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Institute of Animal Technology Bulletin G G G G Congress AGM Report Congress 2015 Congress in Pictures AS ET CONGRESS 2015 SPECIAL ISSUE G G G Branch News Situations Vacant Diary Dates Vol 51 No 6 June 2015

Bulletin Vol 51 No 6 June 2015 EDITOR Sarah Lane bulletineditor iat org uk ASSISTANT EDITOR Elaine Kirkum 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 August Bulletin 1st July The opinions expressed in the Bulletin do not necessarily reflect those of the Editor or the Institute CONTENTS Minutes of 29th IAT AGM 5 9 Congress 2015 11 21 Congress 2015 Feedback 23 29 Suppliers Register i xliv First Time at Congress Report 31 33 Three Minute Interview 34 35 AS ET 36 37 Branch News 45 48 Situations Vacant 50 Diary Dates 51

Bulletin June 2015 5 MINUTES OF THE 29TH ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF THE INSTITUTE OF ANIMAL TECHNOLOGY 18 00 hours on Tuesday 17th March 2015 held at the Scottish Exhibition Conference Centre Glasgow This is an abridged version of the minutes of the 29th Annual AGM A full set of minutes is available on the IAT website www iat org uk The AGM was Chaired by the IAT President Robin Lovell Badge FRS and was attended by 81 members Robin Lovell Badge welcomed everyone to the IAT AGM 1 Apologies Apologies were received from Peter Russell Glyn Fisher and Jas Barley 2 Minutes of the 28th Annual General Meeting of the Institute of Animal Technology held on 8th April 2014 at Norbreck Castle Hotel Blackpool The minutes were accepted as a true and accurate record of the meeting Proposed Wendy Steel Seconded Nicky Gent Carried unanimously 3 Matters arising from the minutes Gail Thompson relayed greetings from Cindy Buckmaster and Robert Weichbrod 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 2015 Steve Owen SRO Chair of IAT Council welcomed everyone to Congress 2015 and thanked Council for all their hard work throughout the year SRO then highlighted some areas of the Annual Report Acceptance of the Annual Report

Bulletin June 2015 7 Proposed Andy Domone Seconded Alan Graham Carried unanimously 6 Financial Report Glyn Fisher IAT Treasurer was unable to attend the IAT AGM so Charlie Chambers CEC Vice Treasurer delivered the report on his behalf The accounts had been available on the IAT website prior to the AGM CEC reported that there had been no expenditure on the apprenticeship scheme in 2014 A pilot scheme has been running and the full scheme will begin in 2015 Council wished to propose several price increases to come into effect in 2015 16 Membership fees have been held for several years now and a rise of 5 across all membership levels is proposed Registration fees for Level 2 and 3 qualifications to increase from 85 to 97 from 1st September 2015 HE Module costs Levels 4 to 6 increased from 750 to 950 per module from 1st September 2015 Centre accreditation fees to be abolished Journal subscription costs to increase for 2016 Moderator fees to increase by 50 from 1st August 2015 The Financial Report including the proposed price increases and the Audited Accounts were proposed Proposed John Gregory Seconded Paul Sanders Carried unanimously 7 Appointment of the Auditor The Treasurer proposed that King Loose be re appointed as auditors for 2014 This was agreed Proposed Charlie Chambers Seconded Theresa Langford Carried unanimously 8 8 i Election of Officers President Council wished to propose Robin Lovell Badge as President for the following year Proposed Council Seconded John Gregory Carried unanimously

8 June 2015 8 ii Bulletin Vice Presidents There was a proposal from Council that Susan Houlton be elected as a new Vice President which Alan Graham spoke to The following were proposed en bloc as Vice Presidents David Anderson Susan Houlton Clive Page Stephen Barnett Wendy Jarrett Gail Thompson Miles Carroll Judy MacArthur Clark Robert Weichbrod Brian Cass Fiona McEwen Sheila Whitehead Gerald Clough Tim Morris Lord Robert Winston Paul Flecknell Jose Orellana Proposed Council Seconded David Smith Carried with one vote against 8 iii Council There were ten candidates for Council election so the following candidates were appointed to serve a three year term Cathy Godfrey Mathew Bilton Sarah Lane Sam Jameson Norman Mortell Theresa Langford Allan Thornhill Carole Wilson Nicky Gent Adrian Woodhouse 9 Proposals for Honorary and Life Membership Council nominated Sue McHugh for Honorary membership Proposed Council Seconded Adele Kitching Carried unanimously Council nominated Charlie Chambers for Life Membership Proposed Council Seconded Linda Horan Carried unanimously 10 Presentation of Life and Honorary Memberships At the AGM in 2014 the membership had elected Terry Priest and Trevor Richards for Honorary Membership both of whom had been invited to collect their plaques Steven Cubitt spoke to the award for Terry Priest Terry accepted his award expressing much appreciation Without the IAT

