Stuk BSDB/3/6 - Correspondence Relating to Significant Policy Issues 1978-1988

Extent: 1 folder

Folder marked 'Chairman, Correspondence Relating to Significant Policy Issues': Letters between Dr Michael Balls (BSDB Hon Sec) and Dr Anne McLaren (MRC), re BSDB committee positions, constitution of committee officers, role of representative, EDBO, Dick Hinchliffe, John McKenzie, asking Anne to consider the role for President, 1978. To Chris F Graham (BSDB Chair 1979-84) from M Balls re the International Society of Developmental Biologists (ISDB), funding, future meetings c 1979. To Dr W D Billington (David) from Chris Graham re policy for organising conferences and meetings, 1979. To Anne McLaren from Prof A A Moscona (President of ISDB) re death of Michael Abercrombie, organising a memorial lecture at the next ISDB meeting in Basel 1981, Sep 1979. To C F Graham from David R Newth (BSDB President 1963-69) re the new act to replace the Cruelty to Animals Act of 1876 and the implications for work on embryos, Feb 1980. To C F Graham from M Balls re document by Martin Johnson (BSDB Chairman 1984-89) and organisation of meetings, May 1980. To members from C F Graham and M Balls re for advice on good lecturers, themes, funding for the BSDB hosting of the 1984 EDBO meeting, c 1981. 'Conditions for the use of the Louie Hamilton Memorial fund', F T[Terrance] C Harris (Middx Med. Sch.), March 1982, to be administered by the BSDB, letters from M Balls and C Graham, 1982. To the Dean of the University of Aberdeen from Michael Balls re against Aberdeen's plans to reduce its Department of Developmental Biology, March 1982. To C F Graham from M Balls re on his and others role as Secretary/Treasurer, April 1982. To C F Graham from M Balls re Chris Wylie, Mike Snow, Dick Hinchliffe, Perter Thorogood, funding, complaining about committee officers. Dec 1982 To C F Graham from Chris C Wylie (Assistant Sec/Treasurer, Publications Sec 1984-6) re Nottingham 'History of Embryology' Symposium, his ideas on possible speakers, symposium publishing, on Martin Johnson, Tim Holder, Roger Downie, Rudi Raff and Alberto Monroy, June 1982. To Members from Michael Balls re against raising the price of membership of the BSDB, April 1983 To Chris Wylie from Richard J Skaer re invitation as the BSDB nominee to become the Director of The Company of Biologists Limited, linkage of new journal with symposia, May 1984. Paper: 'Liaison Between BSCB and BSDB' with Appendix on 'Specific Organisational Proposals', 'Meetings' and 'Topics for Meetings', by officers of the BSCD and BSDB, Martin Johnson (Chairman BSDB), Brigid Hogan (Joint Committee Member) and John Gurdon (President BSCD), August 1984. To Mr Anthony Tomei (The Nuffield Foundation) re organising a 5-day residential course for teachers/scientists in relevant fields in response to the rapid pace of research in developmental biology and possibility of funding from the Nuffield Foundation, Sep 1985. General letter to members re 'Teaching Course' from Martin Johnson, re positive response from Nuffield Foundation and asking for further responses to suggestions about how to organise the course, c 1985-6. 'BSDB Teaching Course Programme 'Brush up Your Development' 18-22 September 1988, c 1987. To Prof. Lewis Wolpert/the President, Officers and Committee of the British Society for Cell Biology (BSCB) from Martin Johnson re problems caused by the coming 1988 BSCB meeting leading to the BSDB meeting being postponed, critique of current system linking the two societies and options for future relations, Nov 1987. To BSDB members from Martin Johnson re the 'Brush up your Development' course clashing with BSCB meeting date and unable to run in 1988, Nov 1988. To the Lufthansa airline, letter entitled 'Help International Understanding Through Science' re a scheme where airlines fund free or reduced travel for scientists in return for having a lecture named after their airline, nd [c 1984-9]

Admin History: Anne McLaren (1927-2007), (BSDB President 1975-79, EDBO President (UK)1987 ?-?), ISDB Board Member (?1986-?), reproductive biologist, BA, Zoology., DPhil (Oxford), Her work helped lead to human in vitro fertilisation (IVF). Founding Director of the Medical Research Council (MRC) Mammalian Development Unit in London (UCL 1974-1992), Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS 1975), fellow of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (1986), Fullerian professor of Physiology at the Royal Institution (1990-1995), President of the British Association for the Advancement of Science (1993-1994), and Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences (1998). Dr Michael Balls (BSDB Sec/Treasurer c 1978-1984 also secretary for the BSCB 1977-83?, Treasurer of the Cell Biology Society ?-1980), (born 1938) is a British zoologist and professor emeritus of medical cell biology at the University of Nottingham. He is best known for his work on laboratory animal welfare and alternatives to animal testing. Zoology (Oxford), 1960, DPhil (Oxford) at the University of Geneva Switzerland, 1961-1964. After post-doctoral research at the University of California, Berkeley, CA, and at Reed College, Portland, OR, from 1964 to 1966, he lectured in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of East Anglia. In 1975, he moved to the University of Nottingham Medical School as a senior lecturer in the Department of Human Morphology. Balls became Reader in Medical Cell Biology in 1985 and was promoted to Professor of Medical Cell Biology in 1990. Since 1995, he has been an Emeritus Professor at Nottingham. Balls became a Trustee of Fund for the Replacement of Animals in Medical Experiments (FRAME) in 1979, and was Chairman of the Trustees from 1981 until his resignation in June 2013. He became Editor of Alternatives to Laboratory Animals (ATLA) in 1983. He acted as an adviser to the British government during the drafting and passage of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 and, from 1987–1995, was a founder member of the Animal Procedures Committee (which advises the Home Secretary on all matters related to animal experimentation). In 1993, Balls became the first Head of the European Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods. He retired from this position in 2002. In 2002, Balls was appointed a CBE.