Henry Lovett
Policy & Public Affairs Officer, The Physiological Society

https://doi.org/10.36866/pn.103.16

Young researchers can find it hard to make an impact and get their work noticed, especially outside of their specialist field. One excellent opportunity to address this is provided by SET for Britain (SET being Science, Engineering and Technology), an annual event hosted by the Parliamentary and Scientific Committee. This allows early-career researchers to present their work on a poster to a diverse crowd in Parliament. Their research is brought to the attention of MPs, learned societies and fellow researchers in a variety of fields. Prizes are awarded for the three best posters in the categories of mathematics, physics, chemistry, engineering, and biomedical science, with a further overall prize for the category winner who gives the clearest and most effective presentation of their research.

The Physiological Society has been proud to sponsor this event for a number of years, and will continue to do so. This year’s SET for Britain was held on 7 March in the Attlee Suite of London’s Portcullis House. Three Members of The Society were on the judging panel for the evening’s Biological and Biomedical Sciences session: Dr Sarah Hall of Cardiff University, Dr Rachel Tribe of King’s College London, and Prof Susan Wray of the University of Liverpool. Our President, Professor Richard Vaughan-Jones, presented the awards and gave an excellent speech on the significance of this event and others like it in communicating to policymakers the importance and vibrancy of current research in the UK. Many prominent political figures attended SET for Britain, including the Science Minister Jo Johnson MP, and the Leader of the Opposition Jeremy Corbyn MP. Other MPs were happy to drop by and express interest in the research being presented, especially if it was being carried out in their constituency.

The Biological and Biomedical Sciences sessions was won by Dr Maeliosa McCrudden of Queen’s University Belfast, for her poster about microneedle devices, novel alternatives to regular hypodermic needles for injections. Two Physiological Society members were amongst the participants: Dr Carrie Duckworth of the University of Liverpool, and Martina Elias of Newcastle University. Dr Duckworth said of the event that ‘the opportunity to present my research in this very relaxed forum was an exciting and valuable experience.’ She added that ‘I had the opportunity to speak to several politicians at the event including the chairman of the SET for Britain organising group and Parliamentary and Scientific Committee, Stephen Metcalfe MP, who appeared to be very enthusiastic and engaged by my work. The Southport MP, Mr John Pugh, also paid me and my poster a visit, and he asked several interesting questions with regards to the broader applications of my research. I was able to discuss with him some of the intricacies of gastrointestinal function whilst we ate sandwiches!’

Professor Richard Vaughan-Jones praised the event, saying ‘the UK has an excellent biomedical research base for which physiology provides fundamental understanding and direction. SET for Britain provides a unique opportunity for parliamentarians to engage with the scientific research that government funds and recognise the skills of our scientists training and working in the UK. The Physiological Society is extremely pleased to continue its longstanding support for this event.’ He presented awards to the winners of the Biological and Biomedical Sciences session alongside Dr Stephen Benn, Director of Parliamentary Affairs at the Royal Society of Biology, who as Vice-Chair of the Parliamentary and Scientific Committee had been instrumental in arranging and promoting the event.

Preparations are already beginning for SET for Britain 2017, and we hope that The Physiological Society will be well-represented among the participants. Keep your eye on our Society Newsletter for future details on how to apply.