Bulletin June 2015 9 Terry explained he would not have had the opportunities for the very fruitful career he had had Terry reported that he is very excited by the steps the IAT are taking particularly in respect of the Apprenticeship schemes Terry left school with no qualifications and worked his way through the IAT qualifications With changes in education Terry thought this opportunity had gone but is very pleased to see that it still lives on through the apprenticeships Terry thanked the IAT for his Honorary membership Alan Graham spoke to the award for Trevor Richards Trevor accepted his award echoing Terry Priests words and wishing the IAT well in the future Trevor congratulated the IAT on being advocates of career development and welfare issues and hoped the Institute continues to go from strength to strength Trevor had collected his British Empire Medal the day before the AGM and explained that it was down to the people he worked with who made it possible for him to take advantage of opportunities provided by the Institute and that the BEM was for everyone he had worked with Also at the 2014 AGM Cathy Godfrey was proposed as a Life Member Ken Applebee spoke to the award Cathy accepted her award and thanked everyone for what she called a great honour Cathy had found her time with the IAT to be very fulfilling and spoke of the pleasure in seeing members developing throughout their careers and knowing that in some way she had been involved in that development A plaque was also presented to Wendy Jarrett who was elected in 2014 as a Vice President Wendy s thanks were twofold she thanked the IAT for the opportunity to be a VP and for the fantastic job in driving the Concordat on Openness Wendy went on to say that the IAT are not just at the forefront of animal welfare but that animal technologists are the best advocates of animal research so thank you to everyone for all they do 11 Any Other Business There being no other business Robin Lovell Badge closed the meeting at 18 45 hours and wished everyone an enjoyable Congress For the full unabridged version of the Minutes of the 29th Annual IAT AGM please go to http www iat org uk memdoclibrary php

U nlike Congress 2013 in Eastbourne Congress 2015 in Scotland was not affected by adverse weather conditions with no snow to be seen We also managed to have one of the best views of the partial eclipse on Friday morning for which the clouds briefly parted Congress 2015 began with the AGM This was attended by 81 people and included highlights from the IAT Annual Report as well as the usual AGM business Terry Priest and Trevor Richards received their Honorary Membership plaques and Cathy Godfrey was awarded with Life Membership Wendy Jarrett was also presented with a plaque confirming her election as a Vice President

12 June 2015 Bulletin

Bulletin June 2015 13 Proposals for the following year were put to the AGM to award Sue McHugh Honorary Membership Sue Houlton as a new Vice President and Charlie Chambers for Life Membership These proposals were carried unanimously and the awards will be made at the 2016 AGM An abridged version of the minutes of the AGM can be found on page 5 and the full version has been uploaded to the IAT website www iat org uk Presiding over the AGM RtoL Robin Lovell Badge President Linda Horan Honorary Secretary Steve Owen Chair of IAT and Charlie Chambers Deputy Honorary Treasurer A full and varied scientific programme took place over Wednesday and Thursday with 18 papers being presented After the Congress Chair Alan Graham had officially opened the proceedings we were honoured to have the past president of FELASA Dr Jan Bas Prins to chair the first session This year two of the paper sessions were sponsored The first by AAALAC International who are celebrating their 50th anniversary The three papers presented during their sponsored session were related to AAALAC accreditation what is required and how to retain the status once achieved

14 June 2015 Bulletin Chris Lawrie explaining what AAALAC accreditation has meant for Covance Harrogate Clare Sims a very worthy winner of this year s Andrew Blake Tribute Award receiving her engraved glass plaque from Stephen Barnett Trustee of AS ET and Robin Lovell Badge

