Summer 2005 Newsletter : Annual Meeting

Once again and, in spite of a decline in poultry science nationally, nearly 100 members from home and overseas gathered at the University of York at the beginning of April for the UK Branch Annual Meeting, marking the Branch's 59th anniversary year.

The Meeting was again divided into four sessions together with a poster presentation session and also a very successful WPSA/BSAS Joint Session on the chicken genome. A total of over 60 papers were presented at the Meeting - 20 oral, 37 posters and 4 invited speakers.

Members discussing some of the 37 posters on display at the Meeting.

The first morning began with a session of five original communications on the ever-popular subject of Poultry Nutrition, with papers from both experienced scientists and students, followed by a lively session providing the opportunity for the authors of some of the 37 posters submitted for the Meeting briefly to present their findings. This session gives some of the poster authors the opportunity to discuss their work, it also provides a chance for the more inexperienced public speakers to address their peers, some for the first time.

After lunch the well attended Joint WPSA/BSAS Session on "The chicken genome and its application to our science" saw three papers from speakers bringing us right up to date on aspects of their most modern of sciences - 'The chicken genome', 'Transgenics' and 'Using the genome sequence'. This was followed by a further session of original communications on Poultry Health. Regrettably the 23rd Annual Robert Fraser Gordon Memorial Lecture was cancelled due to personal factors preventing the attendance of the lecturer, but the Reception went ahead a little earlier than usual and was followed by the Branch Annual Dinner.

After the Branch Annual General Meeting, which is reported on page 4, the final morning's sessions consisted of a wide variety of original communications, many presented by members from among our growing number of students.

At the conclusion of the Meeting, the two Annual President's Awards were presented.

Once again this was a highly successful meeting and was a great credit to the Programme Committee under Dr Paul Rose.