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Institute of Animal Technology Bulletin G G G AAALAC Fellowship AALAS 2017 Council Meeting G G G Branch News Situations Vacant Diary Dates Vol 54 No 2 February 2018

Bulletin Vol 54 No 2 February 2018 EDITOR Carole Wilson bulletineditor iat org uk ASSISTANT EDITOR Karen Dunford bulletinassistant iat org uk ADVERTISEMENT MANAGERS PRC Associates Ltd mail prcassoc co uk Published monthly by the Institute of Animal Technology Registered Office 5 South Parade Summertown Oxford OX2 7JL ISSN 0263 2861 For enquiries other than Bulletin related contact IAT ADMINISTRATOR admin iat org uk or 0800 085 4380 Final copy date for April Bulletin 1st March CONTENTS Dear Readers December Council Meeting Notice of AGM IAT Annual Awards Trade Passport Competition 7 8 13 14 16 19 AALAS 2017 National Meeting IAT delegate report 21 27 AS ET AALAS 2017 National meeting report 29 35 AAALAC Fellowship Award 2017 37 43 AALAS Brit Night 45 48 Branch News 49 50 Situations Vacant 51 54 Diary Dates The opinions expressed in the Bulletin do not necessarily reflect those of the Editor or the Institute 5 55

Bulletin February 2018 Dear Readers Which city in the world is home to 1 5 million bats roosting under a bridge creating a magnificent spectacle when they fly and also hosted last year s largest conference for the use of animals in science The city is Austin Texas in the USA and the conference was AALAS In this edition of the Bulletin we are concentrating on reporting from there We have four reports in total Lynn Westall writes as the representative of the IAT page 21 Karen our deputy editor won the AS ET essay prize she writes on page 29 Nicky Windows organised and reports on Brit night at AALAS page 45 Last but not least Alan Palmer writes his report as the winner of the prestigious AAALAC Fellowship The AAALAC Fellowship is more than a trip to AALAS and Alan speaks eloquently of the whole award on page 37 At the end of his report Alan encourages all RAnTechs to apply for the award At the end of her report Karen also encourages all technicians to enter the AS ET essay competition and Lynda also encourages people to attend the AALAS conference I would like to add my voice to that attending conferences abroad certainly reminds us all that we really are part of an international community The AALAS conference is breathtakingly large and covers so many aspects of animal technology it really is worth a visit Finally if you want to read about something closer to home then we have the announcement of the IAT Annual Awards page 49 and Linda Horan has written about the west of Scotland Christmas meal I only wish the committee meetings I attend were as much fun as that appeared to be Happy R eadi ng Carole 5

Bulletin February 2018 7 IAT Council Meeting held on Wednesday 6th December 2017 IAT Andrew Blake Tribute Award Council was delighted that there were several entries for the Andrew Blake Tribute Award ABTA for 2018 However due to the fact that the ABTA is now sponsored by the APBI hence it is being advertised to a much wider scientific community there is a concern that the original intention of the award is given to an animal technologist who is judged to have made a significant contribution to improving laboratory animal welfare may be lost Council requested that new guidelines be drawn up to ensure the original intention of the award is maintained IAT Council Elections Council was delighted to hear that for the second successive year there will be an election for candidates standing for Council Eleven candidates are standing for nine places and ballot papers will be distributed in January Those standing for election are Nicky Gent Sylvie Mehigan Mark Powell Adrian Woodhouse Nathan Hill Tina O Mahony John Waters Theresa Langford Alan Palmer Carole Wilson Ballot papers for 2018 will be amended to ensure that those voting are fully aware of the need to sign ballot papers as a number of papers from the previous election were invalid or spoilt due to lack of a signature Introduction to Laboratory Animal Science Technology and Welfare Council congratulated Stephen Barnett on the publication of the Introduction to Laboratory Animal Science Technology and Welfare Copies are now available to order online and will also be for sale at Congress 2018 Animal Welfare Group The Animal Welfare Group have been working to produce a webpage on the IAT website which will include article reviews and details of the Technician Exchange Programme EFAT and FELASA Following a meeting with the FELASA Management Board in Lisbon an EFAT

8 February 2018 Bulletin representative has been invited to join a working party with FELASA looking at animal technician training and education across Europe EFAT have also been invited to assist with the organisation of a day for animal technologists at the FELASA 2019 meeting in Prague Council agreed this was a very positive and welcome step forward Branch Reps Meeting A branch reps meeting took place prior to the Council meeting at which seven branches were represented The main topic of discussion was how to attract more members to branch events especially for those branches who cover a wide geographical area All members are encouraged to get involved in their local branch and support events whenever possible Any ideas for events or how to encourage attendance should be sent to your branch secretary Congress 2018 A very impressive scientific programme has been produced for Congress 2018 Twelve workshops have been arranged plus a new innovation in the form of commercial workshops The IAT Congress App is being developed further for 2018 allowing online booking of workshops via the app up to date information on the scientific programme timing of events etc Please check the IAT website regularly for details AST2020 The joint Animal Science and Technology 2020 meeting has now been confirmed for 23rd 26th March 2020 A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed by the IAT LASA and LAVA and the venue deposit has been paid A website is available where you can register your interest in attending www ast2020 org The next meeting of the IAT Council will take place in January 2018