Bulletin June 2015 15 The second session was sponsored by AS ET celebrating a slightly more modest 5 year anniversary This session included the winning Andrew Blake Tribute Award paper Refinement in action Moving from head cap to harness for cannulating laboratory rats by Clare Sims Other papers included updates from the ASRU and on the Concordat on Openness Thank you to both AAALAC and AS ET for their generous sponsorship For the first time this year we recorded the presentations and where presenters were agreeable they are now available for viewing on the Members section of the IAT website Sadly when adverse weather did set in it prevented one of our First Time presenters Emma Bartlett from flying to Glasgow from Manchester due to bad fog so Stuart Hamilton did a sterling job by delivering not only his own paper but also Emma s as well The judging this year of the 3 papers was a very close call and finally a decision was made to award Sarah Lucas this prestigious prize for her paper Improving husbandry routines for mice housed in IVCs Our thanks go to Marshall B K for their continuing sponsorship of this award Roy Sutcliffe presenting Sarah with her First Time Presenter prize The Kevin Dolan Memorial Lecture was presented by David Anderson and Terry Thorpe and was entitled Changing lives the guide dog story David is a Trustee for the Guide Dogs and Terry is Mobility Team Manager for the

Bulletin June 2015 17 Glasgow Mobility Team and they both spoke very passionately about the work of Guide Dogs It was a very moving presentation made more so by the personal story of Lyn Carse who attended the Lecture with her guide dog Eva This year there were 26 posters which were displayed in the Trade Exhibition Hall These covered a range of topics and species from the husbandry of various animals Biozzi mice and naked mole rats to Xenopus the technicians themselves and the IAT Career Pathway We are grateful to LBS Serving Biotechnology Ltd for once again sponsoring the Best Poster award which this year was awarded to Haley Forrest for her poster The naked mole rat husbandry and maintenance The winning poster was chosen for its informative and interesting content on such an unusual Jim Scott presents Haley with her Best species The judges also Poster prize commented on the poster displays as a whole praising the quality of presentation variety and informative nature of the posters Five workshops were held over the two days Whilst workshops were oversubscribed for one in particular there was a large number of noshows This meant that workshops did not have the full quota of attendees and some delegates missed out on being able to attend The Congress

18 June 2015 Bulletin Committee will endeavour to address this issue for next year Our gratitude goes to those presenters who agreed at short notice to increase the number of attendees on their workshops to allow more people to attend The workshops were well received with very positive feedback Workshops included Actual severity assessments practical considerations which used real case scenarios as a base for discussions The workshop on Scientific animal research laboratory as a place to care for animals followed on from a paper given earlier in the day and was the first workshop of its kind For many years we have been asked for workshops relating to large animal topics and we were pleased to include this year Assessing pain in animals using sheep as the main example The RSPCA also had three presenters for their workshop How to become involved in the Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Body AWERB The final workshop was Introduction to Named Persons which looked at the new Named roles and issues people were facing Ideas for topics for 2016 would be very welcome Details on how to apply to present a workshop will be available on the Congress 2016 section of the IAT website Beth Greenhough and Emma Roe presenting their paper and workshop on Scientific animal research laboratory as a place to care for animals the first of its kind at Congress The Trade Exhibition was held in Hall 2 at the SECC and provided a large open arena for stands and lunches to be served A total of 56 companies exhibited at Congress 2015 thank you to them all for their continuing support We also welcomed a number of new companies again this year The exhibition was officially opened by Bailie Allan Stewart representing the Lord Provost of Glasgow The Lord Provost s Office had kindly sponsored the wine reception prior to the opening of the Trade Exhibition The exhibition was busy

Bulletin June 2015 19 throughout Congress Unfortunately due to last minute layout changes enforced by the venue on safety grounds some exhibitors found themselves in the far reaches of the huge venue The Congress Committee will be looking at ways to improve the layout of exhibitions and the flow of delegates to all the exhibitors next year Bailie Allan Stewart doing the honours of officially opening the Trade Exhibition We are also grateful to the Trade companies who sponsored the delegate pack items Allentown for the bags Harlan for the mugs and Hartelust for the pens This year we also introduced a new style notebook which contained useful information on the venue and surrounding area as well as the At a Glance programme for easy reference It also offered opportunities for companies to sponsor pages of the notebook It has been previously noted that attending Congress can be an intimidating experience especially for younger technicians or those attending on their own So over the past few years we have introduced an Ice breaker session on Tuesday afternoon This is usually combined with a tour of the venue so that delegates can become familiar with the layout of the venue and where events will take place This has become more formalised over the last two years and is now a very popular event with around 30 delegates attending this year Delegates are able to meet other attendees and have fun playing games or line dancing whilst enjoying some liquid refreshment

