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Institute of Animal Technology Bulletin G G G Congress 2018 Report AGM CLAST G G G Dispatches AS ET Diary Dates CONGRESS 2018 SPECIAL ISSUE Vol 54 No 6 June 2018

Bulletin Vol 54 No 6 June 2018 EDITOR Carole Wilson bulletineditor iat org uk ASSISTANT EDITOR Karen Dunford bulletinassistant iat org uk CONTENTS Dear Readers 5 ADVERTISEMENT MANAGERS PRC Associates Ltd mail prcassoc co uk 32nd AGM Congress Report 21 65 Published monthly by the Institute of Animal Technology Registered Office 5 South Parade Summertown Oxford OX2 7JL Congress 2018 Feedback Report 67 70 Trade Passport Competition 71 73 Congress by a First Time Presenter 74 75 AS ET 76 77 CLAST 78 79 Branch News 81 83 ISSN 0263 2861 For enquiries other than Bulletin related contact IAT ADMINISTRATOR admin iat org uk or 0800 085 4380 Final copy date for August Bulletin 1st July The opinions expressed in the Bulletin do not necessarily reflect those of the Editor or the Institute 7 19 Dispatches 85 Diary Dates 87

Bulletin June 2018 De ar Re aders Welcome to summer and the Congress issue of the Bulletin As I was telling you last month I thought this was one of the strongest I have ever attended and in this edition we present the evidence If you read the feedback survey on pages 67 70 it also seems to support everyone having a good time I m glad to see that Ken s quiz will make a return at Congress 19 as that was also one of my suggestions We began on Tuesday evening with the very well attended annual general meeting see pages 7 19 We welcomed both Penny Hawkins from the RSPCA and Jan Bas Prins from Leiden University as two new vice presidents I was also thrilled that Mark Gardiner Norman Mortell Wendy Steel and the Bulletin s last editor Sarah Lane received honorary membership We also welcomed four new elected Council members Alan Palmer Nathan Hill Sylvie Mehigan and John Waters Elsewhere Gavin Skeels gives his impressions of being a first time presenter and delegate at Congress see pages 74 75 Well done to all the first time presenters If you didn t make it to Congress this year then perhaps next year If you are not sure whether your employer would be prepared to pay for you why not consider entering the AS ET Congress bursary competition See page 76 for details Until next month Happy R eadi ng Carole 5

Bulletin June 2018 7 ABRIDGED MINUTES OF THE 32ND ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF THE INSTITUTE OF ANIMAL TECHNOLOGY 18 00 hours on Tuesday 20th March 2018 held at the Harrogate Convention Centre Harrogate The AGM was chaired by the IAT President Robin Lovell Badge FRS and was attended by 105 members Robin Lovell Badge welcomed everyone to the IAT AGM 1 Apologies Apologies were received from Clive Page Paul Sanders Vicky Robinson Wendy Jarrett Norman Mortell and Jan Bas Prins 2 Minutes of the 31st Annual General Meeting of the Institute of Animal Technology held on 21st March 2017 at the Celtic Manor Resort Newport Gwent The minutes were accepted as a true and accurate record of the meeting Proposed Steven Cubitt Seconded Wendy Steel Carried unanimously 3 Matters arising from the minutes There were no matters arising 4 Correspondence There was no correspondence to be covered under this item 5 Annual Report The full IAT Annual Report had been published on the IAT website prior to Congress 2018 and all members notified via email No paper copies were available as a decision had been made to go paperless Hon Secretary Linda Horan LH spoke to the Annual Report firstly congratulating the IAT President Robin Lovell Badge who has been honoured with a CBE and Vice President Clive Page who received an OBE LH then went on to thank IAT Council for all their hard work during the year

Bulletin June 2018 9 Council update A new role has been created within IAT Council of Diversity Officer and is currently held by Haley Daniels Thirty different courses and events were awarded IAT CPD points during 2017 Following an election Council welcomed Kally Booth as a new Council member for 2017 Membership LH reported that there were 2671 members of the IAT at the end of 2017 broken down Fellows FIAT 107 Members MIAT 467 Associate 172 Affiliate 1233 Others 66 Education members 626 Introduction to Laboratory Animal Science Technology and Welfare ILASTW The ILASTW has been updated and a 3rd Edition published Copies are available via the IAT website Education Congratulations go to all the students who graduated in 2017 A graduation ceremony was held in September for all HE students who completed the Level 4 5 and 6 qualifications during the previous three years The IAT continues to be recognised by Ofqual as an Awarding Organisation awarding seven qualifications

10 June 2018 Bulletin The Level 3 Trailblazer apprenticeship standards for animal technology went live in summer 2017 The IAT successfully applied to act as an End Point Assessment EPA for apprenticeship standards and is now listed on the Government website There are further on going negotiations with Ofqual and other education agencies about becoming our External Verifier for trailblazer apprenticeship standards A consultant Educational Business Development Executive role is being created to deal with educational administration and standardisation Board of Moderators The Board of Moderators currently consists of six members plus the External Verifier There are six FE Course Providers South African Animal Technician training has progressed during 2017 with SAALAS UNISA and SA Veterinary Council proposing that the IAT Level 2 and 3 qualifications will form the theory component of their Registered Laboratory Animal Technologists