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FINAL DATE TO REGISTER IS FRIDAY 2ND MARCH Latest News and Reminders O 20th 23rd March 2018 O O PROVISIONAL SCIENTIFIC PROGRAMME www iat org uk congress and find us on Drop in Session for FE and HE students O We have a One Stop online system for Registering check out the website for the NEW guidance information Terms and Conditions apply for all Registrants To discuss any aspect of Congress or if you have any questions for the Congress Committee please contact us via congress iat org uk We look forward to seeing you there The Provisional Scientific Programme booklet can be downloaded from the website if you missed out on the printed copy in the last issue Poster Presentations update FIVE presenters are confirmed and we now have 24 posters accepted The Congress App is available NOW use it to plan and enhance your experience at Congress network with other delegates and win prizes with our competitions Members of the Board of Moderators and CLAST Representatives will be available to discuss any questions you may have further details will appear in the Congress Handbook Commercial Workshops by Exhibitors O Ten 30 minute workshops will take place on Wednesday 21st a timetable with topics by the companies taking part appears on the website and all you have to do is turn up to any that interest you at the specified time Check for updates www iat org uk

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Bulletin February 2018 13 NOTICE of IAT ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2018 The thirty second Annual General Meeting of the Institute of Animal Technology will be held at IAT Congress on Tuesday 20th March at 18 00 hrs AGENDA 1 To consider the minutes of the thirty first Annual General Meeting held on Tuesday 21st March 2017 as published in full on the Members section of the IAT website and in abridged form in the Bulletin Vol 53 No 6 2 To receive and consider the Company s annual accounts for the year ended 31 December 2017 together with the Annual Report and the Auditors report 3 To appoint Auditors of the Institute 4 To review the Council s objectives for 2017 5 To elect members of the Council who are proposed for re election by rotation under the terms of the Articles of Association and any such new members to fill existing vacancies 6 To elect a President and Vice Presidents for the ensuing year 7 To consider the election of Life and Honorary Members of the Institute 8 Any other business Dated February 2018 Ken Applebee CEO Chair of Council Linda Horan Honorary Secretary THE AGM IS OPEN TO ALL DELEGATES Voting Rights are restricted to voting members only

14 February 2018 Bulletin IAT Annual Awards Honorary Member IAT Council may nominate an Honorary Member at the Annual General Meeting subject to prior approval Any person who in the opinion of Council has substantially furthered the interests of the Institute can be proposed and once nominated the recipient will be invited to the following Congress to receive their award The period of election is five years We are delighted to announce that Wendy Steel Sarah Lane and Norman Mortell were proposed and elected for this award Many congratulations to all three recipients and we look forward to welcoming them to Congress where they will receive their plaques at the AGM on Tuesday evening IAT Council Wendy Steel BSc Hons FIAT RAnTech Wendy has worked mainly in academia since becoming an animal technician straight from leaving school In 1999 she gained her IAT Fellowship Wendy has also won the Animal Technology and Welfare IAT Journal Marjorie Sandiford Whittingham Prize twice for her published papers She spent ten years on Council five of which as Honorary Secretary and then Chair of Registration and Accreditation Board In 2006 Wendy received a BSc first class hons and is currently Deputy Director of Central Biomedical Services at Imperial College London

Bulletin February 2018 Sarah Lane MSc FIAT RAnTech Sarah worked as an Animal Technologist for nearly 40 years until redundancy forced her into trying something slightly different As she is passionate about the welfare of laboratory animals she spent the next two years in London as a 3Rs and Quality Manager However Sarah missed being directly involved with the animals so she took the decision to try something completely different and has since taken on the role of Practice Manager for a local veterinary surgery She has been a member of the IAT since coming into the profession and have sat on Council holding a number of positions including Bulletin Editor for four years On hearing of her award Sarah stated I would like to thank the IAT for all their support over the years and to Council for nominating me for Honorary Membership of the Institute Norman Mortell BA Hons MIAT RAnTech Norman began work at Manchester University Medical School back in 1978 and even he didn t envisage becoming an animal technologist as he had trained to be an architect little was he to know that his surveying and construction technology qualifications would be helpful many years later when designing and refurbishing animal facilities Working with most laboratory animal species over 5 years at Manchester he then moved onto ICI or AstraZeneca as it is now known here he learned GLP and licenced techniques before moving on the same site to CTL Syngenta where he gained valuable research study design experience Around 1985 he took the opportunity to work in Italy at the Roma 15

16 February 2018 Bulletin Toxicology Centre and after a year he returned to the UK and joined Covance in Harrogate Norman was there for 15 years working his way up to being head of the rodent facilities with four units and nearly 70 staff He had now worked in academia pharmaceutical and contract research each with its own challenges and unique learning and development opportunities In a change of direction in 2001 he joined Agenda who provide contract staff pre employment screening and marketing services to the research sector as a manager again working his way up to his current position of Managing Director Throughout his career he has been closely involved with the IAT being Chair of his local branch for many years and Chair of the Communications Group on Council A management graduate he has continued his personal development and is passionate about providing animal technologists with career development opportunities almost as passionate as he is about animal care and welfare a subject he has promoted world wide presented on delivered posters about and developed under Agenda s Welfare First programme Norman is a staunch advocate of the IAT He encourages young people to get involved and shape the future of the IAT He said at the last IAT Congress Many years ago I used to look at the IAT Council and saw them as fat middle aged men in suits and wondered how they could represent my views so I joined as a younger member of Council and things have really moved on But now I am the fat middle aged man in a suit and it is time for younger enthusiastic people to lead us into the next era of animal technology

