New heads of units for EMBL Heidelberg Council ... - EMBL Grenoble

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EMBL&cetera • August 2007 • page 8Paul goes back to the classroomAn EBI staff member is making an unusualcareer move; after five years as the coordinatorof the institute’s industry support programme,Paul Matthews is taking what heknows back to the young and impressionableby becoming a science teacher.On a scheme called the Graduate TeacherProgramme, Paul will go straight into twoschools for one academic year, by the end ofwhich he will be expected to have passed all thestandards to become a qualified teacher. It’sdesigned to encourage professional peoplewith financial commitments, and scientists inparticular, to enter teaching and fill the shortageof science teachers.“I feel really lucky to have got on thisscheme; in my area it involves academic helpfrom Cambridge University, some very goodlocal schools in the partnership and the localauthority,” explains Paul. During his 13 yearsin bioinformatics in industry and institutessuch as Sanger and Glaxo as well as the EBI,he’s had a lot of experience in teaching, but ashe says, “so far it has always been adults, andthey were always already interested in science!”In his new job, Paul will be teachingchildren from age 11-16 biology, physics andchemistry, and 16 to 18-year-olds his specialistsubjects, biology and human biology, for A-level and the international baccalaureate.So what made him want to face classroomsfull of potentially disinterested teenagers? Lastyear, Paul underwent major surgery for a congenitalheart problem, and the three months’convalescence gave him a lot of time to reflecton his future. “I’d recommend open heart surgeryto anyone who needs to work out what todo with their life!” he laughs. “I love the EBI, thescience&society“I’d recommend openheart surgery to anyonewho needs to work outwhat to do with their life!”– Paul Matthewscampus and especially the people, but I think tobe able to switch kids on to science – to findways to engage them and make science relevantfor them – will be a really rewarding challenge.”Communicating the value of communicationThe first ever EMBL Science and SocietySymposium organised with the EBI,Biology and Language, brought linguists andscientists together for some unusual andthought-provoking talks.Beginning the afternoon-long symposiumheld at Robertson College in Cambridge on 21July, Svante Pääbo of the MPI in Leipzig talkedabout the FOXP2 gene, mutations of whichcauses severe language and speech problems inhumans, and demonstrated its effect by playingback recordings of the squeaks of mice.Faraneh Vargha-Khadem of the UCLInstitute of Child Health in London went intomore detail about the identification of FOXP2following research into three generations ofthe “KE” family, half of whose members wereaffected with a speech and language disorder,inherited simply as the result of a defect in thatsingle gene.Finally, W. Tecumseh Fitch of the School ofPsychology, University of St Andrews, discussedthe potential to discover more keygenes by pinpointing mechanisms involvedin language and searching for analogues inanimal behaviour.Feedback on the symposium, most ofwhich came from postgraduate biologists,overwhelmingly voted the event “excellent”and praised, in particular, the way two disciplineswere presented coherently to a mixedaudience of scientists and non-scientists.Paul has young children of his own, and thisalso helped him make his decision. “I wantthem to be educated well by good teachers. Butthere’s a serious shortage of science teachers,and if science isn’t taught in a way that kids canrelate to then they very quickly dismiss it. If thepeople who are teaching it aren’t interestedbecause they’re covering for someone or supplyteachers, they can’t convey excitement for thesubject. I thought why shouldn’t someone likeme, with real experience in the field, teach?“It’s not going to be easy – I don’t assume tothink that everyone wants to learn science –but the challenge is to get the ones that thinkthey don’t like science to see that it’s relevantfor them.”He’s already done some weeks’ placementsin his host schools. “One day was a taster dayfor 10-year-olds having their first science lesson,learning how to light a Bunsen burner anddoing flame tests,” he says. “Looking at theirfaces, not one of them was bored. Not everyscience lesson is that much fun, but if you seethe light switch on in someone’s face as theysee something or understand something forthe first time, it gives you a real buzz.“To get the first PhD thesis sent to me by aformer student will be fantastic!”The EBI’s industry support programme willbe handled by consultant Dominic Clark untila new appointment is made, but Paul will stillmaintain ties with the institute. “The EBI feelslike my home. There are more than 1,000 peopleon the whole campus now, and many aregood friends. But I’ll be persuading them tocome to school and give talks. They’re notgoing to escape me!”W. Tecumseh Fitch addresses thequestion of what makes us human