Bulletin June 2018 11 Higher Education Qualifications The IAT Higher education HE programme provides internationally recognised qualifications The College of Laboratory Animal Science and Technology CLAST was set up in 2016 CLAST is a non profit charitable incorporated organisation whose role is to provide Higher Education to the students as well as offering single units as CPD training for those who require CPD training The IAT will continue to act solely as the Awarding Organisation for our HE and FE qualifications The IAT acknowledges the generous support it has received from our Industry in terms of using specialist facilities to support the HE education of students and we would like to thank all the organisations who have allowed us to use their facilities Envigo St George s Hospital Tecniplast UK University of Cambridge and Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute IAT Registration and Accreditation Board The Board wished to thank Sarah Lane for all her efforts whilst on the Board The Board interviewed and approved 4 applicants for RAnTech status during 2017 Whilst this was a disappointing number already in 2018 seven candidates have been successful at interview The Board issued 135 NACWO certificates during 2017 1756 NACWO certificates have been issued to date The AAALAC International Fellowship is open to RAnTechs and is intended to promote and reward the efforts of technicians who have demonstrate a commitment to a career in laboratory animal science The 2017 UK recipient was Alan Palmer and the US recipient is Michelle Wallace Fields who attended Congress 2018 Animal Technology and Welfare ATW Three issues were published in 2017 with an increase in the number of articles submitted over 2016 The ATW continues to provide an opportunity for young authors to be published and there were several Tech 2 Tech contributions during 2017

12 June 2018 Bulletin The winner of the 2017 Journal Article Prize is Sarah Lawton for her article entitled Do buccal swabs from Zebrafish give enough of a sample of DNA to be used as a viable non invasive method of genotyping Bulletin Carole Wilson took over from Sarah Lane as Editor of the IAT Bulletin in 2017 Both Editors expressed their sincere thanks to PRC Associates and to the staff at Warwick Printing for their support Animal Welfare Group During 2017 the Animal Welfare Group continued to grow and increase their activity The Animal Welfare page on the IAT website has been updated www iat org uk welfare and a number of links added A number of papers were reviewed during 2017 with the reviews published in the Bulletin Kally Booth was welcomed to the group during 2017 along with two co opted members John Waters and Lois Byrom Communications Group Adrian Woodhouse took over as Chair of the Communications Group in 2017 and the Group welcomed two co opted members Sylvie Mehigan and Toby Sanders The Group reviewed and updated the Animal Technologist A Caring Career brochure which now includes the Level 3 Apprenticeship Several interviews with technicians have been recorded highlighting their roles and these are available to view on the website European Federation of Animal Technologists EFAT EFAT representatives were invited to present the IAT education qualification system to the FELASA Executive Committee in November 2017 This was followed by a short presentation about EFAT to the FELASA Board of Management These presentations lead to an invitation for EFAT to join the FELASA Expert Working Group on education especially for animal care staff Website The IAT website continues to be developed and is under constant review The website can now accept online payments for merchandise and the new ILASTW book The e newsletters are proving popular with members

Bulletin June 2018 13 and will continue to provide current news items via e mail Please sign up to receive e newsletters if you do not already receive them Sam Jameson is now providing Allan Thornhill with additional website and electronic media support Congress Congress 2017 was held at Celtic Manor and was generally agreed to be one of the most successful in recent years The IAT Congress App proved very popular and has been further developed for 2018 A meeting with Trade Representatives took place in July where it was agreed to trial Commercial Workshops for Congress 2018 Venues for Congresses 2019 and 2021 have been confirmed The IAT LASA and LAVA have agreed to hold a joint meeting in 2020 called AST2020 and plans are underway for this event This will be the first and largest meeting of its kind in the UK IAT Partners The IAT thanks its partners

Bulletin June 2018 15 Home Office Matters The IAT continues to be represented on the Home Office Laboratory Animal Liaison Group HOLALG which includes representatives from IAT LASA LAVA LABA Accreditation Bodies and ASRU The IAT thanks Will Reynolds and ASRU colleagues for their continued support and guidance The IAT wish Sue Houlton a long and happy retirement both from ASRU and as a former Vice President of the IAT Council wishes to thank the President and Vice Presidents for their continued invaluable advice help and support Members remembered Everyone present took a few moments to reflect on members who had passed away during the previous year including Eric Morgan and Chris Hall Major Council Objectives for 2018 1 Support the Animal Technology Apprenticeship with the IAT acting as an End Point Assessor Organisation 2 Appoint the Educational Business Development Executive 3 Review the IAT HE Qualifications Rules of Combination and Module Content etc 4 In conjunction with EFAT and FELASA help to support the education and training of animal care staff across Europe 5 Continue and increase opportunities and joint initiatives with other organisations Council election There were eleven candidates for nine vacancies on Council One hundred and fifty nine ballot papers were returned five of which were spoilt There were no questions on the annual report 6 Financial Report Charlie Chambers CEC reported that the annual accounts for 2017 are available on the IAT website CEC thanked everyone for their hard work throughout the year CEC then highlighted some areas of the accounts

16 June 2018 Bulletin The IAT made a small operating loss again in 2017 Council are very aware that this trend cannot continue plans will be put in place to avoid a loss for the fourth consecutive year It is not the IAT s intention to make a profit on educational activities and so the excess income created by education will be put back into education especially in the early employment period for the Educational Business Development Executive The major sources of income continue to be Congress 62 844 Subscriptions 87 124 and the Bulletin 19 212 Overall net income from activities was a little lower than in 2016 The Financial Report and the Audited Accounts were then proposed Proposed Stephen Barnett Seconded Glyn Fisher Carried unanimously 7 Appointment of the Auditor The Treasurer proposed that King Loose be re appointed as auditors for 2018 Proposed Charlie Chambers Seconded Cathy Godfrey Carried unanimously 8 Election of Officers Ken Applebee KAA Chair IAT Council took over as chair of the AGM for the appointment of the President 8 i President Council wished to propose Robin Lovell Badge FRS as President for the forthcoming year Proposed Council Seconded David Spillane Carried unanimously 8 ii Vice Presidents Council proposed two new Vice Presidents