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Bulletin February 2018 19 Congress Trade Passport Competition 2018 Now in it s 7th year 33 Trade Exhibitors have grouped together to give YOU the chance to win one of 2 iPads at Congress There are still no questions to answer and no one is excluded from entering Look out for your Congress Passport in your delegate bag and make sure you have it with you at all times to get it signed All you have to do is ask a member of staff on each trade stand to sign by their company logo As long as you ve got all the companies to sign by the deadline printed on the passport and get it to Nicky Windows on the Datesand stand you ll be in with a chance of winning Each year one of the two iPads is always won by a first time Congress attendee so if you ve never been before why not come away with more than some free pens and a sore head from all the learning obviously The second iPad can be won by anyone Also every year this competition also adds funds to the nominated Congress IAT Branch Charity and to AS ET Get your passport signed and make Congress 2018 a winning one

Bulletin February 2018 21 AALAS 2017 National Meeting Report I n October 2017 I had the pleasure of representing the IAT at the annual national meeting of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science AALAS in America It was held between 15th and 19th October in Austin Texas I was looking forward to warm temperatures and meeting up with some of my US colleagues both of which did not disappoint For those of you not familiar with AALAS it is the US equivalent of the IAT Being in America everything is that much bigger so while we attract somewhere between 400 500 delegates at the IAT Congress well over 4000 delegates attended this AALAS meeting There were some 213 exhibitors including some that we are familiar with in the UK The conference attracted 330 posters with workshops and platform sessions running concurrently so delegates had to study the various topics on offer and decide what was best to attend often rushing from one end of the conference centre to the other to cram everything in Registration for the AALAS meeting opened on Sunday and there was a frantic scramble by exhibitors to set up their stands in readiness for the first full day of the conference on Monday It transpired I had a couple of hours to kill before LBS arrived who were kindly looking after the IAT pop up banners for my stand so I took advantage of an invite received to attend a breakfast event to preview new equipment being launched Once the IAT stand had been set up I used a couple of spare hours to wander around the local area to get my bearings and take in some of the sites Part of Austin mirrored in the Colorado River

22 February 2018 Bulletin The Texas Capitol Building Sunday evening saw the holding of the annual PMI dinner to which several Brits had been invited The dinner culminated in the presentation of the PMI LabDiet American and European Laboratory Animal Technician of the Year Awards and this year Alan Graham was the very worthy winner of the European Award Well done Alan

Bulletin February 2018 23 Alan with his PMI Award together with other Brits who attended the PMI dinner Within the trade hall the IAT stand was in a good prominent position and had a steady flow of people passing by Many of these stopped for a chat about the IAT and asked for information about our education system and career pathway Some people were also interested in becoming IAT members Part of the trade exhibition

24 February 2018 Bulletin Lynda manning the IAT stand When business became a bit slow I was able to entertain myself watching grown men on a stand opposite me parade up and down with chunks of cheese on their heads from a company called Verona Safety Supply Inc People will go to any lengths to attract punters I now have a lot of respect for our suppliers who attend trade exhibition after trade exhibition throughout the year Two and a half long days on the IAT stand plus a 7 30am breakfast meeting I had to attend on behalf of the IAT left me totally exhausted but happy that I was able to drum up interest for the IAT The Cheese Heads

Bulletin February 2018 25 Monday and Tuesday evenings saw many key suppliers holding private functions to which several delegates including the Brits were invited to attend Wednesday lunchtime just before the close of the Trade Exhibition the International Luncheon was held where the two AAALAC Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care Fellowship Award winners received their recognition and their awards beautifully engraved glass globes Alan Palmer from The Crick was the worthy European recipient and Katherine Kati Marshall the US recipient The presentation of their awards was also attended by Jose PePe Figueroa President of Priority One Inc in the US and Jonathon Wood CEO of Datesand in the UK who are the key sponsors for this prestigious award Socialising before an evening meal Kati and Alan the 2017 AAALAC Fellowship Award Recipients

26 February 2018 Bulletin Jonathon Rob Weichbrod Ken Applebee Gail Thompson Lynda and Pepe Figueroa with the plaque This year was also the 20th Anniversary of AAALAC and there was a surprise in store for the AAALAC selection board as they were presented with a plaque listing all names past and present who have been involved with the Fellowship Award selections From the European side this included Ken Applebee John Gregory and myself as the current members of the selection board On the last day of the conference the now annual Brits evening was held This is arranged and sponsored by the UK companies that have attended the AALAS meeting and to which the various UK delegates are invited This time we had a Brits enjoying themselves at Buffalo Billiards

Bulletin February 2018 27 fantastic evening at a bar called Buffalo Billiards where everyone enjoyed some healthy competition playing pool billiards and shuffleboard I got hooked on the latter On behalf of all the Brits who attended I would like to thank the various UK companies who sponsored this event for a very enjoyable evening it really was great fun For those of you who want to spread your wings to see more of what the research industry has to offer I would encourage you to look at attending the AALAS conference You may have a presentation and or poster to submit or you can just attend as a delegate There are also competitions currently being run by IAT branches and AS ET where winners can receive a free trip to the meeting And do not forget the PMI LabDiet Laboratory Animal Technician of the Year and the AAALAC Fellowship awards that you can apply for When you see these advertised do not just think they are for other people have a go yourself and you could be having a great trip to the next AALAS annual conference Lynda Westall Representing the IAT Many thanks to those of you who supplied various photos included in this article

