IMD Online Events and Webinars
Celebrating unsung pioneer Fanny Angelina Hesse - Live drawing of a graphic novel and reading of her biography
When: 17 September 2025
Time: 09:00
Event Link: https://www.patreon.com/corradonai/
Event Description
FANNY ANGELINA HESSE CHANGED THE WORLD WITH A DESSERT......SADLY, NOT MANY PEOPLE REMEMBER HER
This is the story of how a forgotten woman used a transparent substance to make visible the invisible...
This is the story of how Fanny Angelina Hesse (1850-1934) first used agar (a common dessert in Indonesia) to grow microbes in the lab... and why it matters.
We are creating A GRAPHIC NOVEL to make this story fun and accessible to a broad audience... and we invite you to join our creative journey!
WHY PATREON?
If you are new to Patreon, see this 90-sec explainer on YouTube. It's simple... You will become a patron for us to tell this story! You can join for free, too, and stop membership at any time. Paid membership, hovewer, gives you fantastic perks!
As a patron you will get exclusive insights into the art & story and access very special rewards! You can also benefit from immediate perks (depending on your tier), or make a one-time donation by purchasing something in our shop! Read more about our finances here.
ABOUT THIS STORY
Without agar (and without Fanny Angelina Hesse!) we would not have modern vaccines, antibiotics, and many other live-saving innovations! Sadly, not many people remember Fanny Angelina Hesse, or know why growing microbes is so important for science, medicine, and industry.
What makes our story truly special is that we have obtained exclusive historical material from Fanny Angelina Hesse's great-grandchildren!
NEED MORE INFORMATION?
🦠 Read more about Fanny Angelina Hesse in our first post!
🤔 Who was she? Read more here
🎨 See our Artwork & Sketches
👀 Browse all the content in our collections
New members can join a paid membership with 70% discount in their first month using the code:
IMD-FANNY-HESSE. Discount promotion starts now and ends on 17 September 2025 at 23:59 PM
Register here for the event: https://www.patreon.com/corradonai/
Disinformation Is an Infectious Disease
When: 18 September 2025
Time: 18:00 - 20:30 (USA Time)
Where: Online - Hodson Auditorium, Rosenstock Hall, Hood College, United States
Event Description:
We will screen the 2023 documentary "Shot in the Arm" as we examine the impact of disinformation campaigns that seek to sow distrust in vaccines and to downplay the impact of infectious diseases caused by microbial pathogens. We aim to help audiences understand how science and scientists work, to help them guard against unreliable information, and to build trust in science, medicine, and public health.
This event will be held in person as well as on Zoom.
Registration required for a Zoom invitation: https://tinyurl.com/mph-film-fest
A Bad Bugs Bookclub Special Event: Fanny Hesse and the Graphic Novel
When: 17 September 2025
Time: 18:00 - 20: 00 (UK Time)
Where: Online
Event Description:
The Bad Bugs Bookclub was launched in 2009, with the aim of encouraging scientists and non-scientists together to discuss how infectious diseases are portrayed in novels of fiction – as a public engagement project. More than 100 books and almost 100 meetings on, the bookclub thrives, with various peer-reviewed publications describing its progress (Verran, Joanna (2024) How to set up and run a Bad Bugs Bookclub group. Access microbiology, 6 (9). 000846.v3 ISSN 2516-8290). Each year, there has been a Bookclub meeting during IMD.
This year the meeting will be a little different. The group will be discussing the graphic novel as a medium for the bookclub discussions, firstly using Resistance by Val McDermid and Kathryn Briggs (2021) as the focus, and then diverging into other graphic novels that focus on infectious disease.
Meanwhile, Corrado Nai and colleagues have been working on a new graphic novel which describes the recognition in 1881, by Fanny Hesse, a German housewife, that agar could be used as a base for microbiological growth media (https://fanny-hesse-graphic-novel.site/). Her discovery transformed the study of microorganisms, enabling pure cultures to be studied, and Koch’s postulates to be …postulated. This contribution to microbiology, by the wife of a laboratory researcher, was unacknowledged until recently.
After a presentation by Corrado, the Bookclub will talk about some of the draft sections of this new graphic novel, and its future publication will be explored.
