award Daniela Kiekebusch, Germany
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FEMS 2011 in Pictures More than 2000 microbiologists around the world gathering in five days is not something that we see everday so we took the opportunity to take some pictures of this important event. If you were at FEMS 2011, here’s your chance to relive the 4th FEMS Congress. If not, we hope these pictures will help you be a part of it.
At the registration desk
Opening Ceremony led by FEMS President Dr Bernhard Schink
Welcome Reception
The FEMS Booth We are currently awaiting more pictures. They or the link in which you can view them will be made available to you in the month to come. Enjoy the pictures and if you made pictures during the FEMS 2011, send us some!
Playing “Happy Microbes”!
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Impact Factors Up for FEMS Journals As a result of your contributions to the FEMS Journals, we are pleased to announce the impact factors for 2010 and highlight three journals: • FEMS Yeast Research which climbed from 1.785 to 2.279; • FEMS Immunology & Medical Microbiology at a journal high of 2.494 (from 2.335); and • FEMS Microbiology Reviews consolidating at 11.796 (9.783).
indication that we are on the right path. The impact factor is not a perfect measure but it is the only measure we have. My aim was to raise the impact factor and it is very rewarding. This reflects measures we have taken in tightening the scope and reviewing process. It bodes well for the future of journal”. The impact factors for 2010 is based on papers published in 2008 and 2009. This is according to the records produced by the Thomson Institute for Scientific Information. It is a tool used to measure the frequency in which an article in a science journal has been cited in a given period of time. These are the total number of citations FEMS Journals enjoyed in the year 2010, reported and summarized in 2011: • FEMS Microbiology Letters - 16,015 • FEMS Microbiology Ecology - 7,869 • FEMS Microbiology Reviews - 6,483 • FEMS Immunology & Medical Microbiology - 3,540 • FEMS Yeast Research - 2,227
FEMS Journals continue to enjoy high impact factors.
Impact factors of 2.040 and 3.456 were reported for the journals FEMS Microbiology Letters and FEMS Microbiology Ecology, respectively. Jens Nielsen, new FEMS Yeast Research Chief Editor, pays tribute to his predecessor Teun Boekhout and thanks his Editors for their work. “This is very good news. I will continue to work on getting the impact factor up as I am confident we can get there with the help of my Editors”, he said. Patrik Bavoil, FEMS Immunology & Medical Microbiology Chief Editor, also thanks his editorial team and comments, “This is very pleasing, an
As a result, FEMS Journals are currently enjoying the following rankings in a list of 107 science journals in the microbiology category: • #6 of 107 - FEMS Microbiology Reviews • #27 of 107 - FEMS Microbiology Ecology • #46 of 107 - FEMS Immunology & Medical Microbiology • #58 of 107 - FEMS Yeast Research • #62 of 107 - FEMS Microbiology Letters We welcome your contributions to all the journals. Please join us in making an impact!
The combined subscription to all FEMS Journals costs only €185. SUBSCRIBE NOW.
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DEADLINES
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FEMS-Sponsored Meetings August-September 2011
1 September 2011 1 April 2012 FEMS Meeting Attendance Grants
10th Lactic Acid Bacteria Symposium 28 August, The Netherlands 4th International Conference on Polar and Alpine Microbiology 4 September, Slovenia
1 October 2011 FEMS Advanced Fellowships 15 December 2011 1 June 2012 FEMS National & Regional Congresses Grants
XVIII Lancefield International Symposium 4 September, Italy Non-Conventional Yeasts in the Post-genomic Era 11 September, Ukraine
1 December 2011 15 June 2012 FEMS Research Fellowships FEMS Visiting Scientist Grants
8th International Symposium of Subsurface Microbiology 11 September, Germany
1 March 2012 FEMS Meeting Grants
International Biodeterioration and Biodegradation Symposium 19 September, Austria
(for meetings to be held in 2013)
Microbiology Tidbits... Newly Developed Fluorescent Protein Makes Internal Organs Visible Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have developed the first fluorescent protein that enables scientists to clearly “see� the internal organs of living animals without the need for a scalpel or imaging techniques that can have side effects or increase radiation exposure... source: Albert Einstein College of Medicine
The FEMS Affiliates Letter is a production of FEMS Central Office
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