Bulletin February 2018 29 AALAS Report by AS ET Travel Bursary Winner T he American Association for Laboratory Animal Science AALAS is the host of one of the largest conferences globally for the use of animals in science This year it was held in Austin Texas home of the world s largest urban bat population the South by Southwest Music Festival and most importantly one location of the world famous Voodoo Doughnuts I was honoured to have been chosen by the Animals in Science Education Trust as winner of a special travel bursary to attend the conference Austin is proud of their bat population They even appear on their bike racks

30 February 2018 Bulletin The conference was five days starting on October 17th and finishing on October 21st and was one of the busiest I have ever attended It had over 300 posters over 2000 vendors and over 100 talks panels workshops and meetings The latter were categorised as Facility Design Management and Operation Biomedical Research Medicine and Methodology Innovations Animal Welfare Regulatory Compliance and Public Education The conference had an app that helped with organising a schedule as well as to see who else was attending the event it also had a messaging feature maps and a game As well as attending talks and workshops AALAS organised a technician fun fair in which participants had to find and ask vendors specific questions prizes were awarded to participants but the goal of the fun fair was to meet and speak to vendors that one may not have otherwise Altogether I attended 28 talks panels and workshops as well as the poster session and the fun fair The first day Sunday was relatively quiet with only a handful of talks as most people registered on Monday I attended the Husbandry and Facility Management Track which highlighted different products to improve efficiency within an animal unit I also went to the orientation for those attending the meeting for the first time This was very informative It was a good introduction to how AALAS runs and to see how extensive it is According to the presentation there are 44 active local branches of the organisation with approximately 22 000 members Despite not being a member of AALAS I attended the General Meeting that afternoon it doubled as an award ceremony and handed out awards to technicians for their work in striving to improve laboratory animal welfare During the ceremony the sheer number of people struck me who are involved in the US in this industry and how many are striving to improve laboratory animal welfare The first full day of the conference was Monday during which I attended the workshop Play Doh Pinkies Squooshey Mice and Jeopardy Techniques for Training Husbandry Technicians in a Classroom Setting As the organiser and trainer for the UCL Zebrafish PiL course I was interested in this workshop the most One of the common critiques of our course is not enough hands on experience and as such I was hoping to get some ideas The workshop was conducted by the training team from the University of Michigan ULAM Training Core They shared with the attendees how their programme is designed and why what lessons they have learned and how they have improved Their current programme is two to three months long starting with a two week classroom session then a mentorship programme In order to get trainees hands on experience without putting the welfare of the animals at risk the team had devised fake animals in order to demonstrate handling basic procedures and to create dioramas of situations that may arise in a mouse cage They also gave examples of educational and assessment based

Bulletin February 2018 31 games that they play with trainees Attendees got a chance to play these games as well as to try to identify the dioramas with the fake mice I did have trouble with this as I have never worked with any other species than zebrafish this is my only criticism as an assumption was made that all attendees would be able answer all questions i e jeopardy cage dioramas without training To finish off the workshop there was an opportunity to discuss with both the ULAM team as well as attendees issues that other trainers are dealing with in their own institutions Overall the workshop emphasised the benefits of trainee involvement interaction and camaraderie as they are future colleagues A Lunch and Learn session was organised aimed at veterinarian technicians a role I was unfamiliar with One of the talks was on transparency with the public concerning animals in science and how to combat misconceptions about animal welfare The speaker Paula Clifford discussed issues that have occurred recently concerning targeted social media attacks and provided an in depth look at the Come See Our World initiative This provides a website that shows the inside of working animal laboratories and how the animals are cared for The speaker emphasised the importance of talking with others about the realities of animal laboratories in a conscientious way The following seminar I attended was Animal Welfare Training and the 3Rs The topics addressed here centred on communication in training communication between colleagues and communication with the public Issues within training can arise from insufficient explanations and assumptions that concepts are understood issues between colleagues may arise from personality clashes The last talk was the same as the one at the Lunch and Learn for the first time I managed to see the same talk twice in one day All of these talks focussed on helping technicians improve communication between various roles in order to maintain or improve facility efficiency and animal welfare The following day after spending time in the trade hall working on the fun fair I attended some tracks that were different from what I typically would attend I attended the Charles River Ethics and Animal Welfare Lecture Risks of Bias in Animal Research and What to Do About Them and followed that with Strategies for Mitigating the Effects of Privilege in Laboratory Animal Science The former reminded me of systematic reviews which analyse previous work these help to highlight potential biases such as unreported information in publications e g sample sizes the use of randomisation or blinded studies not reporting negative results which causes publication bias and the incorrect use of statistics As I am not overly strong with mathematics I found the latter portion hard to follow but the point was clear not all publications are perfect and can be unreliable in informing peers The latter