20 June 2015 Bulletin Making new friends at the Ice breaker Wednesday evening saw some local entertainment in the form of a ceilidh However this was a ceilidh with a twist in that it involved scientific terminology The ceilidh was followed by a disco Round and round and round they all went

Bulletin June 2015 21 The Gala Dinner took place on the Thursday evening and was a thoroughly enjoyable event Guests were piped into the hall by a Scottish piper and then enjoyed a very nice meal During dinner the North Atlantic Project a harp and dobro duo played background music The roadshow then took over until the early hours of Friday morning Following Congress 2015 we issued a feedback survey and we have addressed issues raised and comments made in a separate article in this issue of the Bulletin Thank you to all those who took the time to complete the survey your involvement is very much appreciated We hope you enjoyed Congress and we look forward to welcoming you back in 2016

Bulletin June 2015 23 Congress 2015 Feedback F ollowing Congress 2015 we conducted a feedback survey with all attendees We received responses from 130 delegates and we wanted to share the responses with IAT members There were ten questions Q1 How would you rate the following aspects of Congress Location 85 of respondents rated the location of Congress as Good or Excellent Parking Whilst it was mainly Trade Exhibitors who made use of parking facilities at the venue 83 of respondents agreed the parking was Good or Excellent Food Refreshments 83 of respondents rated the catering aspects of Congress as Good or Excellent Social Events 96 of respondents felt that the social events were Average or above Value for Money 83 felt that Congress 2015 was Average or above in terms of value for money Programme Scientific Papers 80 of respondents felt that the Scientific Programme was Good or Excellent Accommodation 82 of respondents rated the accommodation as Average or above Q2 Did you attend a Workshop 40 of the respondents attended a workshop If the response was No there was the opportunity of adding a comment to this answer Some respondents were trade exhibitors others felt that the workshops were not relevant

24 June 2015 Bulletin The majority of the responses however commented on the process of booking Workshop places and the fact that Workshops were often fully booked In the past on line pre booking of Workshops was encouraged However this led to delegates booking on several Workshops and then not attending This could be due to double bookings or to the fact that there was a paper session they wished to attend at the same time By ensuring that Workshops are actually booked at Congress it was hoped that this would eliminate the no shows that occurred with prebooking Unfortunately this has not proved to be the case Despite asking delegates to cancel bookings if they changed their minds there was still a high percentage of people not turning up There is no deterrent to people not attending Workshops and so the system will be re assessed for Congress 2016 We may consider the option to pre book and charge for workshop attendance this works successfully for other similar conferences We do operate a waiting list system whereby delegates can put their names on a reserve list in case of nonattendance Q3 Were you made to feel welcome at Congress 98 of respondents felt they had been made to feel welcome at Congress Q4 Did you visit the Trade Exhibition during your time at Congress 98 5 of respondents visited the Trade Exhibition Q5 Do you feel the variety of topics covered in the Scientific Programme is sufficient 86 18 of respondents felt the variety of topics covered is sufficient A later survey question asked for ideas for topics and these will be considered for future events Q6 This question asked respondents to rank in order of importance various aspects of Congress Overall the rankings were as follows where 1 is the most important and 6 the least important 1 Platform Presentations 2 Poster Presentations 3 Workshops 4 Trade Exhibition 5 Social Events 6 A mix of all the above

26 June 2015 Q7 Bulletin Are there any specific topics which would interest you for a future Congress This was a free text answer and ideas included G leadership academy type of workshop G experimental design and choice of control animals G alternatives to the use of animals in scientific procedures G feedback on NACWO exchanges G training competence G health safety in the animal house environment G work involving fish G more aquatics and management subjects G continued updates on HO matters G openness G large animals G managing staff G enrichment All the topics suggested will be considered for future Congresses However if there is an area which interests you particularly why not consider submitting a paper or encouraging others to present papers on that topic Q8 Would you like to suggest a social event for a future Congress Again this was a free text response option There were lots of suggestions and they will be considered Some of the suggestions were A variety of options this may result in people not being able to do what they want as there would be limited numbers available for each activity It would be impossible to estimate numbers Quiz we usually try and have a quiz every other year In 2014 we had a Wine Cheese Quiz which was very popular There were comments that the restricted numbers made it unfair that everyone could not attend but unfortunately we had to limit numbers due to the venue size plus the amount of cheese and wine we had to purchase in advance There was no way to estimate who would want to attend Attract more people to the Ice Breaker session there was a comment that this event should not only be available to new delegates This is not and has never been the case Any delegates can attend the Ice Breaker session and the familiarisation tour of the venue Fancy dress delegates do not always want to bring fancy dress with

