We are proud to support four new symposia organized by student and postdoctoral members of the GSA! Check out the descriptions from the 2019 awardees of GSA Career Development Symposia funding. This program empowers early career members to organize local events that enhance the professional development of their peers, including career skills symposia, workshops, and networking events.

TREnD2019: Toronto RNA Enthusiasts’ Day 2019

Sameen Ahmed

Pallavi Pilaka

Matthew Hildebrandt

Marat Mufteev

Lauren Ostrowski

Francine Milone

Julie Claycomb

John Calarco

Akashdeep Dhillon

Amanda Charlesworth

The Greater Toronto Area (GTA) has a vibrant RNA community encompassing a broad range of genetics-related RNA biology, but there is a strong desire among these RNA biologists to increase communication, build cross-disciplinary collaborations, and encompass a greater number of scientists in our network. Our symposium, the Toronto RNA Enthusiasts’ Day (TREnD), aims to create a scientific forum for RNA researchers in the area, provide trainees with valuable scientific feedback, strengthen our scientific community, and expose us to new ideas. We aim to bring together diverse scientists focused on classical genetics and high-throughput genomic approaches to spark exciting new collaborations.

TREnD in the past three years has engaged RNA researchers from universities in Canada (U. of Toronto, U. of Ottawa, U. of Guelph, McGill U., and more.) and the US (U. of Rochester, SUNY Buffalo, Kent State U.). Abstracts reflected a diversity of expertise in RNA processing, non-coding RNAs, post-transcription/translation control of gene expression, and CRISPR, in a variety of systems ranging from tissue culture to yeast, Drosophila, C. elegans, zebrafish, and mice. We will retain the diversity of genetics-related RNA biology this year and strongly encourage RNA biologists of all levels–from undergrad to PI–to participate. This year, we will also include a career development workshop during lunchtime that draws upon the expertise and career experience of our outstanding Keynote Speaker, Dr. Tracy Johnson.

Toronto DNA Replication and Repair Symposium

Tajinder Ubhi

Michele Olivieri

Tiffany Cho

Brandon Ho

Liza Calhoun

David Miller

Zohreh Kianfard

Roxanne Oshidari

The Toronto DNA Replication and Repair Symposium is a one-day, trainee-oriented research symposium that was established by a PhD student from the University of Toronto in 2018. The symposium assembles researchers from different graduate departments and research institutions to share their ongoing research and ultimately promote academic and professional development among its trainees. Despite the sizable number of researchers within the DNA replication and repair community in Toronto, no formal meeting of these researchers had ever taken place until 2018, limiting collaboration and career development opportunities for the trainees in this community. The symposium resolves this problem by bringing researchers across institutions together to share their expertise and establish collaborations, thereby promoting sustained growth in the DNA replication and repair community in the Greater Toronto Area. The symposium prioritizes professional development opportunities for early career researchers through oral and poster presentations, networking opportunities, and through the organization of the symposium itself. The symposium is being organized by a team of nine graduate students from three universities in the Greater Toronto Area (University of Toronto, York University, and Ryerson University).

Immersion Science Program

Tanu Singh

Laurel Lorenz

Jennifer Alexander

Eric Lee

Danielle Talbot

Esteban Martinez

Sheila Long

Jacqueline Simonet

Zohreh Kianfard

The Immersion Science Program (ISP) at Fox Chase Cancer Center (FCCC) is an educational platform that embraces equality and empowers participants to contribute ideas, life experience, and cultural relevance to address fundamental biological problems. A key tenet of ISP is to develop a strong and supportive network of peers, near-peers, and senior scientific mentors. Together, this growing community focuses on improving retention of diverse students in STEM, uncovering the impact of diet on biological processes, and developing new medical interventions to treat genetic-based diseases. On May 29th, 2019, FCCC will be hosting the ISP Career Development Symposium. The 2019 symposium is expected to recruit a record-breaking attendance of 750 students from 12 schools of the Philadelphia Metro region and STEM professionals, representing fields from academic science, health education, science teaching, and biomedical research. The symposium will be organized into three sessions: Career development, Poster Presentations, and Networking Lunch and Lab Tour. During the career development session, students will learn details about personal pipelines from STEM professionals and instruction on how to achieve career goals in these positions. In the poster session, students will present their scientific research projects to other students and STEM professionals, which screen nutrients to determine their effects on signaling pathways critical for normal development and cancer. Finally, on the lab tour, students will have the opportunity to visualize the professional research lab facilities at FCCC. Overall, this symposium will provide students with a comprehensive introduction to STEM-related careers, including knowledge and personal resources that identify their interests and long-term goals in science. Ultimately, our aim is to open a window of opportunity for envisioning the process of a scientist in the making, forming a transparent and feasible pipeline to cultivate the next generation of young scientists in STEM.