32 February 2018 Bulletin was very interesting it seemed to me to be tied to the social unrest that was evident in the US in 2016 The point of the panel was to educate about privilege and how it is being addressed within the scientific community Privilege was defined here as belonging to a dominate group Interestingly it was pointed out that privilege can be applied to anyone as most people fit into multiple groups The example given was right handedness vs lefthandedness anyone who is right handed has privilege as most things are designed for right handed people One of the groups that presented was the National SEED Project which provides and develops programmes in different professions to promote inclusion Luckily there was an abundance of training focussed sessions at AALAS as I attended yet another the Training for Success Ensuring Your Training Program is Helping Your Employees Succeed panel I found this session beneficial and I came away brimming with new ideas to apply to our programme All of the speakers were seasoned trainers and addressed issues that those new to training and those already practiced face Some pieces of advice given were add colour and photos to SOPs as it makes information easier to remember and visually stimulating do not assume new but experienced staff understand all concepts and have cue cards for trainers to make sure all pieces of information are provided to trainees Mentoring programmes were also a large topic here These are used to ease new staff members into their roles and let them get comfortable with what they have to do working closely with a mentor allows them to gain confidence as well as prevents any mistakes that may harm the animals in their care In addition some guidance was provided on how to mentor those that are slow or not able to progress during their training the speaker emphasised providing trainees every opportunity to develop and improve their skills The following day I only attended a panel which was A Change in Climate Can Lead to a Better Safety Culture This was quite interesting discussing why people have difficulty following health and safety regulations and how to combat it But the rather exciting part of the talk was about high risk and high security units where employees have vigorous vetting such as FBI screenings and psychological evaluations There was then a photographic report of an Ebola virus drill that is practiced in one such unit this is a full scale drill that involves the fire department medical services and the police as well as the employees at the facility The scenario used is that of a researcher having an accident in the laboratory and requiring immediate transport to a hospital The talk was given by the scientist who posed as the researcher and most of the photos were taken from her point of view some of the photos were even taken from inside the containment bag she was placed in It was definitely something completely different to my day to day work environment

Bulletin February 2018 33 Finally on the last day there was a zebrafish panel entitled Innovations in Zebrafish Policies Husbandry and Veterinary Care At last a species I knew about I found this whole session fascinating as it highlighted the differences between the US and the UK some were husbandry based but most were policy based For example I discovered the US is relatively self regulated in ethics and procedures through the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee IACUC something that I thought would be akin to an AWERB as opposed to a legislative regulation like ASPA Additionally American researchers using zebrafish are not required to provide an exact number of animals used and only provide an estimation This was perhaps the most shocking thing to me during my week in Austin Under ASPA we are required to keep the exact number of animals used including records of their fate the idea of this elicited a great deal of amusement from the audience A similarity between the US and the UK however was the lack of standardisation Christian Lawrence promoted a White Paper on the effects of this and how to properly report it in publications Lastly health and diseases were explored with one talk presenting improvements in veterinary care for zebrafish and another discussing prevention and control of pathogens The former showed new SOPs in use in a facility that have improved welfare such as flagging tanks during health checks placing old fish onto a flow through system to prevent horizontal pathogen transmission and disinfecting equipment The latter targeted specific pathogens that are prevalent in zebrafish facilities and new methods of control that they are exploring One method was to freeze sperm before performing in vitro fertilisation they found this worked to an extent but it requires further enquiry Antibiotics were also pointed out as useful for Mycobacteria chelonae My AALAS experience was not completely taken up with talks I also spent time talking to vendors meeting new people and exploring the vast array of posters available The trade hall poster area was the largest I had seen It took me a day or two to see everything on display the 300 posters were especially difficult and I had to make quick decisions about which ones to read and which to leave I also attended different events mostly in the evenings My first night was spent at the IPS Technicians Awards Dinner this recognised the work of those in animal technology in the UK It was a fun night as it was a bit formal and I got to meet new people Whilst this one was for British attendees there was a lunch provided for all international attendees later in the week Here I got to meet more people and I also discovered that making tea is not an American strong point I was invited to a few dinners hosted by different vendors at one such event I had a long and evocative conversation about the state of veterinary care for laboratory fish how it differs in the US and how we can

34 February 2018 Bulletin improve on it Another evening was British Night hosted by Datesand and held at a bar on the famous 6th St of Austin Here I learned to play pool and shuffleboard I definitely enjoyed the latter the most I even managed to squeeze in some urban exploration I ventured out to see the bat population which lives under a bridge they were not visible but they were present and noisy I also found the famous Voodoo Doughnut shop and sampled the lemon doughnut it was delicious The bat bridge in Austin The world s largest urban bat population lives in this nondescript concrete bridge Although they weren t visible they were rather noisy

Bulletin February 2018 35 I thoroughly enjoyed my AALAS experience and I am grateful to the AS ET for the opportunity to attend I encourage all technicians to apply for the essay competition as the prize is incredible Reporter Karen Dunford Voodoo Donuts on 6th Street

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Bulletin February 2018 37 The AAALAC Fellowship Report 2017 why all RAnTechs should apply for this I n August 2017 I received the formal letter informing me I had been chosen to be the 2017 recipient of the prestigious AAALAC Fellowship Award which left me feeling both excited and very humbled I have had great pleasure in meeting many of the previous recipients from the USA when organising their time at MRC NIMR and in the last couple of years at The Francis Crick Establishment and so to now count myself as part of the international fellowship clan was an honour indeed So the planning and countdown to the October adventure started with the renewal of my recently expired passport the first thing to consider thankfully I checked with plenty of time The preceding weeks to the trip saw many people from across the industry as well as many past recipients here in the UK as well as in the US get in touch to help with the planning of various establishment visits attendance at the national AALAS meeting as well as various social gatherings for attendance The staff at AAALAC International and especially Elizabeth were absolutely great at planning the minutiae of the trip with almost military like detail The fortnight s programme would include a week visiting various establishments to gain an insight into their animal care programmes followed by a week at the national AALAS meeting in Austin Texas October 7th was to be the start of the adventure flying out to Washington Dulles on arrival there was a car waiting to take me to the hotel in Bethesda where I would be staying for the first week Sunday 8th was a free day so I took the opportunity to take the metro into central Washington and visit the White House Washington Memorial Capitol Hill and Lincoln Memorial and then walked across the Potomac River Bridge to explore Arlington Cemetery before catching the metro to the Pentagon and 9 11 Memorial Week One Facility Visits Monday 9th I was picked up from the airport by Robert H Weichbrod M B A Ph D Chief Animal Program Administration at National Eye Institute NIH Bethesda and one of the editors of the famous and exhaustive reference book Management of Animal Care and Use Programs in Research Education and Testing https www crcpress com Management of Animal Care and UsePrograms in Research Education and Weichbrod Thompson Norton p book 9781498748445 now in its second edition Rob drove me on his day off too to my first destination which was the University of Maryland where Dr Doug Powell and his staff would provide an overview of the animal care programme