Bulletin June 2018 17 Jan Bas Prins MSc PhD Jan Bas is Professor of Laboratory Animal Science and Director of the Central Animal Facility at the Leiden University Medical Centre LUMC An advocate of the ethical use and care and welfare of laboratory animals with a special interest in the education of all those involved Penny Hawkins BSc PhD Penny is Head of the RSPCA Research Animals Department which works to achieve more effective ethical review of laboratory animal use and further the implementation of the Three Rs Both were accepted unanimously The following were proposed en bloc as Vice Presidents David Anderson Stephen Barnett Miles Carroll Brian Cass Gerald Clough Paul Flecknell Wendy Jarrett Judy MacArthur Clark Fiona McEwen Tim Morris Jos Orellana Clive Page Vicky Robinson Gail Thompson Robert Weichbrod Proposed Council Seconded Brian Lowe Carried unanimously 8 iii Council There were eleven candidates for nine vacancies on Council so following an election nine candidates were appointed to serve a three year term Allan Thornhill 109 votes Carole Wilson 100 votes Adrian Woodhouse 93 votes Nathan Hill 90 votes John Waters 83 votes Nicola Gent 105 votes Alan Palmer 95 votes Theresa Langford 91 votes Sylvie Mehigan 85 vote Council welcomes Alan Palmer Nathan Hill Sylvie Mehigan and John Waters as new members of IAT Council

18 June 2018 Bulletin Commiserations go to the two unsuccessful candidates who were Tina O Mahony 76 votes and Mark Powell 70 votes 9 Proposals for Honorary and Life Membership Council were pleased to propose the following members for Honorary Membership Mark Gardiner Sarah Lane Norman Mortell Wendy Steel 10 Presentation of Honorary Membership Wendy Steel was presented with her Honorary Membership plaque which was awarded in March 2017 11 Any Other Business Two fellowship awards were presented to students who were unable to attend the Graduation Ceremony in September 2017 Sarah Lawton Samantha Calvert

Bulletin June 2018 19 Stephen Barnett congratulated Council on another successful year Stephen asked if Council would consider changing the packaging of the IAT publications ATW and Bulletin to a more eco friendly version instead of the plastic bags currently being used Council agreed to look into alternatives The question on packaging was picked up at the May Council meeting and will be discussed further at the next meeting in July A comment will then be published in a future issue once everything has been reviewed Action Council ATW and Bulletin Editors There being no other business Robin Lovell Badge thanked IAT Council and all involved in the IAT for a fantastic year He closed the meeting at 18 45 hours and wished everyone an enjoyable Congress A full version of the AGM minutes can be found on the IAT website at http docs wixstatic com ugd a30180_632b3f60aed34271a89f84da359bfa3e pdf

Harrogate Convention Centre 20th 23rd March 2018 C ongress 2018 took place in the Harrogate Convention Centre It was a damp cold start to the week but exhibitors soon warmed it up unloading stands and equipment and starting to set up the exhibition Set up took place over Monday and Tuesday in preparation for the Opening of Trade on Tuesday evening Delegates began arriving on Tuesday and to ensure optimum use of the time the scientific programme began with four

22 June 2018 Trade setting up Bulletin

Bulletin Trade setting up June 2018 23

24 June 2018 Trade setting up Bulletin

Bulletin June 2018 workshops held during the afternoon The workshops covered signs of illhealth in zebrafish theatre technician procedural room preparation NTCO training and competency and basics of an anaesthesia system All workshops were well attended and feedback was very positive Workshop 1 The basics of an anaesthesia system Workshop 2 Bent fish Signs of ill health in zebrafish Workshop 5 Procedural room preparation 25

26 June 2018 Bulletin Workshop 4 NTCO training Tina O Mahony looks on at delegate s work The Congress Committee were pleased to introduce further developments with the Congress App for 2018 The App is now linked to the registration system which meant that on arrival at the Congress reception delegates merely had to start to type in their name and their badge details appeared on the screen A quick check that their details were correct and a click on the print button saw the badge printed out ready for collection The App also allowed delegates to book into Workshops and arrange their personal schedule for Congress The feedback on the App was very positive and it will continue to be developed for future events The new registration system

Bulletin Delegate registration The queue getting longer June 2018 27

Bulletin June 2018 29 For those attending Congress for the first time or who perhaps don t know anyone else at Congress there was an Orientation Tour and an Ice Breaker session After a brief tour to highlight where various events would take place there were games and a chance to meet other delegates in a relaxed and informal environment The Ice Breaker session was very well attended with over 80 delegates joining in the fun games and getting to know some new faces Orientation and ice breaking

30 June 2018 And more ice breaking Bulletin

Bulletin June 2018 31 Traditional ice breaking Congress then officially started with the IAT AGM A full report of the AGM can be found on the IAT website www iat org uk and an abridged version is printed in this issue of the Bulletin The AGM is a great opportunity to find out what the Institute has been up to during the previous year and also informed of future plans It was extremely gratifying to see so many people at the AGM this year with over one hundred members in attendance We welcomed two new Vice Presidents in Jan Bas Prins and Penny Hawkins plus newly elected IAT Council members Nathan Hill Sylvie Mehigan Alan Palmer and John Waters

32 June 2018 The AGM Charlie Chambers goes through finances Bulletin

Bulletin Mark Gardiner receives Honorary membership as does Sarah Lane June 2018 33

34 June 2018 Bulletin and Wendy Steel and Cathy Godfrey gets a very well deserved handshake on her retirement

Bulletin June 2018 Robin Lovell Badge welcomes Penny Hawkins as a new Vice President The opening of the trade shows and wine reception 35

