Robert Bradshaw attended the Fingerprint Society Annual Conference (8-10 March 2013), where his poster entitled 'The Compatibility of MALDI MSI with Currently Employed Latent Fingermark Enhancement Techniques' won first prize (£100).

The patent for the invention entitled 'Improvements to matrix assisted laser desorption ionisation mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI MSI)' (Patent number GB2489215) has been granted to the inventors: Leesa Ferguson, Rosalind Wolstenholme and Simona Francese.

Claire Bradshaw has secured a place on the NHS Scientist Training Programme at the Health Protection Agency, University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust starting in September. There are only 5 places available nationally so this is a fantastic achievement by Claire, well done!

Biosciences undergraduate student Stewart Barker has been appointed The Society for Applied Microbiology undergraduate representative for their postgraduate and early career scientist committee. Stewart has also been made a moderator for the Microbiology Twitter Journal Club.

Dr Christine Le Maitre been selected as a committee member for the Great Britain and Ireland Pathological Society.

The BMRC has continued its successful Erasmus Scheme exchange partnership with the Escola Superior de Tecnologias da Saude de Lisbon in Portugal. Joana Macedo Costa and Ana Sofia Tarouca da Silva Graca worked in the BMRC under the supervision of David Smith and Christine Le Maitre between March and June 2013.