Highlights of the symposium included:
- 13 undergraduate presentations, where students shared their unique research projects and findings.
- 10 graduate student presentations, which demonstrated advanced research methodologies and discoveries.
The keynote address, delivered by Logan Cohen, provided an inspiring discussion of the opportunities available to students after completing annotations in their genomics research. As the Director of the Advanced Research Lab, Logan Cohen’s insights set the stage for the symposium’s focus on original student research. The final presentation, delivered by graduate student and member of the Advanced Research Lab Bethany Lieser, offered a look at their research on translation start sites, emphasizing why “Methionine is the Guy” in protein synthesis.
The symposium showcased the work of students and faculty while highlighting the connections among universities within the node. It provided a valuable opportunity to share research and encouraged future collaboration in the field of genomics.
What worked well for your event that might help others plan similar events?
I had someone else (non-GEP but tech person) running the session as the host. This freed me up from the stress of breakout rooms, etc. Having a keynote speaker before and another speaker after the student talks worked well. The support of the node leaders and GEP staff were essential.
What would your node do differently based on your experiences?
Start planning sooner, but be prepared for a lot of last-minute work since most registrations arrive at the very last minute.