EMBL&cetera • August 2007 • page 9EMBO welcomesHermann BujardthecornerNew Executive Director helped bring EMBOand EMBL to HeidelbergHermann Bujard is EMBO’s new ExecutiveDirector, following Frank Gannon’s move toScience Foundation Ireland (SFI) at the end ofJune. The German-born molecular biologisthas had long-standing links to EMBO, havingbeen a member since 1976 and EMBO Councilmember from 1989-1995. He will lead theorganisation until the next Executive Directoris appointed.Hermann’s association with EMBO datesback to 1970. After hearing that EMBO wasmoving to Germany, he got together with thelate Peter von Sengbusch and EMBO MemberKen Holmes to spearhead the drive to bringEMBO to Heidelberg. Although Munich wasthe favoured location at the time, Heidelbergeventually won out thanks to the group’s persuasivearguments and the support ofHeidelberg’s mayor and local physicists, aswell as a number of other factors.“The physics connection was an importantHermann Bujardone,” explains Hermann. “There were verystrong links between biology and physics inthose days. Heidelberg-based physicists likeWolfgang Gentner and Nobel Laureate HansJensen had the vision to see the opportunitiesthat biology presented and were determined tobring a base for modern biology toHeidelberg.” In the early seventies, Hermannalso served on the EMBO LaboratoryCommittee, laying the foundations for theestablishment of EMBL, which was one of thefounding goals of EMBO. He also co-organisedsome of the early EMBO scientific meetings.In addition to an obvious affection forEMBO and a belief in its role in European science,Hermann brings a wealth of experiencefrom research, industry and politics. He currentlyleads a research laboratory atHeidelberg’s Center for Molecular Biology(ZMBH), which he helped to establish in themid-eighties as its first Director. For sometime, Hermann’s research focused largely onmechanisms of gene regulation. A well-knownby-product was the tetracycline-dependenttranscription control system, widely usedtoday in the study of gene function.Today Hermann’s research focuses exclusivelyon developing vaccines against malaria.His strong biological and humanitarian interestin the disease explains his long-term commitmentto its research. While working atEMBO, he will continue his malaria project.His future plans include returning to Africa tocontinue his studies in the countries mostaffected by the disease.On an academic level, Hermann has publishedover 140 peer-reviewed articles andholds 25 international patents. Amongst astring of honours, including his EMBO membership,he is a member of the Max PlanckInstitute for Medical Research and holds anhonorary doctorate from the University ofWürzburg. The Karl Heinz Beckurts Prize, theCurie Institute’s Yvette Mayent Prize forCancer Research and the 2005 Medal of Meritfrom the German state of Baden-Württembergrepresent some of the awards he has receivedin his still active career.“My first introduction to EMBO and EMBLover three decades ago was the beginning of avery rewarding relationship with both organisations,”recalls Hermann. “I look forward tothe challenge this new role brings and to beable to contribute actively towards EMBO’sfurther development.”– Anne Seller & Lindsay Johnson“O, ye’ll tak’ the high road and I’ll tak’ the low road......an’ I’ll be in Scotland afore ye!” Two ofMonterotondo’s familiar faces are leaving theoutstation to try their hand at a different sortof lifestyle – running an inn in the Scottishcountryside.Rosie Maccagnano, Administration LiaisonOfficer and Nadia Rosenthal’s PA, and herhusband, General Maintenance Assistant AlexRegan, are returning to native pastures at theend of their contracts. While Rosie will take upa similar position at Edinburgh University asGraduate Organisation Manager, in her sparetime she’ll help Alex run their new village innand restaurant.“We’ve been looking for a suitable spot andhave narrowed it down to two or three placeswithin easy reach of Edinburgh,” says Rosie.“It’s going to be an exciting challenge. In fact,the idea to set up a traditional inn came fromAlex’s tradition of organising the Friday nightbeer sessions here at Monterotondo.”Photo: Alex ReganFor visitors and staff alike, Rosie has alwaysbeen a cheery, helpful first port-of-call atMonterotondo, and though she’ll be sorelymissed she’s sure it’s time to return home. “I’vereally loved my job here – it’s the kind of jobwhere you never stand still – and I’ll misseveryone,” she says. “But I’m really lookingfoward to going back to Scotland. Having saidthat, the weather will take a bit of getting usedto, after Italy.”Rosie’s PA duties will be taken over byAlexandra Moreira, and her administrative jobswill be shared between Pascale Beudin, SilviaRossetti, Flavio Zizzo and Tanja Rimbach.Money made easyThere’s a handy new SAP interface onWebBudget View. It makes it easier forbudget holders to see at a glance thebreakdown of their expenditure, and alsoallows Heads of Units to get an overviewof external and internal grant division intheir groups. Best of all, it allows immediateexport of a page to Excel or as a pdf.Go to www.embl.org/staffonly/financematters/sap/index.html for more.
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