38 February 2018 Bulletin at a large academic institution University of Maryland is a large public research university that houses many different species used for research purposes including alligators owls turtles many aquatic species as well as farm animals including hair sheep and cattle Both alligators and barn owls are used for research into hearing and how sounds are detected and interpreted after transmission through air or water in the case of the alligators The fistulated cows are used to study digestion and I have to say are the friendliest most docile Owl enclosures cattle I have ever seen which is a real testament to the care and welfare they receive from the staff After spending some time chatting to animal care staff and visiting the Office of Animal Welfare Assurance I came away with a really good overview of how IACUCs Institutional Animal Care and Use Alligators Committee operate welfare inspections and compliance reporting with regard to AAALAC accreditation as well as learning a little more about the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine ACLAM If you are unfamiliar with ACLAM look them up they have some interesting resources on their website regarding general Cow with fistula animal science and technology welfare ethics and how they approach recruiting more veterinary medical students into the fields of laboratory animal medicine https www aclam org education andtraining position statements and reports

Bulletin February 2018 39 Tuesday 10th was spent at the National Institute of Health NIH Bethesda This place is immense and is equivalent in size to a small UK town Approximately 20 000 people work there they have their own police department and after going through the tight security procedures I was taken to the National Institute of Mental Health Transgenics Department to get an overview of the core transgenic services in particular the production of transgenic marmosets for neuroscience research The successful generation of transgenic marmosets along with their similar physiology will make these animals ideal models for future neuroscience research Next stop was with the Office of Animal Care and Use for an overview of the NIH Animal Care and Use Program The OACU is a small team that have the daunting task of providing an oversight and compliance role for 21 IACUCs at the Bethesda campus bearing in mind the IACUC is the US equivalent of the UK s AWERB I could understand why their Intramural Research Program is considered the largest worldwide It was also interesting to hear about the wildlife control programme utilising veterinarians that oversee a 24 hour on call schedule In the UK we are quite familiar with having to deal with wild rodents pigeons etc at NIH they have to deal with geese deer and the odd black bear that decides to wander into the grounds I was also shown some of the wonderful posters used for their outreach and information programmes I very much encourage you to visit their website which provides a huge amount of resource material about IACUCs their training programmes and some fantastic awareness posters https oacu oir nih gov It Takes a Team to Support Animal Research A program sponsored by the NIH Animal Research Advisory Committee 301 496 5424 Just two of my favourite posters

40 February 2018 Bulletin Next visit was to the zebrafish facility At the Crick we have what I considered a large facility with capacity to house 75 000 fish but this seems quite small compared to the NIH facility which has the capacity to house up to half a million fish Then after a working lunch discussing my role as NTCO with the Building 49 Central Animal Facility team and Priority One Services Management team I was given a tour of the Building 49 small animal facilities and cage wash area This was to be just a small taster of what was to come later in the week It soon became very apparent what a professional knowledgeable and dedicated team they are a common theme found at all the establishments I visited The evening was then spent dining at the Sweet Water Tavern Virginia before being driven once again by Rob Weichbrod to spend the night at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Janelia Research Campus Ashburn Virginia And wow what a place this is After spending the night in the first class onsite accommodation that would put many top hotels to shame I was introduced to the animal care team and was provided with an overview of vivarium surgery rodent breeding experimental areas and then after lunch a visit to their aquatics facility followed by an overview of the Drosophila Resources and Dragonfly Arena During the tour I also noticed the valve stop alert a very simple but effective Valve Stop device that provides a visual and physical barrier to alert staff and researchers when a cage location on a ventilated rack does not have a watering valve in place a great example of simple but effective innovation designed in an animal care facility Have a look here for further information https www janelia org open science uniquevalve stop The Drosophila Resources was a technically advanced automated facility utilising three robots to maintain a huge stock of flies and a dedicated team producing transgenic fly lines To see the robots in action I very much suggest you visit the webpage https www janelia org support team drosophila resources The Dragonfly Arena was really interesting the dragonfly is an extremely efficient predator that predicts the flight of its prey in this case drosophila so they can effectively plot a course to intersect them using the least amount of energy possible The research uses dragonflies that have small backpacks with electrodes inserted into their brain to record brain activity in flight The arena has sets of high speed infrared cameras positioned around the room that can then track their flight It is hoped that this research will help explain how neurons solve problems For further reading into this amazing science as well as pictures of the dragonflies with backpacks and the hunting arena have a look here https www janelia org news anthonyleonardo tracking dragonflies flight Day four was spent back at Building 49 NIH Bethesda for a tour of the large animal facilities surgical suites and non human primates NHP behavioural area It was also fascinating to be able to see behavioural experiments in progress and chat to one of the researchers about their work they study the

