Guest Speakers included:
- “Unlocking Secrets of Microbial Evolution in the Deep Sea and Deep Time through Genomics” – Dr. Rika Anderson
- “Unlocking Hidden Risks: How Protein and Genetic Markers Can Predict Heart Disease in People Living with HIV” – Dr. Sandra Safo
- “Gene Loss and Relaxed Selection of Plaat1 in Vertebrates Adapted to Low Light Environments” – Dr. Danielle Drabeck
- “Exploring how Genetic Counselors Shape Healthcare and Research” – Elena Fisher
- “Evolution and Biomedical Implications of Structural Variants in Humans” – Dr. PingHsun Hsieh
What worked well for your event that might help others plan similar events?
This is the second significant event that we have planned for the MN/IA/Dakotas Node. This time we created larger and more frequent breaks in between talks and poster sessions than the first time planning. It felt so much less stressful, and more organic conversation was held between students and faculty during these breaks. We also scheduled an hour-long lunch and hour poster session; it was the perfect amount of time.
What would your node do differently based on your experiences?
To send many reminders to register before the deadline! I kept having students register late and then that messed up my lunch numbers. I had to negotiate with Sodexo a few days before to add on more meals.