Bay Area Worm Meeting

Fan Wu

Zhouliang Yu

Maria Sallee

Gina Caldas

The Bay Area Worm Meeting (BAWM) is an annual one-day symposium for the C. elegans scientific community in the San Francisco Bay area. This year’s BAWM will be hosted at UC Berkeley, where a diverse community of students, postdocs, and faculty from thirteen institutes will gather to share ideas and present new scientific findings in diverse aspects of C. elegans biology.

C. elegans, established as a model organism in 1963, is a small non-parasitic nematode, highly fertile, and with a short life cycle. With its genome completely sequenced and annotated; its flexibility for transgenics, recent gene-editing and genomic approaches; and advanced microscopy, this tiny worm gives us the luxury to combine a wide range of both classical and new methodologies to explore fundamental aspects of biology that are relevant to more complex organisms and to human disease. Thus, C. elegans is used around the world as a model system to study behavior, aging, development, reproduction, genetics of quantitative traits, and many other biological phenomena.

With the goal of providing an inclusive space for scientific interaction, our symposium will cover a range of topics that reflect the breadth of research in our community: Neuronal Circuits, Aging, Stress and Metabolism, Development, and Chromatin and Gene Regulation. In line with previous BAWMs, our symposium will be centered on early career scientists presenting their work to further our goal of promoting career development. We are excited to organize an event that serves as a platform for C. elegans researchers at all stages in their careers, from diverse educational and cultural backgrounds, and with diverse research and educational interests, to interact and share resources and ideas. We believe BAWM will contribute greatly to our scientific community both by fostering professional development in an inclusive environment and by promoting continued research progress.

We are proud to support three new symposia organized by student and postdoctoral members of the GSA! Check out the descriptions from the 2018 awardees of GSA Career Development Symposia funding. This program empowers early career members to organize local events that enhance the professional development of their peers, including career skills symposia, workshops, and networking events.

Is there an unmet career development need in your local research community? We need your proposals for unique and valuable events! The application deadline is January 10, 2019. 

Learn more about the application: Tips for a successful Career Development Symposia proposal

Beyond DC: exploring the spectrum of science policy careers

Kathryn Bambino

Giovanna Collu

Lacy Barton

For the scientific enterprise to flourish there must be a strong link between scientists and policy makers; policy makers must understand the science that impacts decision-making and scientists need policies governing research to nurture the scientific enterprise. More scientists need to enter the policy field to inform policy decisions and to advocate for the research community. Unfortunately, trainees at research institutions have few opportunities to explore careers in science policy and advocacy during their training. Typically, trainees with interests in policy are encouraged to pursue one of the prestigious fellowships based in Washington DC, such as the AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellowship or Christine Mirzayan Science & Technology Policy Fellowship. However, there are eligibility restrictions for participation in these programs. The eligibility requirements present a significant barrier to those who have career breaks, personal or professional responsibilities that prohibit their relocation to DC, or few financial resources. Furthermore, foreign visa holders make up a significant portion of the trainee population, yet face even greater restrictions to explore policy careers. We will host an event for students and postdocs in the greater NYC area to raise awareness of the numerous career opportunities in science policy and advocacy that exist outside of Washington, DC. We will leverage the unique environment of New York City to present an extended panel discussion followed by breakout sessions featuring diverse panelists from advocacy groups, policy think tanks, local government and non-profit organizations. The event will be held on May 18th at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS). We will cover policy career options, skills required to make the transition, and highlight volunteer and internship opportunities. Follow @MSSPG_  on Twitter for updates on speakers, registration, and remote viewing.