Bulletin February 2018 41 links between activity in cortical neurons and the perception of depth I was surprised to realise just how little we understand of the human brain Researchers and clinicians have made huge advances in the last couple of decades in treating many cancers but as the general population is living longer and neurological disorders are increasing at the same time neuroscience is going to be a very important area of research for future generations Next stop was a working lunch provided at the AAALAC International Executive Office in Frederick MD where I was given an overview of the accreditation programme and resources available to institutions There are currently 980 accredited programmes in 44 countries with many different types of institutions demonstrating their commitment to responsible animal care and use by having their animal care programmes accredited AAALAC accreditation takes a performance based approach and encourages a path of continuing performance for institutes that seek to accredit their animal programmes If you are unfamiliar with what AAALAC is all about look them up https aaalac org After lunch there was a short drive through beautiful autumnal countryside to Poolesville MD to have a tour of the NIH animal centre where I toured the NHP facility that houses a large number of primates of different species including rhesus marmosets and squirrel monkeys The evening was spent with some of the Building 49 team and I Thanks Seth have to say a huge thank you to them and the Priority One Services team for the generous hospitality and especially to Seth for introducing me to oysters I am now converted The last day of the scheduled facility tours was spent at MedImmune Gaithersburg MD where I had the chance to meet up with fellow recipient Donna Goldsteen who along with Bob Dauchy visited us at The Crick while it was still a building site in 2016 Donna was very much taken by the doors that were being fitted to our facility rooms so it was nice to see she had used the design in her facility After a quick lunch in a local taco bar I then had a free afternoon to explore the local area and pack ready for the second part of the adventure

42 February 2018 Bulletin Week Two AALAS After flying from Washington to Austin Texas on the Saturday morning I booked into my hotel just a stone s throw from the Austin Convention Centre which was hosting the 68th AALAS National Meeting AALAS kicked off on the Sunday with the Tecniplast welcome breakfast where it was great to meet up with some familiar faces from the UK and also be introduced to some new colleagues in the industry After this we had meeting orientation and some trade talks The scale of AALAS was immense with nearly 4 000 delegates attending literally hundreds of posters being displayed and a full programme of platform talks and workshops running from 8am to 5pm most days The trade exhibition hall was on such a large scale that I think they should hire cycles to get around There were many vendors we are familiar with in the UK but also many we do not routinely see at UK symposia The national meeting was also interspersed with many great social events both formal and informal where it was great to both network and also relax with colleagues and newfound friends It was also a great chance to meet up with past recipients of the Fellowship and to be accepted into their clan was a truly proud experience I must admit I was feeling a little nervous at the thought of attending the AAALAC AALAS ICLAS International Luncheon where I would formally receive my award be presented with a crystal globe and have to give a thank you speech in front of 300 attendees But as with all the events that were scheduled I was made to feel extremely welcome and put at ease by the friendly nature of all I met it was great to be there with Kati who was the US recipient and the first fellow to see us at The Crick with animals in it and to receive our awards at the same time The awards The experience of being awarded the Fellowship has been both inspirational and rewarding I have met so many new colleagues and experienced such a diverse range of laboratory animal science and research that I doubt I would have ever been able to if I had not applied I would like to thank all I met and all those involved in making this a memorable experience especially Priority One Services Inc and the Datesand Group Ltd who sponsor the award Rob Weichbrod and all at Building 49 NIH for their generous hospitality throughout

Bulletin February 2018 43 the two weeks the staff at the AAALAC office for organising the schedule and of course my sponsors for putting me forward for the award Thank you Finally I would encourage all RAnTechs to apply for this I will certainly be advocating others and if you do apply and are not successful the first time do not be discouraged apply again and again if need be You will not be disappointed It really will be an experience of a lifetime If you are successful then just a couple of tips Take a large journal and try to jot down as much information as you can as you go on a daily basis 30 minutes at the end of each day to record what you did and with whom as it is such a packed itinerary that you will risk information overload without it Make sure you have an up to date TB vaccine so you can fully experience a tour of the NHP facilities Take your passport with you to the facilities you visit as you may need to use it for security clearance and identification Get writing those applications and good luck Alan Palmer MIAT RAnTech NTCO Francis Crick Institute

44 February 2018 Bulletin

Bulletin February 2018 45 AALAS Brits Night 2017 A s is now tradition on the Wednesday evening of the AALAS meeting we once again held a jointly sponsored Brit s Night to round off a successful and busy week for all involved The city of Austin in Texas is a vibrant one and there are no shortage of bars and restaurants to choose from After some extensive research we chose a fine establishment called Buffalo Billiards The team at Buffalo Billiards were brilliant They cordoned off an area of pool tables and shuffleboard for us provided a Tex Mex hot buffet and even gave us our own server and security With around 40 attendees this year the pool table were soon put to good use and the competitive spirit flowed Jan IPS proved to be a bit of a shark and I proved that I shouldn t be allowed anywhere near pool tables as I m rubbish I did beat one of the Hills though I m not saying which one Spectating on the world class pool playing

46 February 2018 Bulletin Fuel3D fuelling up at the Tex Mex tacos Brits doing what they do best looking awkward in photos