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/corradonai
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fanny.hesse.story/
The Role of Microorganisms in Maintaining and Promoting Health
When: 17 September 2025
Time: 09:00 - 13:30
Where: Online event
Event Description: Organized by Iranian Research Organization for Science and Technology (IROST) and Iranian Biological Resource Center (IBRC), this year’s event will continue to highlight the essential roles of microorganisms in public and environmental health. The 2025 event will be held virtually as a one-day symposium. Under the theme “The Role of Microorganisms in Maintaining and Promoting Health,” we aim to bring together researchers, students, and industry professionals through scientific talks and interactive sessions.
Objectives:
Raising public and academic awareness of the beneficial roles of microorganisms in health, food, environment, and industry.
Promoting interdisciplinary collaboration and knowledge sharing.
Emphasizing the importance of microbial biological resource centers and biobanks in health-related research.
IMD 2025 Program Outline:
We planned to have a One-Day Symposium for IMD2025 that will be held online.
The symposium will feature a diverse range of speakers, including renowned experts, early-career researchers, and industry representatives, ensuring a comprehensive overview of the field. The Q&A session will encourage audience participation and knowledge exchange. The symposium's focus on critical role of microorganisms in individual and community health and highlight the importance of microbial biobanks as essential infrastructure for research and as providers of reference strains relevant to public and individual health.
By addressing key areas such as environment, health, and food industry, the program demonstrates the multifaceted impact of microorganisms in public health.
Symposium Agenda:
9:00-9:30 AM: Welcome
930-11:00 AM: Keynote Speakers (15-20 min for each keynote speaker)
11:00-11:30 AM: Break
11:30 AM-13:00 PM: Keynote Speakers Second Session
13:00 PM-13:30 PM: Closing Remarks and Conclusion
Registration:
Use this form to register: https://ibrc.ir/fa/form/1084/ or call for registration: 00989909662646
(Luso)Microbial Connections - Science Conversations in Portuguese [Conexões (Luso)Microbianas'25 – Conversas de Ciência em PT]
When: 17 September 2025
Time: 12:00 - 15:00
Where: Online University of Coimbra
Event Description: On September 17, 2025, the University of Coimbra, representing the Portuguese Microbiology Society (SPM), in partnership with IHMT-NOVA, will organize the anchor event of the International Day of the Microorganism in Portugal, with the stream "(Luso)Microbial Connections - Science Conversations in Portuguese".
The initiative is intended to be a new edition of the event organised in 2024 ("Conexões (Luso)Microbianas") and, like last year, teachers, researchers, and students from institutions that are members of the Lusophone Microbiology Network are invited to participate.
This edition will also be open to SPM members from Portuguese institutions researching in the areas of Microbiology and/or Biotechnology (limited to 2 per institution). All they have to do is send in a short 5-minute video (the"5 minutes of fame") presenting a published article, scientific project or relevant results.
Registration:
Those invited to submit an entry will be able to do so via a link that will be published at a later date.
Members of the public wishing to attend will be able to do so via the Portuguese Microbiology Society's YouTube channel.
International Microorganism Day 2025
When: 17 September 2025
Time: 13:00 - 17:00
Where: Online event
Event Description: International Day of Microorganisms unites microbiologists from different countries and continents. We, microbiologists from Ukraine, will also join in the celebration of this year`s professional holiday. We will discuss how to survive in difficult conditions, with a lack of specialists, personnel, reagents, and modern laboratory equipment, and constant bombing of our territories. This day will remind the world of the importance of microbiologists as specialists working in hospitals, veterinary medicine, the agricultural environment, pharmacy, and other industries.
Registration:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Ns0elD5zVCe9REnJlELQMxbTU78ySbDK0pRnC7hYXqI/edit
Small Science, Big Impact - National Webinar on Microorganisms and Biocontrol
When: 17 September 2025
Time: 08:30 - 15:30
Where: Webinar in National University of Asunción - CEMIT - UNA - Paraguay
Event Description: The national webinar “IMD Paraguay: Small Science, Big Impact” is organized by the Mycology Investigation Safety Team (MIST), a research group at the Centro Multidisciplinario de Investigaciones Tecnológicas (CEMIT) of the Universidad Nacional de Asunción (UNA). It is supported by the Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales (FACEN-UNA) and the PDM Fungi Group (Pathogen Detection, Monitoring and Damage Assessment Fungi Group) from the Unidad Pedagógica Hohenau of the Universidad Católica Nuestra Señora de la Asunción.