Second Annual Evolution in Philadelphia Conference (EPiC)

Meghan Barrett

Alexandra Brown

Rohini Singh

The purpose of the Second Annual Evolution in Philadelphia Conference (EPiC) is to bring together early career researchers from genetics and evolutionary biology in the greater Philadelphia area. EPiC is hosted by members of Philadelphia Evolution Group (PEG) which consists of faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and graduate students from Drexel University, Temple University, and the University of Philadelphia. This symposium aims to maximize opportunities for students, both graduate and undergraduate, and postdoctoral fellows to present their research and interact with fellow early career scientists and faculty from the greater Philadelphia area and nearby states.

We received an overwhelming response for EPiC 2017, which attracted 91 attendees from 23 institutions spanning across five states. As before, EPiC 2018 will focus on a broad range of topics, including genome evolution, speciation and adaptation, the genetic basis of phenotypic evolution, microbiomes and symbiosis, and organismal response to the environment. By holding EPiC a second year, attendees will get a chance to build on their extant network and, additionally, forge stronger ties with peers from more distant locations, increasing the possibility of future collaboration. Furthermore, EPiC will encourage a sense of unity and collaboration among early-career researchers in the greater Philadelphia area, which may inspire attendees and their peers to collaborate more readily with each other.

Toronto DNA Replication and Repair Symposium

Clare So

The Toronto DNA Replication and Repair Symposium was a one-day event assembling researchers from graduate departments and research institutions in Toronto to share their ongoing research and promote the professional development of its trainees. The symposium provides professional development opportunities to trainees through oral presentations, networking, and the organization of the symposium itself. Despite the significant number of DNA replication and repair researchers in Toronto, no formal avenue for dialogue or collaboration exists between these researchers. This is especially detrimental to the career development of early career researchers in this community. The Symposium remedies this problem by bringing together researchers across institutions, universities, and academic departments in the Toronto area to share their expertise and learn from one another, thereby promoting sustained growth in the field of DNA replication and repair in Toronto. The Symposium was organized by a team of five graduate students from the University of Toronto and took place April 20, 2018.

During my many interactions with grad students and postdocs, I have learned that a large number of early career scientists train on campuses where important career development services are not widely available. While some schools may provide a diverse array of such services, at many other institutions the only opportunity to enhance early career training outside the lab is through attendance at conferences and local symposia. Here at the GSA, we recognize the importance of offering career development training in a variety of different forums. To increase accessibility of these programs, we provide graduate students and postdocs the opportunity to apply for Career Development Symposia grants. These awards allow students and postdocs to organize local symposia that provide career and professional development opportunities for early career scientists.

As with any competitive application, it can be a bit intimidating knowing where and how to begin. Here, I’ll provide you with a few tips for a successful Career Development Symposia grant application.

Know the requirements and formatting

We’ve all heard stories about grant applications being triaged for minor errors in formatting. With all of the effort that goes into creating a well-crafted application, the last thing anyone wants is for a minor detail to take you out of the running. While we are not strict about margins or fonts, we do have some basic requirements. The most common mistakes we see for CDS grant applications is exceeding the 2-page proposal and CV limits. Be sure to carefully read through the application instructions.

Understand your audience

For these awards, you need to think about two audiences: the committee reviewing your application and future attendees.

In the application, tell us why the meeting is important to your attendees. Are you addressing a gap in knowledge that you identified? Are you providing networking opportunities with industry professionals that are not common in your area? Whatever the reason, make it clear and provide supporting evidence.

The committee needs to clearly understand how your meeting provides career development training. We often receive applications for scientific symposia that focus on the importance of the science. While this is important for the committee to know, the primary focus of the application should be on the career development opportunities to the organizers and attendees. Stating that graduate students and postdocs will have an opportunity to present their work is great. But that alone is not sufficient for a successful application. Think about how you can raise the bar beyond traditional presentations. Tell us about how the event provides a leadership opportunity for the organizers, add a structured networking event, or even provide a mini workshop on presentation skills at the start or end of the day.

Identifying and articulating career development opportunities is a key factor for success!

Have clear plans

Agenda – Organizing an event takes careful thought and detailed planning. In your application, provide a detailed agenda. This is the place where you can raise the bar a bit. Rather than simply listing the time and name of each session, provide a list of skills developed by attendees or highlight the numbers of early career speakers.

Budget – Many applicants ask me if including other sources of financial support is detrimental for their application. The answer is no. In fact, knowing that organizers have a plan of action for obtaining additional funding provides confidence that the event will be successful. It also demonstrates that other groups also see the event as valuable and relevant.

