Education & Outreach

Co-ordinated by the Fungal Education and Outreach Committee (FEO Committee), the BMS aims to raise awareness of fungi and fungal science at all levels and across all disciplines; from junior school through secondary school and universities, to enthusiasts, including educators and the general public.

Through our public events and outreach activities we seek to engage with all who have an interest in fungi. Our UK Fungus Day outreach platform facilitates greater engagement with the educational arena; providing not only information, resources and ideas, but also a mechanism for exchange of knowledge and expertise between fungus enthusiasts, teachers, educators, artists, families & children, businesses and academia; promoting a greater awareness, interest, understanding and fascination of the fungal kingdom.

We provide a variety of resources for education including classroom activities, university teaching materials and materials for general public events.

‘Mycokids’ seeks to capture an early interest in the fascinating world of the fungi. Meet Dingy Twiglet, Frosty Funnel and their friends as they discover more about the Kingdom ‘Fungi’. Try out our fun kitchen science activities at home or use our resources to plan a ‘fun with fungi’ day in school for ‘Beginners’ (5 – 11 year olds; KS1-2; Years 1-6).

The FEO Committee makes nominations to BMS Council for the Fungal Outreach Award.​​​



Candida albicans colonies on agar: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/ File:Candida_albicans_PHIL_3192_lores.jpg | Aspergillus infection in the lungs https://www.flickr.com/photos/pulmonary_pathology/ 5390379081

Fungus-focused competition for secondary schools

MiSAC's 2025 competition for students in Key Stages 3 and 4 / Scotland S1/2 and S3/4 is sponsored by the BMS and focused on human fungal diseases and the emerging threat of antifungal drug resistance.

Students are invited to design an illustrated webpage for teenagers that describes the fungal pathogen, associated disease and treatments used, and also discusses the factors contributing to anti-fungal resistance and ways of combatting this problem.

Closing date: 29 March 2025

 

VISIT THE MISAC WEBSITE

UK Fungus Day

UK Fungus Day is an annual celebration of our fungal world, offering something for everyone. Alongside the many UK-based groups, museums, universities and research centres offering a chance to join fungus walks, view fungi collections and visit exhibitions of the latest fungal science and technology, UK Fungus Day invites everyone to join in, delve deeper and learn more about fungi through art and performance, crafts and creations, online talks, quizzes and competitions.

UK Fungus Day is on Saturday 5th October

VISIT THE UK FUNGUS DAY WEBSITE



Myco Kids!

Fun Facts on Fungi.  Myco Kids seeks to capture an early interest in the fascinating world of the fungi. Meet Dingy Twiglet, Frosty Funnel and their friends as they discover more about the Kingdom ‘Fungi’.

VISIT THE MYCOKIDS

Dr Linda Davies, Chair of the BMS Fungal Education & Outreach Committee

Why fungi must be included in a Natural History GCSE

Fungi are not plants and not animals. They're a kingdom of their own, and a huge kingdom of some 3-5 million species, although only about 140,000 have been described to date. Fungi are essential to life on earth, and without them our terrestrial ecosystems wouldn't function.

In the December 2021 OCR newsletter, Dr Linda Davies, Chair of the BMS Fungal Education & Outreach Committee, explains why its crucial fungi must be included in OCR's proposed GCSE in Natural History.

Read the article: Putting fungi at the heart of student learning