36 June 2018 Good to see lots of interest at AS ET and CLAST as well as the IAT stand Bulletin

Bulletin Fun and learning June 2018 37

Bulletin June 2018 39 That evening a buffet dinner was served in the Trade Exhibition Hall to mark the opening of the Trade Exhibition There was then a chance to look around the trade stands chatting and catching up with all the different trade companies To help those who may be a little shy when approaching exhibiting companies many of the trade exhibitors contribute to the Passport Competition when delegates collect signatures from different companies in order to have a chance to win one of two i Pads As always the Opening of Trade was a popular part of Congress and we are very grateful to all the exhibiting companies who support Congress year after year We are also indebted to those companies who provide extra support through sponsorship Our thanks go to IPS sponsorship of the delegate badges and lanyards Envigo sponsorship of the delegate mugs DBM Scotland sponsorship of the Ice Breaker session Marshall BioResources sponsorship of First Time Presenter Award LBS Biotechnology Sponsorship of the Best Poster Award ABPI part sponsorship with the IAT of the Andrew Blake Tribute Award AAALAC sponsorship of a platform session The Scientific Platform programme began on Wednesday morning with Congress being opened by Alan Graham Chair of the IAT Congress Committee After welcoming everyone to Harrogate and Congress 2018 Alan introduced Will Reynolds from ASRU who chaired the first session This was the First Time Presenters session which had been moved from its usual Thursday slot to the Alan Graham opens Congress

40 June 2018 Bulletin beginning of the programme This allows the new presenters to speak without having to wait for a day and a half a real bonus to those of a nervous disposition who found they could relax and enjoy the rest of Congress Will Reynolds from ASRU chairs the first time presenter session The audience for the first time presenter session

Bulletin June 2018 41 There were three First Time Presenters making their Congress debut Gavin Skeels The Sainsbury Wellcome Centre asked Does tube handling have an effect on the health of our animals Rhian James Sequani Ltd looked at New approaches to environmental enrichment for rats and Gavin Skeels Zoe Windsor University College London discussed Assessing the safety and suitability of four types of nesting material for singly housed mice with surgically fitted head plates The judges had a difficult task to choose a winner but agreed that Zoe Windsor was the winner Zoe s presentation was clear and precise with good scientific outcomes presented Rhian James

42 June 2018 Bulletin Zoe Windsor presenting Zoe receiving her first time presenter award from Roy Sutcliffe This was followed by about twenty Flash Trade Presentations when trade exhibitors are given one minute to update the audience on their latest products and innovations and the opportunity to encourage delegates to visit their stands in the Exhibition Hall This is a very light hearted session with the trade representatives playing tag for their one minute of the lime light and the AV technicians cutting off anyone who exceeded their allotted minute

Bulletin June 2018 43 Delegates then had a choice between workshops and the AAALAC sponsored session in the main lecture theatre The AAALAC session concentrated on a Culture of Care Quality Management systems Performance standards and Preventive maintenance of training programmes Two of the workshops were repeated from the previous day with the addition of What inspectors look for in Animal Technologists during an inspection and Nice to meet you so what do you do for a living The presenters of the AAALAC sponsored session left to right Javier Guillen Timothy Jameson Michelle Wallace Fields Mark Gardiner Penny Hawkins chairs

44 June 2018 Workshop 5 What inspectors look for in animal technologists Workshop 5 Kathy Ryder speaks Bulletin

Bulletin Workshop 6 Nice to meet you what do you do for a living Workshop 7 Preparing for RAnTech Workshop 8 Preparing to present for the first time June 2018 45

46 June 2018 Bulletin Workshop 9 Identifying evaluating and validating refinements to animal care and use Workshop 10 Biosecurity Keeping animals safe

Bulletin June 2018 47 A buffet lunch was then served in the Trade Exhibition Hall giving delegates a further chance to network and look around the stands speaking to exhibitors The afternoon session continued with more workshops and then concluded with two papers Refinement of influenza A virus disease models one health veterinary human and occupational exposure and Spider and chips the use of internal RFID chips in a minimally invasive method to measure internal body temperatures in invertebrates Sharon Brookes presenting Steven Trim presenting

48 June 2018 Fuel 3D maximising laboratory resources with BioVolume Idexx new trends in monitoring animal health Tecniplast setting standards Bulletin

Bulletin June 2018 49 New for Congress 2018 were the Commercial Workshops These took place in the Trade Exhibition Hall and ten Exhibitors took the opportunity to update delegates on products and services on offer On Wednesday evening a sit down buffet dinner was held in the Majestic Hotel followed by a disco and some live entertainment from David Bingham until the early hours Dinner Dinner

50 June 2018 Bulletin and DJ Bingham and dancing the night away

Bulletin June 2018 51 The realisation compliance matters are only a few short hours away Thursday morning paper session began with an update from the Home Office and the latest ASRU news This was followed by further paper presentations What do males really want Mouse natural history life in the laboratory and approaches to housing male mice Using large scale mouse records to identify genetically modified mouse colonies to understand mortality rates and Time s up for tick over colonies do we now need to maintain so many GA mouse lines Further workshops then took place until lunch which again was served in the Trade Exhibition Hall The latest ASRU news from Will Reynolds

52 June 2018 Penny Hawkins presents Will is joined by Kate Garrod Kate Garrod speaking at the Home Office Update Bulletin

Bulletin Chris Lelliott presents on mouse colonies and using large scale records to understand mortality Stuart Newman and Stephen Woodley June 2018 53

54 June 2018 Bulletin Throughout Congress 2018 a total of 34 posters were displayed in the Queen Suite Foyer Poster authors were in attendance at their posters at various times to answer questions and discuss their presentations and findings On Thursday afternoon Professor Sir Richard Gardner chaired the ever popular Poster Presentation session Five poster authors gave short presentations on their posters and answered questions from the audience Poster viewing and coffee

Bulletin Discussions of posters And more viewing June 2018 55

56 June 2018 Bulletin Judges spent time during Congress viewing the posters on display looking at five main criteria improvement in animal welfare innovation ease of replication of work presentation and layout Based on this criteria the judged awarded the Best Poster prize to Rhys Perry for his poster entitled A refinement to schedule 1 It was agreed that this was a topical subject concerning a commonly used technique The judges felt the work would be easily applied by many technicians and showed a good refinement The poster was well presented with a clear introduction objectives headings and conclusion Professor Gardner chairing the poster presentation session Poster presentations Craig Thrussell

Bulletin Poster presentations Alex Swan Poster presentations Joy Penson Poster presentations Adrian Zeltner June 2018 57

