The NatSCA 2020 conference has been cancelled due to Coronavirus measures. Alternatively, NatSCA will be hosting an online AGM using Zoom.
We hope you are all staying safe and well in these uncertain times. As you know already, NatSCA, like so many organisations, has had to postpone the annual conference. However, the trustees of NatSCA decided to hold an AGM digitally on Thursday 14th May 2020 at 2pm. There are a number of reasons for this but the principal ones are to do with our reporting obligations to the Charity Commission and the timescales for conversion of NatSCA to a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), which was agreed by membership at the last AGM. Please note that the conference itself has been rescheduled for next year- potentially, it will run around May 2021.
If you wish to participate in the AGM, and we strongly encourage you to do so, please register your participation using Eventbrite. Registering is necessary to validate the results of the election. Members of NatSCA should have received a link to register via email - if you have not, please contact membership@natsca.org
AGM Agenda
NatSCA Elections
Chair's Report
Secretary's Report
Membership Secretary's Report
Treasurer's Report
Editor's Report
There are four vacancies for Ordinary Members and five nominees, requiring an election. Below are the names of nominated candidates standing for Ordinary Member positions on the committee:
Bethany Palumbo
I am a conservator specialising in the preservation of Natural History Collections, foremost taxidermy and osteological collections. I have spent the last decade working in the museum field and have recently started my own business ‘Palumbo Conservation Services’. I have a BA and MA in the Conservation of Cultural Heritage from the University of Lincoln and am accredited by ICON, the UK Institute for Conservation. I currently sit on the Editorial Board for Natsca and the Conservation Committee for the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC) helping to develop conservation techniques and advances in our specialist field. My other interests include Synthwave, dissecting roadkill and metal detecting.
Donna Young
I have been involved with NatSCA since sitting on the original merger committee of the Biology Curators Group and the Natural Sciences Conservation Group. My main role on the NatSCA committee over the last few years has been organising our annual conference. My current role on the committee also includes leading the NatSCA bursaries sub-committee, and membership of our Journal editorial board.
My background is in the conservation of historical herbaria, and I am particularly interested in the methods employed in the preparation and preservation of botanical collections. I have worked on developing collection management training and best practice guidelines, including the NatSCA course ‘Care and Curation of Botanical Collections’. I am very interested in the training and development of those new to the sector, and have previously been a mentor for HLF 'Skills for the Future' natural science trainees.
At World Museum, National Museums Liverpool, I am the Curator of Herbarium. My main duty is the care and maintenance of our botanical collection, alongside promoting its importance and facilitating access through loan, research and exhibition. Currently I am researching the past and present use of Brendel anatomical plant models.
Jennifer Gallichan
I have been a member of NatSCA for many years and am passionately committed to museums and natural history collections. I joined the committee in 2018, taking on the role of blog editor which I really enjoy. It is incredibly rewarding to be part of such an enthusiastic and talented community.
I have been a curator at the National Museum of Wales in Cardiff since 2001 where I am part of the team that cares for the mollusca and vertebrate collections. My job involves facilitating access to both collections through enquiries, visitors, loans and new acquisitions. A large part of my job also involves public engagement, events and exhibitions to promote our fantastic natural history collections to our visitors.
My area of expertise has been molluscs for over 15 years, principally focusing on historical research of the collections.
Paolo Viscardi
I am the Zoology Curator at the National Museum of Ireland and currently the Chair of NatSCA.
For fun I'm involved in science engagement activities and sharing collections using social media. I established a monthly science communication event in London called PubSci that I continue to help run from Ireland, I deliver talks and performances on a variety of natural history topics and I run the blog Zygoma. I see these activities as being intrinsic to engaging with audiences and raising the profile of natural science collections by encouraging informal interaction.
My research interests include comparative skeletal anatomy, methods in morphometrics and manufactured mermaids.
Tannis Davidson
I am the curator of the Grant Museum of Zoology at UCL responsible for the care, collections management and use of the museum’s 68,000 specimens. A large part of my work involves supporting academic teaching and research as well as exhibition development and delivery.
My research interests include history of science, zoological and museum collecting and natural history models.
