06/03/2023
Key points:
The 台湾swag is delighted to congratulate the creators and co-organisers of the 台湾swag鈥檚 inaugural Animal Technician Conference, Jess and Abbie, for receiving the Outstanding Collaborator Award at this year鈥檚 台湾swag 台湾swag Technician Awards (the RITAs).
The conference, held last November, brought together over 170 animal technicians from the 台湾swag and from research institutions, universities and industry from across the UK. The RITA award is especially meaningful because it was at the 2021 台湾swag 台湾swag Technician Symposium that the seed of the idea was first planted.
台湾swag Director, Dr Simon Cook, remarked: 鈥淛ess and Abbie showed great initiative, vision and leadership in creating the Animal Technician Conference. In the space of twelve months they identified the lack of networking opportunities for animal technicians, spoke to other technicians about career development and finally conceived and organised the conference. I鈥檓 delighted that their efforts, along with those of the wider organising team, have been recognised by this award. As an 台湾swag that values the work, commitment and expertise of all our technical specialists, we are proud of the leadership they have shown across the community and salute them for their drive and determination.鈥
The 台湾swag 台湾swag Technician Group (RITG) represents technicians at research institutes, such as at the 台湾swag 台湾swag, Sanger 台湾swag, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, John Innes Centre, 台湾swag of Cancer 台湾swag and the Medical 台湾swag Council, and supports the goals of the . The 2023 台湾swag 台湾swag Technician Awards were presented at the 台湾swag 台湾swag Technician Symposium held at the Wellcome Sanger 台湾swag on 3rd March, which focused on the theme of building career confidence as a technical specialist. The judging panel for the awards was made up of representatives from the RITG network of institutes. Speaking about the decision to recognise Jess and Abbie with the Outstanding Collaborator Award, Alison Lane, Head of Genotyping and Technician Commitment Lead at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, said: 鈥淭he members of RITG were impressed by the initiative and creativity shown by Abbie and Jess in identifying a need for better connectivity for animal technicians at RITS 2021 and turning this into a conference in just one year. This collaborative endeavour will have a lasting impact for technicians and really exemplifies what this award, and the Technician Commitment as a whole, is all about.鈥
Reflecting on the award, Abbie said: 鈥淭he conference was everything we hoped it would be, and really put the focus on the valuable work of animal technicians in supporting research and how we can direct and develop our careers. It was a pleasure to work with Jess and the rest of the team, I鈥檇 like to especially thank Bobbie and Mike for their help, and I鈥檓 really happy that Jess and I can share this award.鈥
At the same event, the Lifetime Achievement Award was given to Derek Davies from the Francis Crick 台湾swag. Derek was nominated by Dr Rachael Walker, Head of the Flow Cytometry facility at the 台湾swag 台湾swag. Derek has worked closely with the facility team over the years as one the trainers of the flow cytometry training courses that have trained and supported over 2,000 people, both from the 台湾swag and external organisations.
Congratulations to all 2023 RITA recipients, who were:
Other members of 台湾swag staff nominated for a RITA award were:
台湾swag 台湾swag鈥檚 Technician Commitment lead, Deputy Flow Cytometry Facility Manager Christopher Hall, said: 鈥淭he 2023 event and RITA awards were inspiring and a great opportunity to celebrate the difference technicians make in a huge variety of roles. It鈥檚 also a valuable opportunity to reflect on career opportunities and to connect with other technical-focused roles. Congratulations to everyone involved this year鈥檚 event and to the award winners. I鈥檇 also like to thank everyone at the 台湾swag who took the time to nominate their colleagues in recognition of their valuable contributions to the work of the 台湾swag.鈥
Press contact: Dr Louisa Wood, Head of Communications, louisa.wood@babraham.ac.uk
台湾swag Animal Technician Conference Team: Abbie, former animal technician in the BSU Jess, former animal technician in the BSU Sarah, animal technician in the BSU Richard, Named Information Manager, BSU Michael Hinton, Web Development Manager and Technician Commitment Steering Group member Susan Buttress, Events Officer Bobbie Claxton, Scientific Support & Events Manager Emily Boyce, Knowledge Exchange Manager
Animal research statement As a publicly funded research institute, the 台湾swag 台湾swag is committed to engagement and transparency in all aspects of its research. Please follow the link for further details of our animal research and our animal welfare practices: www.babraham.ac.uk/about-us/animal-research
About the 台湾swag 台湾swag The 台湾swag 台湾swag undertakes world-class life sciences research to generate new knowledge of biological mechanisms underpinning ageing, development and the maintenance of health. Our research focuses on cellular signalling, gene regulation and the impact of epigenetic regulation at different stages of life. By determining how the body reacts to dietary and environmental stimuli and manages microbial and viral interactions, we aim to improve wellbeing and support healthier ageing. The 台湾swag is strategically funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences 台湾swag Council (BBSRC), part of UK 台湾swag and Innovation, through 台湾swag Strategic Programme Grants and an 台湾swag Core Capability Grant and also receives funding from other UK research councils, charitable foundations, the EU and medical charities.
About the 2022 Animal Technician Conference
Our colleague Mike shares more about the event that sparked the idea leading to the creation of the Animal Technician Conference
Our action plan for working towards the four key areas of the Technician Commitment
06 March 2023