58 June 2018 Poster presentations Michelle Wallace Fields Elaine Kirkum presenting Rhys Perry with his prize Bulletin

Bulletin June 2018 59 The judges also highly commended two other posters for their topical content good demonstration of the 3Rs and clear presentation style using robust scientific content Three little pigs Straw sticks and bricks I ll blow your house down by Lindsey Duckett and Zebrafish comparison of diet regimes by Paul Barwood Overall the judges were delighted by the quality of all the posters displayed which covered a diverse list of subjects they were generally very well presented and demonstrated a wealth of experience and information Lindsay Duckett highly commended poster Paul Barwood highly commended poster

Bulletin June 2018 61 The Andrew Blake Tribute Award winning paper was presented by Melanie Galvin for her paper Refinement of tumour passage by optimisation of the tissue disaggregation protocol and she received an engraved glass plaque and a cheque for 250 along with free attendance at Congress 2018 The IAT cosponsored the Award with the ABPI and the IAT are very grateful to the ABPI for their continuing support of this award Melanie receiving her award from Steve Owen The Scientific Programme culminated in the Kevin Dolan Memorial Lecture which was given by Katie Slocombe from the University of York Katie has spent many years working with primates and her presentation Evolution of language what do chimpanzees have to say concentrated on studies carried out relating to food associated calls of chimpanzees and bonobos Katie brought her subject to life reproducing the sounds made by chimpanzees and enthusing the audience with her insights and findings Katie is still working on further developments in her studies and we can t wait for a further update in a few years time

62 June 2018 Katie Slocombe presents the Kevin Dolan Memorial Lecture Bulletin

Bulletin June 2018 63 Ken Applebee CEO and the Chair of IAT Council closed Congress introducing some further award winners Sarah Lawton was presented with a plaque and a cheque for 200 for the Journal Article Prize 2017 for her paper entitled Do Buccal swabs from zebrafish give enough of a sample of DNA to be used as a viable non invasive method of genotyping The Best Poster Award and First Time Presenter Award were also made Michelle Wallace Fields was also introduced as the AAALAC USA Fellowship Award 2018 winner Michelle had spent the week prior to Congress visiting various establishments in the UK and meeting with a host of animal technologists and colleagues The AAALAC Fellowship award recognises two outstanding individuals each year one IAT Registered RAnTech and one AALAS Registered RALAT RLAT RLATG CMAR who have made or have the potential to make significant contributions to the field of laboratory animal care and use Details of how to apply can be found on the IAT and AAALAC websites and entry is open to all current RAnTechs The UK winner for 2017 was Alan Palmer who spent a week visiting a prestigious biomedical research facility in the USA followed by complimentary attendance at the National AALAS meeting Robin Lovell Badge and Ken Applebee closing Congress

64 June 2018 Bulletin Robin Lovell Badge presenting Sarah Lawton with the Journal prize Michelle Wallace Fields the AAALAC USA Fellowship winner

Bulletin June 2018 65 Waldemar Woznica winning the Janet Wood Innovation Award Once the hard work of Congress is over it s time to relax and enjoy the Gala Dinner held in the Old Swan Hotel Prior to dinner delegates were able to have pre dinner drinks in various bars around the venue plus there was also an AS ET Reception for supporters and sponsors A full report of the AS ET Reception will appear in a future issue of the Bulletin Dinner was served in the Conservatory amidst a very jovial atmosphere The Kickstarts then entertained everyone with their live music and DJ skills For those who preferred a quieter evening or a catch up with fellow delegates various options were available Feedback from Congress 2018 has been very positive with Harrogate proving a popular venue A feedback survey was conducted and the results will be studied with recommendations taken on board A report on the feedback survey can also be found in this issue of the Bulletin To conclude Congress 2018 was a very enjoyable and informative event attracting 472 delegates and 49 exhibiting companies A big thank you goes to all the exhibiting companies for their continuing support and also to the delegates for attending Without you there would be no Congress We look forward to welcoming you all to Congress 2019 which will be held from 9th 12th April 2019

Bulletin June 2018 67 Congress 2018 Feedback Survey Report Following Congress 2018 a survey invitation was sent out to all delegates and there was a good number of responses Q1 How would you rate the following aspects of Congress Location Parking Food and Refreshments Social Events Value for Money Programme Scientific Papers Accommodation Overall Satisfaction with Congress Reactions to Congress were generally very good with over 50 of respondents rating the venue location as excellent and all other aspects generally rated as good or excellent Q2 Q3 Did you use the new IAT Congress App If yes how easy did you find it to use The new Congress App was used by 64 of respondents with the majority finding it easy or very easy to use Q4 Did you attend a Workshop If not please tell us why not 64 of respondents attended Workshops Of those who didn t many were trade delegates and so busy working on their stands The remaining delegates who didn t attend a workshop reported that they often had conflicting meetings arranged or the topics did not suit interest them A couple of people found that the workshop they wished to attend was fully booked Q5 If you attended a Workshop how easy did you find it to book online Over 85 of respondents found it easy or very easy to book Workshops online This was a new addition for Congress 2018 and was designed to streamline the Workshop booking process It allowed delegates to prebook Workshops and put them in their App calendar so they would not forget which Workshops were booked and when they were due to take place It was generally felt to be an improvement on previous years and will continue for Congress 2019 Q6 Do you have any ideas for Workshops in the future There were lots of ideas suggested on a broad range of subjects from Dissection workshops to animal husbandry soft skills and overview of IAT qualifications for employers and prospective students All the suggestions will be considered and developed further where possible

