The decades seem to have flown by since my undergrad days but I remember Alan as a brilliant lecturer. From actinomycetes to biofuels, his enthusiasm was infectious and played a large part in the choices that I made during my honours year. This subsequently led to the offer of a PhD with Alan on soil bioremediation, which I jumped at the chance. I have fond memories of many a long chat in Alan's office, having knocked on his door just to ask a quick question. And, like all of Alan's students, I recall many happy times spent with Alan and his wonderful family at their home in Saughall - the croquet tournaments, runaround table tennis, Linda and Alex making butterscotch sauce, playing with the dogs. I will be forever grateful for Alan's guidance and friendship during my PhD and subsequent career choices. Alan was the first to recognise that I could write well and I honestly don't know where I would be today if I hadn't had his encouragement to pursue science communication as a career.