Bulletin February 2018 47 Bree the server with an incredible memory kept the drinks coming and somehow kept track of who was where and drinking what If my memory was half as good as hers I d be over the moon As the evening wore on the focus turned to the American bar game shuffleboard Shuffleboard is basically a massive long block of wood covered in sand that you shove pucks along and try to score points against an opponent before your team mate does the same in the opposite direction That is truly a terrible description of the game Anyway Lou Pirbright Institute proved to have a bit of an eye for it and I think was almost always on the winning team Lou lines up a shuffleboard shot

48 February 2018 Bulletin After the obligatory team photo we rounded off with a quick game of table football where Graham Manchester chanted like he was on the terraces at Old Trafford It was then onto the Quipp party for those brave enough or off to bed for those of us who know when it s time to stop VERY competitive table football It was unanimously agreed that the night was a great success and we ll do it all again in Baltimore 2018 Massive thanks go to the sponsoring companies without whom the event couldn t take place Datesand Agenda Allentown IPS Sychem Rees Scientific Tecniplast and Fuel3D Nicky Windows Datesand Event Organiser

Bulletin February 2018 49 West of Scotland Christmas Meal and Committee Meeting 5th January 2018 On Friday 5th January 15 people gathered in O Neill s Pub in Merchant City Glasgow for the belated Christmas meeting This was our best turnout for a long time with Kally and Joanne making the trip down from Dundee to join us Margaret Skeoch is a regular but it was good to have Dennis Colin David and Stuart from Glasgow University there as well The usual Strathclyde crew myself Brian Peter Stevie retired and Alastair a stalwart from the Edinburgh Branch Christmas Lunch It was typical that on this occasion I hadn t asked anyone for sponsorship However we did have some branch funds to contribute to the evening If you re counting the names attending you ll realise I am three short We also had some trade representatives who had made the trip north to join us Finna from Allentown who kindly brought the first round and Ian and Dougie from Tecniplast made our numbers up to the 15 Introductions were made and then we had a very quick meeting deciding on our AGM date possible speakers and discussing the branch budget

50 February 2018 Bulletin We moved on to Qua Italian restaurant where Ian from Tecniplast and Finna from Allentown made the decision that the two companies would split the amount remaining on the bill between them How lucky are we to have such generous companies supporting us It really is appreciated The meal was excellent and the restaurant even put out crackers so we had to endure a few more bad jokes but it was worth it Finishing the meal with some grappa no I wouldn t do it as a shot and limonchello At the end of the meal we said goodnight to a few of the group and nine of us went on for one last drink in a very trendy bar where we didn t look out of place at all honest A really great get together and now I m looking forward to the AGM on the 23rd February Thanks again to Allentown and Tecniplast for their impromptu sponsorship Linda Horan Branch Secretary AGM

technical staff with required procedures The safe operation of laboratory and agricultural machinery is required as may be the collection and delivery of livestock Animal Technician 22 510 23 170 Weybridge Surrey Ref 1568019 APHA works to safeguard animal and plant health for the benefit of people the environment and the economy As a Civil Servant we will offer 25 days annual leave increasing to 30 days at 5 years service a pension scheme on site restaurant and parking specialised training team and individual rewards Duties include cleaning of animal accommodation daily animal care and husbandry and assisting veterinary and Staff will be required to work rostered weekends Bank Holidays and occasional evenings for which you will receive appropriate payment Out of hours work may be required in the event of an incident You will be expected to have the necessary CTC security clearance for the work of the post You will need to comply with a number of health protocols and wear protective clothing and respiratory protective equipment as required To discover more and apply please visit https www civilservicejobs service gov uk and search using the role reference number Closing date 28 February 2018 Interviews are expected to take place in March 2018 Social Genetic Developmental Psychiatry Centre IoPPN Animal research technician Grade 3 20 411 to 21 585 per annum plus 2 923 per annum London Allowance Full time Fixed Term Contract for 1 year Ref G3 PAD 0221 18 SB An animal research technician fixed term post is available for an individual who wishes to pursue a career working with animal in science and medical research The post holder will receive expert training in mouse colony management a range of behavioural tests and molecular genetics techniques This vacancy will be on the Denmark Hill Campus within King s College London The deadline for applications is midnight on Friday 23rd February 2018 The selection process will include a panel interview Interviews are scheduled to be held the week commencing 5th March 2018 For an informal discussion to find out more about the role please contact Dr Cathy Fernandes tel 020 7848 0662 or email cathy fernandes kcl ac uk To apply for this role please go to the King s College London HireWire Job Board and register to download and submit the specified application form

Bulletin February 2018 DIARY Dates 20 February West Middlesex Branch 7th Annual Technician Symposium London Details from julie bee crick ac uk 23 February Congress Workshops Registration opens See page 11 23 February The Learning Curve NIO Workshop London Details from info learningcurvedevelopment co uk 27 28 February The Learning Curve NACWO Course Newcastle Details from info learningcurvedevelopment co uk 1 March Red Kite Veterinary Consultant Aquatic Biosecurity Sheffield Details from training redkite co uk 2 March Final Date to Register for Congress See page 11 6 March Comic Strip Competition closes Submissions to iat6262 gmail com Front cover The Bat Bridge Austin Texas 6 March Bernardini Fondazione Anaesthesia for fish in aquaculture research Norway Details from secretary fondazioneguido bernardini org 7 March The Foundation Course in Tecniplast IVCs England Details from info tecniplastuk com 14 16 March Bernardini Fondazione Organising and operating activities in a rodent animal facility Italy Details from secretary fondazioneguido bernardini org 20 23 March IAT Congress 2018 North England See page 11 20 23 March Trade Passport Competition See page 19 55