68 June 2018 Bulletin There was also a comment relating to the Commercial Workshops These were a new trial for Congress 2018 and it was felt that in general they were well received However the location of the commercial workshops will be reviewed for future years as well as any subject clashes with the main scientific programme Q7 Were you made to feel welcome at Congress Over 98 of respondents felt welcome at Congress Q8 How easy did you find the online registration process for Congress 2018 Over 80 of respondents found it easy or very easy to register online 17 5 found it neither easy nor difficult Online registration was new for 2018 and was designed to make registration more straightforward There were a few issues surrounding delegates being booked by colleagues who then used their own email address resulting in the delegate not receiving their information directly These issues will be addressed for Congress 2019 Q9 Did you visit the Trade Exhibition during your time at Congress 100 of respondents visited the Trade Exhibition during their time at Congress 2018 Q10 Do you feel the variety of topics covered in the Scientific Programme is sufficient 94 of respondents agreed that the variety of topics covered is sufficient Q11 Please list in order of importance the following aspects of Congress Workshops proved most popular at Congress 2018 followed by the Platform Presentations and the Trade Exhibition Poster Presentations were the next most highly ranked and then a mix of all these aspects and finally the Social Events Q12 Are there any specific topics which would interest you for a future Congress Whilst the Congress Committee are always very happy to receive suggestions on future topics it is not always possible to find presenters who can deliver papers or workshops on these topics However all suggestions will be considered and where possible followed up If anyone can suggest presenters for specific topics the Scientific Programme Secretary is always happy to hear of them

Bulletin June 2018 69 Some of the suggestions were More animal behaviour subjects More large animal husbandry Colony management of more unusual species Staff training Surgery or refinements Primates Welfare on a wider range of species Severity rating workshop Technical procedures NACWO empowerment and support Q13 Would you like to suggest a social event for a future Congress At Congress 2018 we had a year off from Ken s Quiz so that the Quiz Master could have a break to recharge his batteries and come up with even more obscure questions next year By popular demand the Quiz Night will return for 2019 The main suggestions were for a quiz or team working event on the Wednesday evening something to encourage interaction of delegates A Board Game night or treasure hunt were suggested as was a ceilidh or karaoke A lot depends on the venue and available space but the Congress Committee will consider entertainment options for future events Q14 Would you recommend Congress to others Over 99 of respondents would recommend Congress to others Q15 Do you have any comments on Congress or any suggestions on how we can improve Congress in the future There were lots of comments relating to the food in the Convention Centre With feedback in 2016 stating that there was too much choice of hot food at lunchtimes it was decided to go for a smaller lunch option The Gala Dinner menu was also criticised and this will be looked at if Congress returns to Harrogate in the future Of course the Congress Committee recognise that having everything under one roof is preferable but there are very few venues now where we can find a large trade exhibition hall lecture theatre breakout rooms for workshops plus sufficient accommodation for the large number of delegates attending Congress Celtic Manor was one such venue but they are few and far between The Congress Committee will continue to make every effort to keep everyone together and use as few hotels as possible

70 June 2018 Bulletin There were several comments about Congress starting on Tuesday afternoon Congress officially starts on Tuesday evening with the IAT AGM and the Opening of Trade However as delegates often arrive earlier in the day it was agreed that some workshops would be offered to optimise their time before Congress officially starts The Workshops offered on Tuesday afternoon were all available again during Congress so delegates would not miss out on them Check in and check out times at hotels are beyond the control of the Congress Committee but every effort is made to keep them as flexible as possible Whilst the Congress Reception does open at 10 00am on Tuesday morning this is primarily to allow Trade delegates who are setting up their exhibition stands to register and print their badges for security purposes In case of inclement weather a shuttle bus was arranged for Thursday evening to take delegates from the Crowne Plaza and Majestic Hotel to the Old Swan Hotel and back It was based on the assumption that most people would be travelling to and from the Dinner at a similar time Shuttle buses were not arranged for Tuesday and Wednesday evenings as attendance at these events was more fluid and harder to predict Many people enjoyed Congress 2018 and found it interesting and informative We d like to finish with a direct quote from a satisfied delegate I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Congress and learned a great deal It has also motivated me to get more involved in my local IAT branch Hopefully I can return next year and possibly enter a poster This sums up the main aim of Congress to educate and inform hopefully also fostering an interest in the IAT and the Branches We have in the past been asked what is the age range of delegates The breakdown for Congress 2018 survey respondents was as follows Under 25 25 35 36 45 Over 45 27 30 23 40 Thank you to all those delegates who completed the survey as your comments and feedback help Congress to be relevant fresh and successful

Bulletin June 2018 71 Trade Passport Competition With 33 companies taking part this year and over 60 entries this year s Passport Competition was the most successful yet Rather than me write about it the best way is to hear from our winners I entered the competition as I have never had an iPad and thought it would be very useful to have one as I don t have a computer at home To enter I had to go round all the trade stands and get their signatures stamps in a passport I fully completed my passport on the first night of the stands opening and it took me 3 hours This was good fun trying to match the trade logos up with what was in the passport I was told when handing it in I was the first to complete it I felt so shocked and amazed that I won I couldn t believe my luck I have been using it every day and I love it Thank you so very much an experience I shall never forget Rebecca Shaw Medical Research Council

Bulletin June 2018 73 This is the first time I attended the IAT Congress I was told about the competition during the Ice Breaker session by a member of the Congress organising committee I thought it would be fun and decided to enter the competition Through the competition I had the opportunity to meet face to face with representatives of various companies and suppliers at the exhibition and this is very useful as I can now get more information from them I felt so lucky to have won and would like to say a big thank you to everyone who organised this event Waldemar Woznica Plymouth University As they say you ve got to be in it to win it We ll be running it again next year so make sure you plan in some time into your schedule to stop by the trade stands and take part Nicky Windows Datesand Ltd