Advertising – In your application, be sure to not overlook adding information about your advertising and promotion plans. It seems like a minor detail but we want to know that you’ve thought about effective ways to advertise using a realistic timeline.

I hope these tips help to demystify the application process for these awards. We look forward to reading an application from you in the near future.

GSA is currently accepting proposals from students and postdocs for the next round of Career Development Symposia. Gain leadership experience and serve the early career scientist community!

Many postdocs feel powerless. But early career researchers can work together to take control of their future, says Sarah Dykstra, a postdoc at Tufts University and co-organizer of the Boston Symposium on Careers and Collaboration in Science (B-SOCCS). To support this process, the Boston Postdoctoral Association (BPDA) developed a career symposium designed to enhance postdocs’ formal training and to forge new connections between early career scientists.

This successful event got its start with funding through GSA’s Career Development Symposia program, but from this early seed the BPDA were able to grow their financial support by ten-fold—and scale up their event to match their big goals.  

“It was critical that GSA was so willing to put their faith in us,” says Dykstra. “Many people didn’t initially have a lot of confidence that a group of postdocs could organize a new event of this scale. GSA’s funding gave us the credibility to approach other groups for both sponsorship and partnerships.”

Drug discovery workshop led by NIBR researchers. Pictured is Alokesh Duttaroy.

The Boston Postdoctoral Association is a coalition representing postdocs from 17 academic and industry research institutions in the Boston area. It was established in 2013 to support postdoc professional development and advocacy needs.

In its first years, the group began by organizing small events and programs. But as they became more established and organized, Dykstra challenged the BPDA to develop a much larger career symposium. They decided such an event could bring their community together to foster collaboration between researchers in both academia and industry. They also wanted to empower postdocs with practical tools for enhancing their professional development.

“We were trying to fill the gaps we felt were missing in our own training,” says Dykstra. 

With this idea, they applied for and received $2000 funding from the GSA, as part of its program to support student and postdoc members organizing career and professional development symposia to early career scientists. Using that vital confidence boost and the help of another early supporter—Angela Florentino, the Broad Institute’s Program Manager for Academic Affairs—they secured space for the meeting and reached out to a wide range of groups for sponsorships and partnerships. They also received early guidance and support from personnel at the Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research (NIBR), including the head of the NIBR postdoctoral program, Leslie Pond and several senior scientists and program directors.

To help share the workload, the event was organized through the teamwork of nearly 60 postdocs. They also tapped into the expertise of their network by seeking advice from successful event organizers and fundraisers.  

These experiences proved valuable for the organizers’ own career skills and networks. Dykstra is enthusiastic about the boost she gained from being involved, including better project management, more confidence, experience working in large teams, managing direct reports, dealing with people across different sectors, and learning about a wide range of topics that she had never been exposed to before.  

The end result was a busy 1.5-day event attended by around 350 people, with a mix of workshops, panels, networking events, scientific talks, and posters. The sessions were designed to draw early career researchers focused on academic careers, those focused on industry, and those who were undecided, bringing them to together to cross-pollinate their ideas. 

To give attendees a primer for the networking event on the first night, B-SOCCS kicked off with a talk on scientific networking from Daniel Jay, now the Dean of Tufts University’s Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences. Then came the real thing. “We packed the first floor of the Broad Institute with posters and people and food and encouraged everyone to mingle,” says Dykstra. “We couldn’t get them to go home!” 

The following day included three concurrent sessions in three general tracks: academic topics like grant writing and academic interviews, industry topics like entrepreneurship and drug discovery, and crossover topics such as communication and leadership. There were also scientific sessions and posters, with prizes.

Anchoring all this professional development and networking were two inspiring presentations. Jay Bradner, President of NIBR gave the keynote on the first night. Bradner helped pioneer the open science movement in biology, experimenting with an “open source” approach to the normally secretive world of drug discovery. The plenary talk was given by Phil Sharp, Nobel-winning co-discoverer of RNA splicing, who spoke on the history and future of biotech in the region.

When asked if she has any advice for students and postdocs thinking of organizing their own career symposia, Dykstra encourages them to apply for Career Development Symposia funds from GSA. “It would have been another year in the planning without that initial funding.”

She also emphasizes both building on the expertise of others and trusting your instincts.  

