I hope that you and your loved ones are staying safe and healthy. I am writing to provide you with some updates on our upcoming annual conference.

 

This year, due to the uncertainty around the ongoing pandemic, we have decided to move our conference to a virtual format. We are actively planning for a conference that, while online, will capture many of the aspects of our meetings that we have come to enjoy, including award lectures (from trainees and faculty), interactive poster presentations, section symposia and FOME. This will allow us to stay safe while providing an excellent opportunity, as in previous years, to highlight ongoing microbiology research across Canada as well as internationally. The conference will be held from June 14^th to the 17^th, with sessions running from 12:30 to 16:00 (EDT) each day.

 

Our annual conferences also present us with an opportunity to recognize outstanding scientists and their achievements. Just like in previous years, we will be presenting awards to students (Armand-Frappier Outstanding Student Award), postdocs (CSM Knowles Postdoctoral Research Prize), early-career investigators (Thermo Fisher Award for New Investigators), and senior investigators (CSM Murray Award for Career Achievement, sponsored by Canadian Science Publishing and Canadian Journal of Microbiology). Please refer to the CSM Awards page for applications and further details. It is now time to start thinking about colleagues and trainees to nominate for the lecture awards as well as encourage your trainees to apply to Burrows Award, CSM Ambassador and Undergraduate Awards. 

 

Please note the important dates associated with the conference:

 

More information on the conference will be available on the conference website. Be sure to follow the CSM on Twitter and Facebook for more information on this year’s conference, and please encourage your lab members and colleagues to attend.

 

I would also like to take this opportunity to let you know that there is an opportunity to get engaged with the Society as we are seeking nominations for the second Vice-President. Please consider nominating yourself or your colleagues for this position. Details of the nomination process can be found here.

 

As always, feel free to contact us (info@csm-scm.org) with any suggestions and comments.

 

Stay safe and I hope to ‘see’ you all at our upcoming meeting.

 

 

Best regards

Ayush Kumar, President

Canadian Society of Microbiologists