Bulletin June 2015 27 them especially if they are flying or travelling by train and having to carry extra luggage However this will be considered Live bands it can be very difficult to try and find an affordable live band which will appeal to all delegates We will try to find local bands though in future to play alongside a roadshow Off site visits to places of local interest it is hard to gauge what the uptake will be for this type of social event so organising transport is problematic Q9 Would you recommend Congress to others 97 of respondents would recommend Congress to others Q10 Do you have any comments on Congress or any suggestions on how we can improve Congress in the future 57 of respondents made a comment These were mainly related to the Trade Exhibition and accommodation Overall the feedback was very positive and the Congress Committee will work with Council to consider all the suggestions and comments from the feedback for future events FAQ Q Why can you not accommodate all delegates in one venue A It is very difficult to find venues that can accommodate over 400 delegates as well as provide an exhibition area of a suitable size a lecture theatre breakout rooms for workshops and space for lunches and refreshment breaks There are very few venues that tick all the boxes We do however try to accommodate all delegates within short walking distance of the main venue Q A Q A There was a big difference in the standard of the hotels in Glasgow but the cost per delegate was the same This does not seem very fair The Congress Committee appreciate that there was a difference in hotel standards this year although the negotiated rates in 3 of the 4 hotels were very similar We have always tried to offer delegates a package price for ease of booking and payment However we continue to evaluate each venue and we may consider costing the package differently if multiple hotels are required Why can we not have exclusive use of a venue Many major hotels such as the ones used in Glasgow have contracts with other companies that have to be honoured It would be hugely expensive

28 June 2015 Bulletin to book the whole venue for exclusive use Venues such as Blackpool was a venue that ticked many of the boxes but feedback suggested that the quality of the venue was poor Q A Why is the rate advertised on the hotel websites often cheaper than the price delegates are paying for Congress Hotel room rates vary almost daily on websites in a similar way to airline seats The IAT Congress venues are often booked 18 months in advance and we do negotiate room rates at that time The delegate fee is a package price which includes a lot more that the Bed Breakfast rate offered by the hotel Q A Can there be a registration fee for those attending on one day only The IAT Congress has for many years offered a day delegate rate which includes lunch and refreshment and access to all presentations workshops and posters as well as entry to the Trade Exhibition It does not include an evening meal nor accommodation Q It would have been more appropriate to locate the refreshments and lunch in the Trade Exhibition to attract more delegates to the exhibition Depending on the size of the venue we will always endeavour to locate the refreshments and lunches in the exhibition In Glasgow refreshments were located in the centre of the exhibition and lunches in the adjacent hall We do try to encourage all delegates to visit the exhibition during these break times and indeed many exhibitors commented positively on the volume of visitors during the breaks 98 5 of the feedback respondents stated that they did visit the exhibition A Q A Some exhibitors seemed cut off The layout of the exhibition was not very well thought out The congress committee and the trade exhibition manager works hard to design a floor plan that meets the many requirements and requests of exhibitors complies with the venues health safety requirements and allows a flow of visitors to all areas Unfortunately in Glasgow the layout of the exhibition was altered by the venue the week before the Congress Originally the exhibition was to be more compact with more space around the outside of the layout The venue requested wider walkways and a layout that aligned with the unusual power ducts in the hall This spread the exhibition out towards the walls thus creating dead spaces We apologise to those exhibitors that were affected by this last minute alteration and we will work closely with venues in the future to prevent a reoccurrence of this Unfortunately on this occasion we had very little control over the venue s request

Bulletin Q A June 2015 29 The food was very spicy and there was not a lot of choice Food is always very difficult to judge as everyone has their own likes and dislikes We will take on board that the food on Wednesday night was felt to be too spicy by some delegates and we will try to ensure that there are more options in future However the Gala Dinner will remain as a set menu with a vegetarian option as it would be impractical to offer a served dinner with a choice on that scale Delegates are encouraged to highlight any dietary requirements on the Registration Form