“You’re trained to analyze problems. If you think there’s a problem, acknowledge that it exists and be methodical about solving it.”  

The BPDA is already planning the next B-SOCCS, once more supported with GSA funding. This time they hope the GSA contribution will be used for travel awards to bring people to the symposium. They are also working on how to make the event even more useful to attendees. Dykstra is excited by some of the new proposals. “One of the things I learned from this experience was that although I have good ideas, together our team has great ideas.”

Applications for the next round of GSA’s Career Development Symposia are due January 10, 2017. Read these tips for a successful application first!

Guest post by Pinar Gurel. GSA is currently accepting proposals from students and postdocs for the next round of Career Development Symposia. Gain leadership experience and serve the early career scientist community!

Among the many roles that scientists play, mentoring younger scientists is one that researchers are rarely trained for. In the current STEM research environment, lack of funding is but one of the systemic issues young scientists face, and their roles, responsibilities, and career trajectories are changing. To address such issues, organizations such as Future of Research and Rescuing Biomedical Research have been formed, while others, such as the National Mentoring Research Network, have arisen to address the training needs of those who wish to remain in academia but receive no formal training in how to mentor students. Still, academia does not always embrace the value of being an inspiring leader, promoting a positive work environment, and having happy, mentally fit employees. Where other industries recognize these benefits, academic culture lags.

Conference attendees listen to a panel discussion on mentoring. Panel (L to R): Andy De Los Reyes (UMD), Belinda Huang (GWU), Chinonye “Chi-Chi” Nnakwe (AAAS), Meg Bentley (AU).

All of these issues are intertwined, and lead to the career-related pessimism and learned helplessness found in many young researchers around the world. With funding in part from the GSA Career Development Symposia Program, the Ethical and Inspiring Mentorship in STEM conference was held at the University of Maryland- College Park on September 21, 2017 to address issues in mentorship and to discuss current mentorship practices and the ways they could be improved.

The goals of the symposium were:

1. To recognize and discuss the issues surrounding mentoring in STEM fields
2. To discuss effective mentorship and advocacy techniques at all levels: PhD, Postdoc, Faculty
3. To provide a platform to connect like-minded young scientists who wish to effect change at their own institutions at the grassroots level
4. To inspire participants to practice effective mentorship practices and promote these skillsets to their peers and colleagues at their own institutions

This one-day conference was co-organized by Juan Pablo Ruiz (Labmosphere), Gary McDowell (Future of Research), Blessing Enekwe (University of Maryland-College Park), and Pinar Gurel (Rockefeller University) with funding from the GSA, ASCB, The Union of Concerned Scientists, BD Biosciences, and the University of Maryland. The meeting consisted of three speakers with break-out sessions in between the talks, as well as a mentorship panel, followed by discussion and a networking reception. The entire day was interactive and fostered communication and discussion—both for those in attendance and online through social media (#STEMentoring17). The conversations included students, postdocs, and experts in both STEM fields and mentoring, covering culturally aware mentoring, hyper-competition, mental health, ethical behavior, and advocacy.

The meeting began with a keynote lecture by Sandra Quinn (UMD, NMRN) who presented extensive research about current mentoring issues and provided tips for improving mentoring relationships. Importantly, Quinn stressed that anytime one has a conversation with a mentor or mentee, the conversation should start with respect, and this will allow both mentor and mentee to begin discussions in a positive manner. She also addressed culturally aware mentoring and explained that mentors need to be aware that each individual’s life experience is diverse. To be culturally aware and promote diversity, mentors need to demonstrate that they are available and ready to listen.

The keynote was followed by breakout sessions with Quinn addressing diversity and being a culturally aware mentor, and Gary McDowell in collaboration with the Union of Concerned Scientists discussing Local Advocacy.

Following lunch, Chris Pickett from Rescuing Biomedical Research presented data on the current ailments of the US biomedical research enterprise. Notably, an alarming figure showed the number of trainees is at an all-time high, but the number of tenure-track positions and grant funding for these trainees is at an all-time low. Pickett is working in several ways to reverse this trend and stresses that much more active work is needed. Pickett highlighted the need to raise awareness of all career paths for science PhDs and the need to train academic mentors to enable students to pursue different careers.

Brooke Deterline (Courageous Leadership, LLC) explains how the brain functions under different circumstances and how anxiety compromises our creativity and productivity.