74 June 2018 Bulletin Congress from a first time presenter s perspective By Gavin Skeels Being chosen to be one of the first time presenters at Congress is a very exciting opportunity when Congress is a year away As the time grows closer though so do the nerves Despite the idea of presenting at Congress being very scary especially the day before it is also a very rewarding experience not only from a sharing your knowledge point of view but also for the other opportunities offered to you while you are there I decided to do a study on tube handling after inspiration from Congress 2017 I attended Congress in 2017 as I had never been before and that was when I was fully informed about tube and cup handling after hearing bits about it in the past A presentation and a poster discussed the benefits to mouse welfare and showed all the positives It made me think about tube handling throughout the conference and whether there were any negatives especially to health checking This inspired me to ask my managers to perform a study and led to the presentation I was due to give in Congress 2018 For me Congress was not only a place to tell people about my study but also a place to learn and network During the first day at Congress I attended workshops the AGM and the trade stalls I learned something new at each activity things that I could bring back to my unit such as new enrichment for our rats The second day when I was to present was a scary start however being in the first group to talk my fellow 1st time presenters and I were able to get it over with Once on the stage to my surprise I found it quite easy to present Everyone at Congress is open and welcoming they are interested in your subject and really want to learn I received interesting questions and excellent feedback at the presentation and during the following days Presenting turned out to be an enjoyable activity however I was finally able to relax once it was over I had more workshops booked as well as talks that would be done later in the day I continued to learn new things from the importance of every component of an anaesthetic rig to how to maintain and clean a healthy colony The talks were on a wide range of subjects such as whether male mice prefer to live socially or on their own which I found particularly interesting

Bulletin June 2018 75 Speaking of social animals the networking opportunities at Congress are second to none The trade show is a hub of social activity where I met representatives from different companies that we order supplies from It is nice to meet the people behind the companies and the emails I also met many other technicians and managers at other establishments We were able to freely and comfortably discuss the industry as well as compare different things that we do Another plus point to the trade show freebies There are soooo many pens I stocked my facility up for the rest of the year from Congress alone There s also enrichment diet bedding and booklets that are given out for you to take back to your facility and try out There s even mugs All trade stands are generous with the freebies and while it is always fun to be given something for free I have been able to bring back a few different types of enrichment that we will be implementing in our facility and been able to ask any questions I have with representatives face to face So on a serious note the trade stands have helped to improve the welfare of our animals Socialising continues into the evenings with dinners and music and the big gala dinner at the end of the last night Throughout this time you will easily make friends with people all over the country and whose connections can help you as you progress in your career Congress is an opportunity to learn and learn and learn but is also a place to face your fears like presenting to a large audience and meet likeminded people who understand the industry like you I am very happy and grateful to have been given the opportunity to go now to think of another study so I can go back next year

76 June 2018 Bulletin Patron Professor Lord Naren Patel KT Chair of Trustees Professor Sir Richard Gardner FIAT Hon FRS Secretary to the Trust Ken Applebee OBE FIAT FRSB Trustees Stephen Barnett MSc Hon FRSB Jasmine Barley MSc FIAT Karen J Gardner Registered Charity Number 113319 Registered Office 5 South Parade Summertown Oxford OX2 7JL AS ET Congress Bursary Competition The Animals in Science Education Trust AS ET is pleased to announce the fourth bursary competition to attend Congress 2019 The intention of the bursary is to encourage junior animal technical staff to extend their knowledge and experience by attending the largest animal technology meeting in the UK Applications are invited from animal technical staff based in the UK or the Republic of Ireland who are studying for or were awarded the IAT Level 2 Diploma in Laboratory Animal Science and Technology in 2016 2017 or 2018 The successful applicant will be selected on the basis of a 1000 word essay on the following Outline the responsibilities of the Named Animal Care and Welfare Officer in a facility licensed under the Animals Scientific Procedures Act 1986 as amended 2012 or the EU Directive 2010 63 EU Discuss the ways in which you can assist the NACWO in ensuring the welfare of the animals in your care The essays must be received by AS ET by 20th October 2017 They should be sent by email together with the application form to contact as et org uk Full conditions and applications forms can be found on the bursary page of the as et website www as et org uk Also see the AS ET privacy statement on the About AS ET page of our website

AS ET is a charity set up to advance education and promote excelle Bulletin May 2014 15 the care Bulletin and welfare of animals used in science June 2018 77 To see how you can apply for a bursary visit our website www as et ET isisaacharity up advance education and promote excellence ET charityset set uptoto advance education and promote excellence The companies listed below sponsor AS ET If you would like to join care and welfare of animals used in science e find careout andhow welfare of animals used in science to support us by looking at our website ee how you can for visit website www as et org see how canapply apply for abursary bursary visitour our website www as et org AS ET charity set up up toaadvance advance education excellence in AS ET isis you aa charity set to education and promote AS ET is charity set up to advance education and promote excellence in the care and of animals usededucation ineducation science AS ET ischarity awelfare charity set up to advance advance education and promote excellence in the care and animals used in science AS ET aawelfare charity set up and promote excellence AS ET is ais setof up to to advance and promote excellence in in the care and welfare of animals used in science listed below AS ET If would like totojoin them the care and welfare ofsponsor animals used in science science the care and welfare animals used the care welfare of of animals used in in science ecompanies companies listed sponsor AS ET Ifyou you would join AS ET is aand charity to below advance education and promote excellence inlike the care andin the AS ET is a charity set up to advance education and promote excellence To see how you canused apply for bursary visit how to support usinof by looking atvisit our website To see how you can apply for aa bursary our website www as et org uk welfare of animals science dout out how to support by looking our the care and welfare animals usedat in science To see how you can us apply for a bursary visit website our website www as et org uk To see how you can apply for bursary visit our website www as et org uk how apply aa bursary visit website www as et org uk To To seesee how youyou cancan apply forfor a bursary visit ourour website www as et org uk The companies listed below sponsor AS ET Ifour you would like them Sponsors of AS ET are listed below and to find out more please www as et org uk visit to thejoin website The companies listed below sponsor AS ET If you would like to join them To see how you can apply for asponsor bursary visit website The companies listed below AS ET If you would like to join them The companies listed below sponsor AS ET If you would like to join them The companies listed below sponsor AS ET If you would like to join them www as et org uk The companies listed below sponsor AS ET If you would like to join them find out out how how to to support support us us by by looking looking at at our our website website find find out how to support us by looking at our website find out how to support us by looking at our website find how support looking website find outout how to to support us us by by looking at at ourour The companies listed below sponsor AS ET Ifwebsite you would like to join them find out how to support us by looking at our website

