We were delighted to welcome over one hundred members of the Kent community to our Biosciences reunion in July.
The varied group included members of the first graduating class, former and current academics, technicians, and international alumni who were able to join us from Sweden, Thailand, and the USA. All of which allowed for much discussion around the many decades of change in the department as well as celebration for all that it has achieved.
Head of the School of Natural Sciences, Professor Mark Wass, provided everyone with a welcome back to the Stacey Building ahead of presentations from academics on current structure of the School and recent research projects. Alumni were also welcome to share a short reflection on their time a Kent – all of which garnered much amusement!
The afternoon continued with a group photo, an agar art competition, and the opportunity to browse the many memory boards bursting with photos submitted from more than five-decades worth of staff and students.
In the evening a formal dinner was held in the Darwin Conference Suite with all 12 tables named after founding members of the Biological Laboratory. A speech by Professor Keith Gull emphasised the enthusiasm of our alumni and their eagerness to remain connected and involved with the School to ensure its ongoing success. The evening then concluded with music by Two Point Four aka the Dom Abrahams Band.
A big thank you to Mick Tuite, Louise Naylor, and Ray Newsam for organising and overseeing the fantastic weekend and to Gary Robinson and Jenny Tullet from the School of Natural Sciences for providing local logistical support.
Feedback for the event was resoundingly positive and echoes the gratefulness of our alumni for the opportunity to catch up and reconnect with old friends.
“Thank you to all the organisers for making this such an enjoyable and memorable reunion! I thoroughly enjoyed myself, it was a lovely trip down memory lane.”
“…many thanks for organising the Biosciences Reunion. It was a real pleasure to reconnect with so many familiar faces, celebrate how far we’ve come, and share some fond (and funny) memories…”
“I met friends I hadn’t seen for many years as well as some I am still in touch with. We will have our own ‘mini reunions’ in the months ahead thanks in the main to this event. I loved it and I’ll return again for the next one. ”
See more photos from the weekend here and reconnect with other Biosciences alumni on the LinkedIn page set up by Mike Tuite.
