Welcome to this, the third edition of the new online Generations Review. As guest editor of this special issue dedicated to students I am thrilled with the quantity and quality of contributions. So, what have we got for you this month?

In keeping with our focus on emerging researchers and scholars, a key feature of News and Reviews this month are two articles on the Network of Gerontology Students (NOGS). Ingrid Eyers gives insights into the origins and development of the student network, while Karen Baker and Kelly Fitzgerald review the NOGS conference held at Keele University in May. The presentation abstracts from the event are included to illustrate the breadth of studies currently being undertaken by PhD students. I am sure I speak for all BSG/NOGS members in passing on my congratulations and thanks to Karen and Kelly for organising such a highly successful and enjoyable conference and for their dedicated work in supporting our student members. It is through their commitment, and that of their predecessors, that NOGS continues to flourish and provide a strong support network for gerontology students.

In other News and Reviews items, Kate Davidson and Ingrid Eyers bring you up-to-date with all the latest news from BSG; Dorothy Bell reviews the recent AGEACTION conference hosted by the Institute for Ageing and Health, Newcastle University; and Judith Phillips reports on the establishment of the all Wales multi-disciplinary network Older People & Ageing Research & Development Network (OPAN Cymru). In a report on his new job, Tony Maltby sheds light on the acronyms NIACE and CROW; while Jan Reed (Northumbria University) gives details of an exciting new international research study Older People Developing Ways of Living Healthily and Gillian Crosby from the Centre for Policy on Ageing (CPA) reports on new publications from the Representation of Older People in Ageing Research series.

As well as hosting the NOGS conference, Keele University was the focus of attention in May as some 200 delegates from around the world joined in the 20th Anniversary celebrations of the Centre for Social Gerontology before attending the inaugural lecture of its newest Professor, Tom Scharf. In honour of these events and the significant contribution which Keele has made to the development of gerontology both nationally and internationally, this month’s Profile section focuses on Keele. It includes articles on CSG, a report on the 20th anniversary celebrations, a feature article on Tom Scharf including links to his inaugural lecture, and details of the new book Critical Perspectives on Ageing Societies edited by Mim Bernard and Tom Scharf. To illustrate the history of the CSG and the publications written by CSG staff over the past 20 years, we include links to posters exhibited during the celebrations. Congratulations to CSG and to Tom Scharf on your achievements.

For PhD students wishing to publish their research, Generations Review provides an ideal forum. In this issue Pilar Callaby (University of Southampton) contributes two articles based on her research into dementia in residential care, while Myra Hamilton (University of Sydney) writes on attitudes towards retirement of Australian baby boomers. We have also included in this section abstracts from eleven current PhD research projects, ranging from studies on sleep in later life (Emanuella Bianchera, Emma Cope, Theresa Richards and Sue Venn), to workplace age discrimination (Dinah Bisdee), retirement identity (Tatiana Schifferle-Rowson), rurality and sustainability (Elizabeth Brooks), caregiver burnout (Pilar Callaby), social relations in later life widowhood (Tracy Collins), consumption inequalities (Jenny Routledge), and time use (Stella Chatzitheochari). We offer all PhD students our best wishes and continuing support as they complete their PhD studies.

Having been awarded my PhD in 2004 at the age of 50, I am only too aware of the important role practising gerontologists can play in sharing experiences and offering advice and support. With this in mind we have devoted the Policy and Practice section this month to stories from seven gerontologists who gained their PhDs in the past five years. In a series of phone and email interviews, Ingrid Eyers, Marvin Formosa, Jenny Hislop, Cheryl Holman, Angela Kydd, Wendy Martin and Debora Price reflect on life before, during and after the PhD. They offer advice to current PhD students, emphasising the exhilaration and frustrations of being a student and the challenges of balancing a programme of intensive study with work, family and other commitments. Many had returned to academia as mature aged students, bringing with them a wealth of life experience. In common with our current PhD students, they were motivated by a passionate interest in ageing and by a strong desire to improve the quality of life of older people. The knowledge and skills gained through the PhD, as well as the networks established through their membership of BSG and NOGS, have led to careers in academia, research, policy and practice.

The Education and Careers section this month captures the experiences of nine current PhD students as they discuss their PhD, their interest in ageing, and future plans. Dinah Bisdee, Elizabeth Brooks, Pilar Callaby, Tracy Collins, Emma Cope, Florence Fong, Myra Hamilton, Barbara Sharp and Sue Venn provide fascinating insights into their experiences. Their narratives, recorded by interview either during the NOGS event at Keele or by telephone or email, reflect the breadth of experience and diversity of research interests of our emerging gerontologists. I feel confident that these students will make a unique contribution to gerontology in the future, in so doing adding a new dynamism to the ageing agenda. Central to the success of our students is the high quality and range of gerontology courses available at UK universities. In this section we also focus on courses offered at Keele, Kings, Northumbria, Paisley and Southampton Universities.

I have very much enjoyed my role as guest editor of this special issue. I would like to thank all our contributors for their enthusiasm and willingness to provide such thoughtful and stimulating articles, Wendy Martin for her help and guidance in putting this issue together, and Rachel Pitman for her skills in producing Generations Review. Naturally all contributions reflect the author’s own views and not that of the Society.

The Editors are keen to hear from any of our BSG colleagues who would like to contribute to the October issue of Generations Review. Date for submissions to this issue is 15 September.

I look forward to seeing you at the next BSG conference Realities of Ageing: Research into Action at Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield, 6-8 September 2007.

Best wishes

Jenny Hislop

Guest Editor

Keele University