Bulletin June 2015 31 My first time at the IAT Congress I have been working in this industry for 3 years and I was already aware of the IAT annual Congress thanks to all of the enthusiastic stories from my colleagues from the Imperial College South Kensington unit When I was asked to join the Congress I was excited to participate in such a great event but I did not know exactly what to expect It was a very informative experience with several inspiring talks and a relaxed atmosphere where everyone was exchanging stories and experiences The first formative opportunity started very early just a few hours before the Congress actually On the train to Glasgow I practiced my English vocabulary by playing Scrabble with my colleagues It was very entertaining E 1 N 1 T 1 E 1 R 1 T 1 A 1 I 1 N 1 I 1 N 1 G 2 I just had a glimpse of Glasgow from the cab but we arrived at the conference centre in only a few minutes The site was really big and quite confusing but fortunately during the registration they gave us the programme along with a map with all of the different venues marked on it In the late afternoon after a few hours of relaxation in the hotel the Congress got started Everyone went to the Annual General Meeting I was very happy to see my ex colleagues from Kings College and to have dinner with them It was the first Congress for all of us and I am sure everyone could tell especially from my lost looking face It was incredible to see how many stands there were in the exhibition hall and to have the chance to speak and give feedback to all of the manufacturers and sales people from some of the companies that we use every day During the Congress I was also in charge of asking for information about different enrichment products for an Imperial College study and honestly it wasn t difficult at all After one hour my bag was literally full of enrichment product samples gifts and a lot of different kinds of pens The next day after a full English breakfast the second in two days I attended all the talks in the morning session One of my favourites was Improving husbandry routines for mice housed in IVCs presented by a technician from UCL It s great to see just one way of how we can improve the welfare and the husbandry of the animals in our care

32 June 2015 Bulletin Support Understanding Animal Research Understanding Animal Research is now supported by individuals as well as organisations If you want to take an active role in showing why animals are necessary in research then being a supporter is for you Support Understanding Animal Research because You care about the use of animals in research You want others to understand the necessity of animal research You know that together we can make a difference Supporting Understanding Animal Research brings Regular updates on our activities An invitation to our annual reception including the Stephen Paget Memorial Lecture Membership of a supportive and active community Annual supporter subscriptions cost just 25 Your help will be invaluable in establishing networks and setting up this new aspect of our work Sign up now at www understandinganimalresearch org uk aboutus membership and funding support us

Bulletin June 2015 33 In the evening we had dinner all together and then I was amused by watching my colleagues dancing to some very intricate Scottish music I also had the chance to chat with some technicians and managers from other units The third day third English breakfast after a brief visit to the trade exhibition I participated in the workshop Introduction of Named Persons I really appreciated getting to work in a group with different people from different units sharing ideas and questions on what could be done to improve the roles of the newest named persons NTCO NIO The Gala Dinner was a great conclusion to the event G G G lots of new friends music dance and some good wine To sum up it was a very enlightening experience where I had the chance to understand the real essence of this small but tight knit community I left the Congress very motivated and with tons of ideas and pens to share with my colleagues It was very inspiring to meet many of the people that created this industry as well as the new generation that will grow it into the future Bruna Delfini Imperial College London

34 June 2015 Bulletin Three Minute Interview Name Roger Francis Job title IAT Life Member retired Describe yourself in 3 words Quietly determined and thoughtful What is your earliest memory Standing in the middle of a field surrounded by cows with my two year old sister who was crying her eyes out I was four and already animal mad When you were at school what or who did you want to be and why George Cansdale he presented an animal programme on children s television from London Zoo What was the first music album you bought Cannot remember either the Shadows or the Beatles and I still have the majority of the Beatles songs If you could have dinner with one person who would that be and why David Attenborough I met him once at Bristol Zoo he is such an unassuming man but what a life he has had What is the best advice you have been given Always treat others as you would wish to be treated yourself What is your next goal in life To live long enough to win the British National Carving Championships that way I should get to live for ever If you could visit anywhere in the world where would you choose and why Costa Rica lovely people and fantastic wildlife especially the birds

