SJWRI Director Professor Richard Cannon was elected President of the New Zealand Microbiological Society (NZMS) at their recent Annual Conference in Rotorua. The aim of the NZMS is to foster the generation and dissemination of knowledge of microbiology in New Zealand.
One of the first duties of Professor Cannon as the new president was to award the highest honour of the society, the NZMS Orator Award, to Associate Professor Mary Nulsen of Massey University (pictured below left with Prof Cannon). Mary is a medical microbiologist and her oration described her work on antimicrobial resistance. Within the oration she decried the widespread incorporation of antimicrobials, such as triclosan, into everyday products including cooking utensils and toothpastes for the risk of inducing antimicrobial resistance. In addition she challenged the audience to consider how automation in microbiology laboratories is affecting the employment opportunities of microbiology graduates and the need to adjust their training appropriately.
The Rotorua conference was the 60th meeting of the NZMS, and the conference dinner was complete with birthday cake (below right).
Presidential profile of Prof Richard Cannon (NZMS website)
