Sample messages to Groups:
To: Biochemical Society Group Secretaries and Chairs
Wednesday, November 24, 1999
Dear Dr Cook and Dr Sheehan,
Signalling the Future
A University of Liverpool, School of Biological Sciences International Symposium, celebrating 100 years of Biochemistry in Liverpool and the UK
2&endash;6 September 2002 &endash; Liverpool
In September 2002, we plan to mark the centenary of the establishment of the first Department and Chair of Biochemistry in the UK (the Johnston Chair) at The University of Liverpool by holding a Special Celebratory International Symposium at this University. This will be a University of Liverpool Meeting with support from the Biochemical Society and will be the first pilot symposium of the new themed format introduced by the Society. As you are probably aware, in this format, appropriate Biochemical Society Groups and other Societies will be invited to contribute to the organisation of the scientific programme.
So far, our local Programme Committee has chosen 'Signalling' as a themed topic for the whole three-day meeting and has drafted out likely Colloquia (outline plan enclosed) and pencilled in a few possible names of participants. In addition, it is planned to have three Plenary Lectures per day (each related to a Colloquium), with one being a named Lecture. Of course, the plans are not intended to be prescriptive. We are aiming for top-flight speakers, which will make the symposium a worthy and memorable event.
We now wish to invite the Glycobiology Group of the Biochemical Society to organise jointly with us the programme for the following Colloquium:
Signalling from the Membrane
We would be particularly pleased if the Group can be involved in this manner.
Since we (and Groups) have to submit proposals for colloquia, projected budgets and bids for funding to The Biochemical Society by mid January 2000 for the February Meetings Committee, we would be grateful if you could indicate your desire to participate as a Group as soon as possible, and no later than December 1. We appreciate that this does not give you much time to consult your Group Committee members, but we are on a tight schedule and would like to have the draft plan essentially ready by Christmas.
Once we hear from you, we shall invite interested Groups to nominate an appropriate representative to attend a meeting at Liverpool with our local Programme Committee and probably with Sheila Mills of the Biochemical Society Meetings Office. This will allow us to consider the draft Programme plan as a whole and to assign responsibilities for the different Colloquia.
We look forward to an early response from you.
Yours sincerely,
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Dear Dr Turner and Prof. Nieduszynski,
Thank you very much for your prompt and positive reply to our enquiry about participation in the organisation of the Liverpool Centenary Symposium.
From the diversity of opinion in the replies concerning the next steps that need to be taken to apply for funding from the Biochemical Society, we feel it is very important that we try to arrange a meeting at which we can clarify these matters with Sheila Mills from the Society's Meetings Office, as well as discussing the overall outline of the meeting, and the specific interest of the Groups in particular Colloquia.
Therefore, we would like to invite a representative of the Glycobiology Group to attend a meeting in Liverpool. Of course, this need not neccesarily be the Chair or Secretary of the Group; another member of the Committee who has an interest in the subject area (and perhaps equally importantly, is available) would be entirely appropriate.
We would be very grateful if you could indicate availability for a lunch/afternoon meeting, beginning at around 12.30, on the following possible dates:
We would prefer the December dates in terms of the timescale of applications to the Society (required by the end of January), but we appreciate that we may be pushing our luck to arrange a meeting with such short notice.
If you have any further questions at this stage, then please don't hesitate to get back to us.
With best regards,
Dear Dr Hawkins,
You will perhaps not be surprised to hear that our attempt to arrange a meeting about 'Signalling the Future' this week has come to nothing. Unfortunately, what was shaping up to be the best day for most, January 13, is impossible for the Biochem Soc contingent (Norma Ryan and Sheila Mills). Can I therefore check availabilty for some other days in January, with the same arrangements as before - 12.30 in Liverpool?
The earlier week would be better as far as the timescale is concerned, but I hope this should give you enough choice. Sorry to trouble you further.
I look forward to hearing from you soon.
With best regards,
Andy.
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