Following Pickett, Brooke Deterline from Courageous Leadership, LLC presented an inspiring talk on leadership in today’s society. Deterline has worked with countless executives and teams to act with ethical courage and ingenuity to overcome complex and challenging issues. During her session, Deterline laid out a paradox common for most researchers: the more we care about something, the more we stress about it. But excess stress often leads to diminished capacity and poor decision making. She noted that “Under time and cost pressure, the ethical implications of our actions fade from our minds.” Deterline encouraged attendees to take on a courageous mindset by focusing on long-term goals and to behave in ways that are in alignment with ones’ values. Importantly, she emphasized that how we respond to stress is up to us, and by targeting the negative behaviors resulting from stress, we can behave much more productively.  

Two more breakout sessions followed, one with Will Olds from Proteintech discussing mentorship across the academia/industry divide, and another with Juan Pablo Ruiz discussing mental health issues and the value of support networks. Ruiz introduced active listening techniques as an effective mechanism to communicate with mentors and mentees—focusing on listening first, and giving advice when needed or asked.

The symposium was wrapped up by a delightful mentoring panel featuring Meg Bentley (American University), Andy De Los Reyes (University of Maryland), Belinda Huang (George Washington University), and Chinonye “Chi-Chi” Nnakwe (AAAS). The panelists provided tips and stories about mentoring situations they’ve encountered and recommendations on how to train mentors, how to overcome adversity, and how to incentivize/reward mentorship in STEM. Notably, all panelists encouraged attendees to first determine what they desire in a mentor, and then to seek out many mentors who can contribute to all the aspects of their needs. There is more than one good mentor!  

Conference organizers and participants unwind at the networking reception at Milkboy Arthouse. From L to R: Pinar Gurel (Rockefeller University), Blessing Enekwe (UMD), Juan Pablo Ruiz (Labmosphere), Gary McDowell (Future of Research), Will Olds (Proteintech).

At the end of the day, attendees, speakers, and panelists were all able to unwind and engage in productive discussion at a networking reception at Milkboy Arthouse at UMD. Importantly, this meeting was a step in beginning conversations around the problems and solutions for ethical and inspiring mentorship. One major takeaway from the meeting is that mentorship goes both ways; as a mentee, you have to decide what is the right fit for you and to seek out many mentors. As a mentor, it is important to listen and be aware of what tools and resources your mentee may need.

Extra Resources:

• Mentoring for Scientists eBook: http://info.addgene.org/download-addgenes-ebook-mentoring-for-scientists
• My IDP: http://myidp.sciencecareers.org/
• NMRN Mentoring Kit: https://issuu.com/shawmutdelivers/docs/164812-nrmn_info_kit-final?e=15518566/44324860
• Mapping a Mentoring Roadmap and Developing a Supportive Network for Strategic Career Advancement:
  http://journals.sagepub.com/eprint/izCuY6fGpyIi7B5JREqZ/full
• Form your own peer mentoring circle: http://blog.addgene.org/form-your-own-peer-mentoring-circle-a-how-to-guide-for-scientists
• The center for non-violent communication: https://www.cnvc.org/
• Boosting the career development of postdocs with a peer-to-peer mentor circles program: http://www.nature.com/nbt/journal/v34/n7/full/nbt.3631.html
• Peer Mentoring: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/peer-mentoring-addgene-happy-day-joanne-kamens-phd/
• Choosing a good mentor for scientists: http://blog.addgene.org/choosing-a-good-mentor-for-scientists
• Thinking critically about the ways we help our students: https://smallpondscience.com/2017/07/03/thinking-critically-about-the-ways-we-help-our-students/#more-19465
• What makes a good mentor: http://blog.addgene.org/what-makes-a-good-mentor-and-6-more-faqs-about-science-mentoring
• Mentoring in STEMM: https://www.nap.edu/catalog/24815/effective-mentoring-in-stemm-practice-research-and-future-directions-proceedings
• On Twitter:
  #STEMentoring17
  #MentoringFutureSci

Guest post by Miranda Wang and Ashrut Narula. GSA is currently accepting proposals from students and postdocs for the next round of Career Development Symposia. Gain leadership experience and serve the early career scientist community!