78 June 2018 Bulletin CLAST T he College of Laboratory Animal Science Technology CLAST has been set up to provide the specialist training and education required at this level of study CLAST is a non profit course provider that has been set up to deliver Higher Education qualifications in Animal Technology The IAT continues to award the qualifications but CLAST now delivers and assesses all of the Level 4 5 and 6 units and qualifications Animal Technology requires integration with a broad range of disciplines Senior Animal Technologists are expected to communicate effectively with a range of key personnel including scientists veterinarians Named Persons under the Animal Scientific Procedures Act building engineers and other technical professions They require a broad knowledge of many disciplines and the ability to Steve Barnett gives Emma Tozer the Level 5 prize

Bulletin June 2018 79 Emma Tozer receives the Level 5 prize for her high quality work understand the key points of scientific practice building design and management good animal management and welfare disease recognition and control and a thorough understanding of the key legislation controlling the use of animals for research The HE programme provides a wide range of skills knowledge and behaviours which help the students integrate effectively with their professional colleagues As science and animal welfare are rapidly evolving areas there is a responsibility on Animal Technologists to continually update their skills and knowledge base The level 5 Prize is sponsored by AS ET and Tecniplast and is in recognition of the high quality of Emma Tozer s Level 5 work

Bulletin June 2018 81 Cambridge Branch AGM and Quiz Report O ur AGM this year was held on Wednesday 31st January 2018 at The Cambridge Building on the Babraham Research Campus 74 members were in attendance and the AGM proceeded with a welcome from our Chair followed by a report from the Branch Secretary on the events of the last year these included participation in IAT Technician Month and dropping off hundreds of doughnuts and other goodies all over Cambridge a Spring Hygiene Seminar our infamous Tenpin bowling event filling 10 lanes a visit to The Raptor Foundation and our 11th Joint Annual Symposium with the HNS Branch Our Treasurer reported a healthy end of year balance and a record of income and expenditure was made available There then followed the re election of our current Officers and committee members plus an additional 3 new committee members who we are pleased to welcome on board After all the formalities were completed we launched into our Quiz Unfortunately our usual Quiz Master could not attend but his daughter Lynn stepped in at the last moment and did a grand job despite a few microphone issues with the adding up undertaken by Lynn s friend Jo There were 14 teams in total some imaginative team names 8 rounds including James Bond Literary Animals and an Animal Technology round of course 47 pizzas a few very tricky questions and some wellplayed jokers Whilst totting up the quiz scores the raffle took place which included some lovely prizes especially the 1st prize of a hamper filled with various local produce Proceeds from the raffle will be donated to AS ET Once the totals were added we found ourselves with a tie break situation between Turbo W and ARES Bandits The ARES Adding up the scores

82 June 2018 Our quizzers waiting for the results to come in Our 2018 winning quiz team the ARES Bandits Bulletin

Bulletin June 2018 83 Bandits shot in first with their answer winning the quiz and each taking home a bottle of wine Our losing team Squeak Cheeks from the Sanger Institute graciously accepted their booby prize not that anybody pointed the finger or did they Please can we say a very big thank you to VetTech Solutions who once again kindly sponsored this event and took part in the quiz Sarah Stone Branch Reporter Our smiley losing team the Squeak Cheeks

Bulletin June 2018 85 Dispatches Animal Experiment Statistics Briefing Paper Number 02720 12 April 2018 In 2016 3 94 million procedures were performed on animals in the UK approximately half of these were either the breeding or creation of genetically modified animals The increase in the use of genetically modified animals is the primary reason that the use of animals has risen by 23 over the last ten years Mice were the most frequently used animal as they have been for many years with fish being the second most used which they have been since 2009 although the statistics never divide fish into species Prior to that the second most used species was rat Who are using animals for research Until 2000 the primary users of animals were commercial organisations but since 1988 the use of animals within that sector has been falling and then in 2000 usage of animals by the academic sector began to rise until in 2016 animal usage by universities and medical schools reached approximately 1 939 as opposed to 994 in the commercial sector those numbers are in thousands This briefing paper contains many facts and figures about the use of animals in research primarily in 2016 but looking back to 1986 when the Animals in Scientific Procedures Act began People often see statistics as a dry subject but actually they can give a good indication of a changing society and in this case they do This briefing paper is worth reading it tells a story of the changing use of animals in research reflecting how society is moving and perhaps the shifting role of animal technologists in these industries Links to the publication IAT http www iat org uk law Research briefings https researchbriefings parliament uk ResearchBriefing Summary SN02720

Bulletin June 2018 DIARY Dates 28 June UFAW Animal Welfare Conference Recent Advances in Animal Welfare Science VI Newcastle Details https www ufaw org uk ufawevents recent advances in animalwelfare science vi 28 29 June Fondazione Guido Bernardini The Three Rs in Research Project Design a Prerequisite for Good Science Italy http www fondazioneguidoberna rdini org en training_initiatives eve nt_detail aspx IDEvent 112 IDEve ntType 5 IDEventSection 1 year 2018 11 July Foundation Course in Tecniplast IVCs England Details info tecniplastuk com 16 and 17 July NACWO workshop Central London Details from info learningcurvedevelopment co uk 28 October 1 November LASA Conference Birmingham http www lasa co uk meetings in fo lasa co uk 30 October RSPCA UFAW Rodent and Rabbit Welfare Meeting Central London Details from research animals rspca org uk 2 November Andrew Blake Tribute Award 2019 first announcement See page 60 Front cover Congress 2018 Photo Adrian Newman 87