Bulletin June 2015 35 What is your favourite quote or saying Patience is a virtue I still need to work on it What is the most important thing your job has taught you Say it as it is Cup of tea or stiff drink Cup of coffee closely followed by a fine malt Favourite colour Green Favourite place Cost Rica Last book you read Winter of the World Ken Follett Name something that annoys you Impolite people especially those who are rude to those they consider beneath their own status Printable most embarrassing moment When working at the zoo having just had the tip of a finger bitten off as I came out of the ape house kitchen into a packed ape house I was asked by an elderly lady if the Chimpanzee had just bitten me When I replied yes she said I thought he had and didn t think you would have called him that otherwise I still don t know what I called him but could have a good guess Hobbies or interests Wood carving birding gardening and unsuccessful fly fishing

36 June 2015 Bulletin AS ET 5th Anniversary Year AS ET at the IAT Congress The IAT Congress is a busy time for AS ET It is the time when we get the opportunity to talk to delegates to explain what we do and to meet with our sponsors and supporters It is also a time when we try to raise money so we can continue to support education and promote excellence in the care and welfare of animals used in science In all 1 644 was raised for AS ET during the meeting 1 011 of that came from the silent auction organised by Elaine Kirkum held at the Trade reception We also received 483 from the proceeds of the Congress Passport Competition organised by Nicky Windows at Datesand Added to this we received 150 in donations from delegates We are grateful to trade exhibitors the organisers and the delegates whose efforts and generosity raised this magnificent amount It has now become a tradition that the AS ET reception is held just before the Gala Dinner on the last night of Congress This event is generously sponsored by the IAT The reception gives us a chance to thank the sponsors Fig 1 and supporters Fig 2 who are essential to the success of AS ET If you would like to become a sponsor or supporter please go to our website www as et org uk Fig 1 AS ET Corporate Sponsors Fig 2 AS ET Official Supporters

Bulletin June 2015 37 AS ET is a charity to advance education and promote excellence in the care and welfare of animals used in science Sponsors of AS ET are listed below and to find out more please visit the website www as et org uk

Congress in pictures CONGRESS Congress 2015 17th 20th March 2015 2015 Animal Technology advancing comparative biology Alan multi tasking as Registrar and Chair of the Congress Committee Hande Amy and Zoe were at the Trade Reception Nice smiles all round As were Marc Katy Matthew and Sarah from UCL A very special guest Dr Jan Bas Prins chairing the first session

Mikaella Bennie from Venomtech presenting on Wednesday Adele Duran from the University of Sheffield co presenting with Mark Gardiner from MRC on Thursday Susannah Parkin from the University of Kent giving her Poster Presentation

Andy Dickinson from Surrey Diagnostics giving his Poster Presentation Selena Hopkins from Wellcome Trust Genome Campus discussing her poster We couldn t possibly publish every official photo taken at Congress so we have uploaded all of them to the Members section at www iat org uk for your viewing pleasure

44 June 2015 I A T LONDON BRANCH Bulletin 2 01 5 Socia lD ates

Bulletin June 2015 45 North East Branch Symposium and AGM O n 11 February 2015 the North East Branch of the IAT held a symposium and AGM at the University of Sheffield with the support of the trade The subject was Zoos and Labs What s the Difference and several speakers from both laboratories and zoos came along to talk to us about their experiences in these different areas Opening the symposium was Matt Brash NVS from York University and vet at Flamingo Land speaking in his zoo capacity This was an interesting talk examining whether conservation should outweigh welfare in modern zoos These have become the last refuge for the breeding of some endangered species but space is obviously limited Is it right to breed animals no matter how endangered if their future as individuals are uncertain Should culling take place in certain cases or can spaying solve problems This talk looked at some of these cases and the role of the zoo s ethical review in decision making This is a subject which is dear to my heart The second talk of the morning was from Philip Damiani from Harlan Laboratories speaking about Assisted Reproductive Technologies in Laboratory Animals As Global Head of Embryology and Transgenic Support Philip certainly understood his subject He discussed whether recent advances in laboratory animal production superovulation embryo transfer cryopreservation etc can be of use in the rescue of endangered species It would be nice to think that they can Lunch was a communal affair offering a great array of culinary delights especially welcome for opportunistic feeders like me We visited the trade stands which were set up in a side room offering information ideas and free gifts as always As it was almost Valentine s day the free red silk roses from Agenda s stand were especially popular Our two afternoon sessions started with Gerry Creigton operations manager from Dublin Zoo with his lovely talk about The Future of the Asian Elephant Interspersed with video footage of the elephants and primates in their enclosures including the arrival of a new male and the birth of baby elephants this made for very interesting and entertaining viewing and Gerry s enthusiasm for his animals was obvious and heart warming We finished the day with Chris Loaring from Venomtech talking about Minding the Point End Refining Venomous Snake Management for the

