Newsletter of Bath Spa Biology June 2021 As we come to the end of the academic year and celebrate all of our students’ achievements, there is a lot of progress and positivity, good news and exciting developments recorded in this edition, and these should be celebrated. Whilst acknowledging that our students have been outstandingly resilient in recent months and continue to succeed in their studies, as well as gaining valuable experiences and taking up opportunities offered; I would also like to pay tribute to the continued dedication, hard work and diligence of the staff within the Subject, which underpins all of these stories. This includes both academic tutors, and the wider team of technical support staff upon which our courses depend. The blended delivery taking place this year has been logistically more challenging than either full in person delivery, or 100% enforced virtual
delivery, which we became accustomed to last academic year. Being both online and in person at the same time (in some cases literally), has meant that, not only have we needed an array of tailored approaches for different students, depending on their situation, but we have been balancing/juggling those with our own altered circumstances. Students have succeeded whether they were able to join us on campus or not; modules have continued to run smoothly; laboratory sessions carried out safely, existing courses have been accredited and re-accredited, a new course developed; research funding bids awarded, and recruitment has been ongoing; we are also now already planning for next year! I would therefore like to take the opportunity to thank all staff for their Herculean efforts, and invite students to join me in a round of applause for everyone who has facilitated their studies this year. Samantha Lane, Subject Leader: Biology