Registration no. 241990 | Area served UK, Worldwide | |
Founded September 1839, Royal Charter in 1866 Type Professional Organisation and Registered Charity Location 37-38 St. Clements Street,
Oxford, England, OX4 1AJ Origins Microscopical Society of London | ||
The Royal Microscopical Society (RMS) is a learned society for the promotion of microscopy. It was founded in 1839 as the Microscopical Society of London, which makes it the oldest organisation of its kind in the world. In 1866, the society gained its royal charter and took its current name. Founded as a society of amateurs, its membership consists of individuals of all skill levels in numerous related fields from throughout the world. Every year since 1852, the society has published its own scientific journal, the Journal of Microscopy, which contains peer-reviewed papers and book reviews. The society is a registered charity, and is dedicated to advancing science, developing careers and supporting wider understanding of science and microscopy through its Outreach activities.
Contents
- History
- Meetings courses and conferences
- Membership
- Honorary Fellows
- Journal of Microscopy
- infocus Magazine
- Outreach Activities
- RMS Diploma
- References
The Royal Microscopical Society is a member of the Foundation for Science and Technology, the Biosciences Federation, the International Federation of Societies for Microscopy, and the European Microscopy Society.
History
On 3 September 1839 a meeting of 17 gentlemen including physicist Joseph Jackson Lister and the botanists Edwin John Quekett and Richard Kippist, was held at Quekett's residence on Wellclose Square to take into consideration the propriety of forming a society for the promotion of microscopical investigation, and for the introduction and improvement of the microscope as a scientific instrument At this gathering it was agreed that a society should be founded and a committee appointed. It was named the Microscopical Society of London and a constitution was drawn up. On 20 December 1839, a public meeting was held at the Horticultural Society's rooms at 21 Regents Street in London. At the convention, Professor Richard Owen was elected President, along with Nathaniel Ward as Treasurer, and Farre as Secretary. A Council was also appointed, consisting of J.S. Bowerbank, Thomas Edwards, Dr F. Farre, George Gwilt, George Jackson, Dr John Lindley, George Loddiges, the Rev. C. Pritchard, Edwin John Quekett, M.J. Rippingham, Richard Horsman Solly and Robert Warington. With them, forty-five men were enrolled as members.
At its foundation, the Society acquired the best microscopes then obtainable from the three leading makers, Powell & Lealand, Ross, and Smith. The first president of the society was palaeontologist Sir Richard Owen who is best known for coining the word "dinosaur" and for his role in creation London's Natural History Museum. It was renamed the Royal Microscopical Society in 1866, when the Society received its Royal Charter. Its governing documents are its Charter and By-laws.
Meetings, courses and conferences
Each year the RMS hosts a programme full of meetings, courses and conferences. These events provide opportunities for keeping abreast of the very latest developments and attract speakers of the highest quality and delegates active in all areas of science from forensics to flow cytometry, live cell imaging to SPM.
Membership
RMS members come from a wide range of backgrounds — from undergraduates and research students to leaders in their various fields – within the biological & physical sciences.
Benefits of RMS membership include:
After three years of continuous Ordinary Membership, members are invited to become a Fellows of the society after a set number of criteria have been met, which allows for individuals to benefit from voting and election rights as well as the use of the post-nominal letters FRMS after their names.
Honorary Fellows
Listed below are the Honorary Fellows of the Society of both past and present:
Journal of Microscopy
The Journal of Microscopy provides an international and interdisciplinary forum for publication, discussion and education for scientists and technologists who use any form of microscopy or image analysis. This includes technology and applications in physics, chemistry, material and biological sciences. The Journal publishes review articles, original research papers, short communications, and letters to the Editor, covering all aspects of microscopy. It is published on behalf of the Society by Wiley-Blackwell.
infocus Magazine
infocus Magazine is the Royal Microscopical Society’s Magazine for Members. It provides a common forum for scientists and technologists from all disciplines which use any form of microscope, including all branches of microscopy and microbeam analysis. infocus features articles on microscopy related topics, techniques and developments, reports on RMS events, book reviews, news and much more. Published four times a year, infocus is free to members of the RMS.
Outreach Activities
The RMS founded the Microscope Activity Kit Scheme in March 2011. This is a free scheme sending fully equipped Kits of microscopes and ready-to-go activities to Primary Schools throughout the United Kingdom for a term at a time. By December 2014, the Kits had gone from 2 to 50 and had been used by over 20,000 children in the UK.
RMS Diploma
The RMS Diploma, launched in 2012 to replace the former RMS DipTech qualification, aims to help microscopists advance in their careers by improving and refining their skills to gain a distinguished qualification. The Diploma from the Royal Microscopical Society is attained via a flexible portfolio-based course of study that is designed by the candidate with the assistance of their line-manager, and with input from existing Fellows of the Society. This approach ensures that the study is both challenging and rewarding whilst fitting with, and complementing, the candidate's existing employment.