A short history of the AMC

The “Alternative Muscle Club” (AMC) was born out of the idea to give junior researchers an opportunity to present their work in a more friendly and unintimidating environment. Therefore, attendees and organizers of the meeting typically hold junior faculty, postdoctoral, postgraduate student, or research technician positions. Historically, the AMC has been associated with the European Muscle Club (EMC) - now the European Muscle Conference and the European Society for Muscle Research (ESMR).


Timeline of select AMC meetings

Timeline of select AMC meetings in the United Kingdom and the USA.



The first-ever AMC meeting was held at the Department of Zoology, Oxford University, in December 1980. The two-day conference featured talks and poster presentations that represented the entire spectrum of muscle-related research: studies on whole muscle and muscle fibers, structural characterization of myofilaments, and investigations into the biochemistry of muscle proteins. Successive AMCs were held at universities and research centers across the United Kingdom, with Leeds hosting the AMC-UK meeting in 2014. More information here

Participants of the 2004 AMC at Imperial College, London

Professor John Squire, Imperial College London, who served as organizer and session chair during the 2004 AMC meeting is seen on the left.
Picture courtesy of Dr. Pradeep Luther.
Participants of the 2004 AMC at Imperial College London

In keeping with the goals and the spirit of the European AMCs, UC San Diego was proud to host the first American Alternative Muscle Club meeting in the summer of 2013 (see the 2013 meeting homepage here). We aim to honor the same principles as the original AMC meetings: to allow junior researchers to present their work in a friendly and open environment.

Discussion in front of a poster at the AMC 2013 in San Diego Scientific discussions in front of a poster at the AMC 2013 in San Diego


Literature

For further reading about the history of the AMC, we suggest the following articles:
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