The event commemorates International Microorganism Day (IMD), celebrated globally on September 17, and aims to highlight the pivotal role of microorganisms in sustainable agriculture and plant health. The virtual format via Zoom, with YouTube streaming, ensures broad accessibility.
The webinar will feature national and international experts who will explore microbial applications in crop protection, with topics including:
Biocontrol of fungal pathogens in soybean and yerba mate
Use of microbial agents (Trichoderma, Bacillus) for plant protection and growth
Microbiomes and rhizosphere engineering
Control of mycotoxins and fungal contaminants
Antimicrobial use and risk management in crops
Biodiversity and molecular tools for beneficial microbes
Legal and regulatory aspects of biocontrol in Paraguay
Microbial ecology and agroecosystem resilience
Speakers include distinguished researchers affiliated with Paraguayan universities and international institutions (see CV links provided), contributing to scientific exchange and fostering national collaboration.
The event targets students, researchers, professionals, and stakeholders in microbiology, plant pathology, agronomy, biotechnology, and environmental sciences. It aims to raise awareness of microbial biocontrol, showcase innovative research, and celebrate IMD through a high-impact, knowledge-driven initiative.
The full programme is currently under development and will be announced soon.
Registration & Participation
The event is free and open to the public. Participants will receive a digital certificate of attendance. A registration form link will be distributed in advance.
Youtube chanel of CEMIT
https://www.youtube.com/cemitpy
Microbes: Friends or Foes? Young Voices on the Hidden Power of Microorganisms
When: 19 September 2025
Time: 07:00 - 10:00
Where: Virtual event
Event Description:
In celebration of International Microorganism Day 2025, the Arab Society for Fungal Conservation in Egypt will host an online event presenting the work of young researchers under the theme "Microbes: Friends or Foes?". The event aims to highlight the dual roles of microorganisms in health, agriculture, the environment, and biotechnology—both as essential allies and potential threats.
The program will include brief presentations from early-career researchers and students on various microbial topics, including beneficial bacteria, pathogenic microorganisms, antimicrobial resistance, fungal biodiversity, and microbial innovation.
This virtual platform will foster regional and international engagement, promote science communication, and raise awareness of microbiology's relevance to everyday life.
Objectives
Raise awareness about the positive and negative impacts of microorganisms
Empower young researchers to share their work in microbiology
Promote the importance of microbial education and conservation
Encourage public interest in microbial science and its societal relevance
Organizers:
The event is organized under the guidance and support of the Arab Society for Fungal Conservation.
Format & Audience:
Format: Online (via Google Meet platform)
Content: Short talks (10 – 15 minutes) and interactive Q&A
Audience: University students, early-career researchers, educators, and
the general public across the Arab region and beyond
Registration:
Registration form is being created. Contact Ahmed Abdel-Azeem at hiph.ymaradny@alexu.edu.eg to learn more.
Women and Youth Driving Innovation in Aquaculture & Health
When: 17 September
Time: 14:00 - 14:30
Where: Berlin, Germany (Hybrid: in-person + online)I
A half-day interactive symposium and workshop, featuring short talks, lightning presentations, and group activities.
Join us for Microbial Champions: Women and Youth Driving Innovation in Aquaculture & Health, a dynamic event that celebrates the invisible architects of our ecosystems — microbes — through the lens of sustainability, gender equity, and global health.
Speakers:
Dr. Noushin Arfatahery (WISEA/FU Berlin): Marine Microbiology & Gender Perspective
Guest speaker from AWI or ICAR (India): Women in Microbial Science
Youth representative from Bangladesh or Iran: Microbes and Future Food Systems
Objectives:
Raise awareness of microbial roles in aquaculture, AMR, and food safety.
Inspire participation from underrepresented groups in microbiological sciences.
Highlight grassroots and global projects linking microbiology and community empowerment.
Attendees can register by emailing either: arfa.n@fu-berlin.de or arfa3133@gmail.com
News and curiosities of the microbial world
When: 17 September
Time: 19:00 - 20:30
Where: Online
To celebrate the International Microorganism Day, the Microbiology League of the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences Ribeirão Preto
- University of Sao Paulo (LiMicro - FCFRP-USP) organized a discussion with researchers and professionals in the field to provide relevant updates. The event will include speakers to talk about bacteriology, virology, and mycology.
Register here: https://www.even3.com.br/novidades-e-curiosidades-do-mundo-microbiano-622773