Royal Microscopical Society

Royal Microscopical Society
Founded September 1839, Royal Charter in 1866[1]
Type Professional Organisation and Registered Charity
Registration no. 241990
Location
  • 37-38 St. Clements Street,
    Oxford, England, OX4 1AJ[2]
Coordinates 51°45′01″N 1°14′32″W / 51.750374°N 1.2422313°W / 51.750374; -1.2422313Coordinates: 51°45′01″N 1°14′32″W / 51.750374°N 1.2422313°W / 51.750374; -1.2422313
Origins Microscopical Society of London
Area served
UK, Worldwide
Members
1379[3]
Key people
 President Michelle Peckham
Vice President Peter Nellist[4]
Revenue
£1,639,504 (year ending Dec 2015[2]
Employees
11[2]
Volunteers
100[2]
Mission to promote the advancement of microscopical science by such means as the discussion and publication of research into improvements in the construction and mode of application of microscopes and into those branches of science where microscopy is important.
Website www.rms.org.uk

The Royal Microscopical Society (RMS) is a learned society for the promotion of microscopy. It was founded in 1839 as the Microscopical Society of London, which makes it the oldest organisation of its kind in the world. In 1866, the society gained its royal charter and took its current name. Founded as a society of amateurs, its membership consists of individuals of all skill levels in numerous related fields from throughout the world. Every year since 1852, the society has published its own scientific journal, the Journal of Microscopy, which contains peer-reviewed papers and book reviews. The society is a registered charity, and is dedicated to advancing science, developing careers and supporting wider understanding of science and microscopy through its Outreach activities.

The Royal Microscopical Society is a member of the Foundation for Science and Technology, the Biosciences Federation, the International Federation of Societies for Microscopy, and the European Microscopy Society.

History

Alfred William Bennett, botanist, publisher, early vice-president and editor of the Journal of Microscopy from 1897 until his death in 1902.[5]

On 3 September 1839 a meeting of 17 gentlemen including physicist Joseph Jackson Lister and the botanists Edwin John Quekett and Richard Kippist,[6] was held at Quekett's residence on Wellclose Square to take into consideration the propriety of forming a society for the promotion of microscopical investigation, and for the introduction and improvement of the microscope as a scientific instrument[1][7][8][9] At this gathering it was agreed that a society should be founded and a committee appointed. It was named the Microscopical Society of London and a constitution was drawn up.[10] On 20 December 1839, a public meeting was held at the Horticultural Society's rooms at 21 Regents Street in London. At the convention, Professor Richard Owen was elected President, along with Nathaniel Ward as Treasurer, and Farre as Secretary.[10] A Council was also appointed, consisting of J.S. Bowerbank, Thomas Edwards, Dr F. Farre, George Gwilt, George Jackson, Dr John Lindley, George Loddiges, the Rev. C. Pritchard, Edwin John Quekett, M.J. Rippingham, Richard Horsman Solly and Robert Warington. With them, forty-five men were enrolled as members.[10]

At its foundation, the Society acquired the best microscopes then obtainable from the three leading makers, Powell & Lealand, Ross, and Smith.[11] The first president of the society was palaeontologist Sir Richard Owen who is best known for coining the word "dinosaur" and for his role in creation London's Natural History Museum.[12] It was renamed the Royal Microscopical Society in 1866, when the Society received its Royal Charter. Its governing documents are its Charter and By-laws.

Meetings, courses and conferences

Each year the RMS hosts a programme full of meetings, courses and conferences. These events provide opportunities for keeping abreast of the very latest developments and attract speakers of the highest quality and delegates active in all areas of science from forensics to flow cytometry, live cell imaging to SPM.

Membership

RMS members come from a wide range of backgrounds — from undergraduates and research students to leaders in their various fields – within the biological & physical sciences.

Benefits of RMS membership include:

After three years of continuous Ordinary Membership, members are invited to become a Fellows of the society after a set number of criteria have been met, which allows for individuals to benefit from voting and election rights as well as the use of the post-nominal letters FRMS after their names.[13]

Honorary Fellows

Listed below are the Honorary Fellows of the Society of both past and present:[14][15]

Name Election date Notes
HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh1966Consort of the British monarch
Johan Sebastiaan Ploem1976
Sir Peter Hirsch1977
Ewald Weibel1978
Archie Howie1978
James V P Long1981
M Karnovsky1982
H Hashimoto1983
K C A Smith1984
Calvin Quate1984
Aaron Klug1985
Sir Eric Ash1987
Shinya Inoué1988
Gerd Binnig1988
P N T Unwin1989FRS
Sir John Meurig Thomas1989 FLSW FRS HonFREng
Brian Ralph1989
B Clive Cowen1989
Hellmuth Sitte1993
M Petran1994
Tony Wilson1998
Peter J Evennett1998
G A D Briggs2000
M J Whelan2001
Sumio Iijima2001
Paul Hirst2005
Harald Rose2008
Brad Amos2010
John Hutchison2013
Richard Paden2014
Ernst Stelzer2014
Michael Sheetz2014
Helen Saibil2014
Anne Ridley2014
Jennifer Lippincott-Schwartz2014
Ondrej Krivanek2014
Mildred Dresselhaus2014
Flemming Besenbacher2014
Barbara Bain2014
Sir Colin Humphreys2015CBE FREng FRS
Leonore Herzenberg2015
Max Haider2015
Dirk van Dyck2015
Xiaowei Zhuang2015
Petra Schwille2015
Michael Ormerod2015
Peter K. Hepler2015
David Ehrhardt2015
Chris Hawes2015
Eric Betzig2016
Paul Midgley2016
John Pethica2016
Anthony Cullis2016
Brian J. Ford2017FLS