46 June 2015 Bulletin IAT Midlands Branch Trade Day 22nd September 2015 11 00 15 00 Birmingham Free registration and details from biomedicalservices bham ac uk

Bulletin June 2015 47 Laboratory There must be some who believe that technicians deliberately choosing to work with deadly snakes are certifiable I actually like snakes but seeing pictures of people handling the poisonous snakes and the result of the damage they cause did nothing to change opinion Yet the toxins from the snakes are such valuable tools that somebody has to do it This talk explained the novel husbandry methods that Venomtech have devised to minimise the risks to the staff whilst also improving the welfare of the snakes As well as the interesting talks we also had a raffle offering as prizes a number of lovely photographic prints taken at Dublin zoo Not being very lucky in raffles I was personally delighted to win one of the pictures The mangabey monkey looks out from his frame at all who visit our home Rachel Rodham University of Sheffield AS ET Fifth Anniversary Fundraising Ball Tickets are still available for the AS ET fifth anniversary ball to be held on 5th September at the London Metropole Hotel There will be excellent food a guest speaker a charity auction and dancing until 1am Tickets are 75 00 each Last month three of the auction lots were advertised in the Bulletin and this month there are two more Bids can now be placed for any of these lots Lot 4 Two tickets for the Rugby World Cup semi final Lot 5 A bottle of Talisker Storm single malt whisky To book tickets for the ball or to place bids for auction lots please contact elaine lbs biotech com

48 June 2015 Bulletin Edinburgh Branch Annual Skittles Match W ednesday 29th April saw the Edinburgh branch gather for our annual skittles match at the Sheep s Head which once again was kindly sponsored by Harlan Once the teams were drawn into the Alley cats and the Badgers the battle commenced but it was a pretty one sided affair with the Alley cats coming out as the winning team with 718 points compared to the Badgers measly 545 points Within the teams there were a number of keenly contested matches Ian Fielding bowled against Walter Swan from Harlan with Tecniplast winning the battle of the reps There was also Tecniplast service engineers Douglas and Callum facing each other and I am glad to report a win for Scotland with Douglas winning that battle We had a husband and wife contest with Sally Carpenter versus Chris Carpenter resulting in a win for the ladies There was a father and son battle between Jeff Allard and Julianno Allard with old age coming out on top Senior animal techs Gordon Melville faced Keith Chalmers with Gordon beating last year s champ Simon Cumming beat Janice Young in a Western general contest There was an encounter between retired techs Val Thomson and Mary Brady which saw Val winning As there were only 15 people Alastair Russell did not have a match but he was the champion on the night so many congratulations to him With a lovely buffet and drinks flowing freely a great night was had by all Roll on next year when we do it again Keith Chalmers Branch Reporter and ex skittles champ

Institute of Animal Technology

Bulletin June 2015 DIARY Dates 23 June LASA 3Rs Meeting Birth to Study 3Rs Animal Development and Transport South of England Details from info lasa co uk 23 September LASA 3Rs Meeting Birth to Study 3Rs Animal Development and Transport South of England Details from info lasa co uk 23 June North West Branch Visit to Alistair Reid Venom Research Unit Details from nicky datesand com 8 September RSPCA APHA Welfare of Wild Animals used in Research South East England Details from www nc3rs org uk 26 June West of Scotland Edinburgh Branch Edinburgh Zoo Trip Details from linda horan strath ac uk 16 September NC3Rs IAT Animal Technicians Symposium 2015 Central London Details from www nc3rs org uk See page 49 2 July London Branch Catch Up The Marlborough Arms London Details from j holby ucl ac uk See page 44 5 September Charity Ball London Details from elaine lbs biotech com See page 47 22 September Midlands Branch Trade Day Birmingham Details from biomedicalservices bham ac uk See page 46 25 27 November LASA Winter Meeting South of England Details from info lasa co uk Cover photo Lyn Carse s Guide dog Eva by Ingenting Ltd photographer 51