https://doi.org/10.36866/pn.91.12

The Society’s departing Affiliate Member Representatives reflect on the last two years as a rewarding and educational experience in which they gained great insight into the inner workings of The Society and enjoyed making valuable contributions.

Jamie McPhee
Manchester Metropolitan University, UK

It has been a privilege over the past two years to sit on Council of The Physiological Society as an Affiliate Member Representative. In attending my first meeting it was apparent that members of Council work hard to maintain the quality and impact of scientific meetings, research, teaching, public engagement and policy.

As one of the Affiliate Representatives, I was invited to sit on the Meetings Committee. The purpose of the Meetings Committee is to develop and oversee the strategic planning and funding of Society and non-Society scientific meetings and workshops at home and abroad, and to recognise and promote excellence in physiology through scientific meetings. When I joined the Meetings Committee the major conference on the Horizon was IUPS and I am pleased to say I have played a small part in preparing for this meeting as well as being involved in some other developments in the meetings calendar. I was also invited to join the Editorial Board for Physiology News, one of The Society’s publications. I played a small role in the re-branding of Physiology News, preserving popular features from the older format and introducing newer features. The new format is accompanied by online content that includes a searchable archive of back issues.

Overall, my time as Affiliate Representative has been very rewarding. I got to know a number of high-profile physiologists and received an education in the charitable objectives and organization of The Society and Council duties.

Keith Siew
University of Cambridge, UK

While writing this piece, it dawned on me that it had been exactly two years to the day since I received the call for Affiliate Rep nominations myself. It was April 2011, and I had only recently learnt of my award to undertake a BHF funded PhD at Cambridge University with Kevin O’Shaughnessy, whom I had fortuitously met at Physiology 2010. I can still distinctly recall my strong desire to give back to The Society, to find some way to express my gratitude for the life changing opportunity it had afforded me, and thus I threw my name in the hat and much to my surprise was successfully elected!

At first, being the most junior member of Council was an intimidating ordeal. I had barely stepped foot on the career ladder and found myself surrounded by a diverse group of successful senior scientists. However, my apprehension soon melted away as in no time I was made to feel exceptionally welcome, my opinion was often sought and my enthusiasm and eagerness to participate regularly encouraged. At Council level the role of Affiliate Reps is mainly observational in nature, although we may raise questions, place items on the agenda and contribute towards discussions, but as non-trustee members we cannot vote. It is on committees that Reps can make their biggest contribution. With a little coaxing from the inspirational Louise Robson, I took a seat on the Education and Outreach committee she chaired, and later was invited by the CEO, Philip Wright, to represent the interests of both Irish and younger society Members on the newly formed Membership and Grants committee.

Through the committees I served on I was involved with several initiatives, I aimed to give Affiliates free access to The Society’s journals and reduce the restrictions on travel for first year members, while also pushing to retain the Young Physiologists’ Bursary Scheme (now called the Early Career Bursary Scheme), which I felt an important gateway for young people into The Society. Other projects included introducing local Affiliate Reps at university level and trainee members onto all Council committees, while also reviewing vacation studentships, Otto Hutter prize nominees and proposals for outreach/public engagement events. I’m delighted that some of these initiatives have been successful, although others are still an
on-going discussion, but nonetheless it has been exciting to be actively involved with inner workings of The Society.

The experience I’ve gained has been invaluable and the memories unforgettable. As I reach the end of my term I leave with a greater reverence for the staff and Members who are both passionate and hardworking in their efforts to better The Society and the discipline of physiology as a whole. I wish only that future Affiliate Reps enjoy their time as much as I, and may their endeavours be fruitful.