Publications

Journal of Microscopy

The Journal of Microscopy provides an international and interdisciplinary forum for publication, discussion and education for scientists and technologists who use any form of microscopy or image analysis.[16] This includes technology and applications in physics, chemistry, material and biological sciences. The Journal publishes review articles, original research papers, short communications, and letters to the Editor, covering all aspects of microscopy.[17] It is published on behalf of the Society by Wiley-Blackwell.[18]

infocus Magazine

infocus Magazine is the Royal Microscopical Society’s Magazine for Members. It provides a common forum for scientists and technologists from all disciplines which use any form of microscope, including all branches of microscopy and microbeam analysis. infocus features articles on microscopy related topics, techniques and developments, reports on RMS events, book reviews, news and much more. Published four times a year, infocus is free to members of the RMS.

Outreach Activities

The RMS founded the Microscope Activity Kit Scheme in March 2011. This is a free scheme sending fully equipped Kits of microscopes and ready-to-go activities to Primary Schools throughout the United Kingdom for a term at a time. By December 2014, the Kits had gone from 2 to 50 and had been used by over 20,000 children in the UK.[19]

RMS Diploma

The RMS Diploma, launched in 2012 to replace the former RMS DipTech qualification, aims to help microscopists advance in their careers by improving and refining their skills to gain a distinguished qualification. The Diploma from the Royal Microscopical Society is attained via a flexible portfolio-based course of study that is designed by the candidate with the assistance of their line-manager, and with input from existing Fellows of the Society. This approach ensures that the study is both challenging and rewarding whilst fitting with, and complementing, the candidate's existing employment.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Study Guide - Diploma of the Royal Microscopical Society. Royal Microscopical Society. 2010. p. 2. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Financial history - 241990 - ROYAL MICROSCOPICAL SOCIETY". www.charitycommission.gov.uk. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
  3. ↑ "REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS For the year ended 31 December 2015" (PDF). apps.charitycommission.gov.uk. 31 December 2015. p. 5 (7). Retrieved 20 February 2017.
  4. ↑ "Council". www.rms.org.uk. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
  5. ↑ Gilbert Baker, John (1902). R.G, Hebb, FRCP, ed. "Obituary - Biographical Memoir of A.W. Bennett". Journal of the Royal Microscopical Society: 158. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
  6. ↑ "Notes". Nature. 25 (638): 275–277. 1882. ISSN 0028-0836. doi:10.1038/025275a0.
  7. ↑ "RMS - History". www.rms.org.uk. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
  8. ↑ Brewster, Sir David; Taylor, Richard; Phillips, Richard (1839). Brayley, Edward W, ed. "LXXVII - Proceedings of Learned Societies: Microscopial Society". The London and Edinburgh Philosophical Magazine and Journal of Science. No. XV. Red Lion Court, Fleet Street, London: Richard & John E. Taylor. p. 549. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
  9. ↑ "UCL Bloomsbury Project - Quekett Microscopical Club". www.ucl.ac.uk. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
  10. 1 2 3 Turner, Gerald L'E. (1989). God bless the microscope! : a history of the Royal Microscopical Society over 150 years (1st ed.). [Oxford]: Royal Microscopical Society. pp. 7–8. ISBN 9780950246345. Retrieved 24 February 2017.
  11. ↑ Gerard L'E. Turner. "1839 - Royal Microscopical Society = History of Scholarly Societies". Scholarly Societies Project. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Archived from the original on 20 February 2017. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
  12. ↑ Wilson, Tony (January 2016). "Introduction" (PDF). Journal of Microscopy - 175th Anniversary Special Issue. No. 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell (Blackwell Publishing). 261 (1): 1. ISSN 1365-2818. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
  13. ↑ "RMS - Membership Benefits". www.rms.org.uk. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  14. ↑ "Honourary Fellows". www.rms.org.uk. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
  15. ↑ "Honorary Fellows Past and Present". www.rms.org.uk. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
  16. ↑ "Journal of Microscopy - All Issues - Wiley Online Library". onlinelibrary.wiley.com. doi:10.1111/(issn)1365-2818/issues. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
  17. ↑ "Journal of Microscopy". Royal Microscopical Society (in en_GB). St Clement's Street, Oxford. 12 May 2008. Archived from the original on 12 May 2008. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
  18. ↑ "Journal of Microscopy". www.rms.org.uk (in en_GB). St Clement's Street, Oxford. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
  19. ↑ Microscope Activity Kits - Royal Microscopical Society website
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