On August 2nd, 2017, the second annual Toronto RNA Enthusiasts’ Day (TREnD) was held at the Peter Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada. The Symposium was a student-led and trainee-focused event spearheaded by graduate students at the University of Toronto. TREnD aimed to bring together the vibrant and diverse RNA biology community in the Greater Toronto Area to create a platform for researchers of every level. The conference was sponsored in part by the GSA through its Career Development Symposia program, which supports events that contribute to the career development of early career members.

The event was very well received, with over 180 RNA enthusiasts in attendance from across Ontario, Quebec, New York state, and beyond. The day began with a keynote address by Phillip Zamore (University of Massachusetts Medical School) focusing on his recent work in the field of piRNAs. One of the main aims of TREnD is to provide an opportunity for trainees across all career stages to showcase their research, and the remainder of the day featured twelve oral presentations from graduate students and postdocs. Matthew Berg, a student from the Brandl lab at the University of Western Ontario, took home the trainee-voted prize for best talk of the day for his work on the evolution of mistranslating tRNAs. There was a lively poster session with over sixty poster presenters, with the best poster prize awarded to Andrea Brumwell (University of Guleph), and a special undergrad prize awarded to Jimmy Ly (University of Toronto). A host of private sponsor partners were present at the event and were well received by attendees.

Thanks to the generous help and support of the Genetics Society of America, TREnD 2017 was able to create a platform for trainees to exchange ideas, establish collaborations, and obtain scientific feedback on their own projects. Plans are already underway for next year’s symposium, and if you can’t wait until next year, you can get your monthly dose of RNA biology at the Toronto RNA Club meetings (http://www.torontorna.com). All RNA enthusiasts are welcome!

We are proud to support three new symposia organized by student and postdoctoral members of the GSA! Check out the descriptions from the Spring 2017 awardees of GSA Career Development Symposia funding. This program empowers early career members to organize local events that enhance the professional development of their peers, including career skills symposia, workshops, and networking events.  

Is there an unmet career development need in your local research community? We need your proposals for unique and valuable events! The next application deadline is January 10, 2018. 

2018 Boston Postdoctoral Association Symposium on Careers and Collaboration in Science   

Sarah Dykstra

Many graduate student and postdoctoral trainees have strong research, teaching, and interpersonal skills; however, concerted training opportunities are greatly needed to prepare them to leverage their skills for careers in either academic tenure-track positions or in industry. Since 2013, Postdocs from seventeen Boston-area academic institutions have joined together with industry postdocs to form the Boston Postdoctoral Association, a consortium to provide additional training and to foster opportunities for collaborative research and training for the region’s more than 8,000 postdocs. In June 2018, we will hold our second annual symposium to help prepare students and postdocs for success in both academic and industry research settings. The goal of are: 1) provide a unique opportunity for early-career scientists to network and share their research; 2) provide professional development resources beyond those currently available at individual institutions. 

As biological research becomes increasingly complex, collaborative research and information-sharing among diverse researchers are often required to answer novel and high-impact scientific questions. This symposium will be a unique platform for early career researchers to establish new relationships and gain new perspectives on the key questions in their respective fields. To foster academic-industry research interactions, exceptional local trainees from academic institutions and local pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies will participate in poster sessions and scientific talks. Panels and workshops will focus on discussing ways for academic and industry researchers to collaborate as well as gain skills beneficial to their career development during their traineeships and beyond. Panel discussions will include speakers from across the region who are mentors and leaders in their fields. Workshops will be designed to provide graduate students and postdocs with transferable skills for excellence in both academic and industry positions. Extensive opportunities for networking will be provided.

Ethical and Inspiring Mentorship in STEM 

Blessing Enekwe

Pinar Gurel

Gary McDowell

Juan Pablo Ruiz

The Ethical and Inspiring Mentorship in STEM symposium and workshop will take place at the University of Maryland, College Park campus on Sept 21, 2017. Please join us to discuss ethical, effective, and inspiring mentorship practices.     

This symposium has four goals:  

1. To recognize and discuss the issues surrounding mentoring in STEM fields.  
2. To discuss effective mentorship and advocacy techniques at all levels: PhD, Postdoc, Faculty  
3. To provide a platform to connect like-minded young scientists who wish to effect change at their own institutions at the grassroots level.  
4. To inspire participants to practice effective mentorship practices and promote these skill sets to their peers and colleagues at their own institutions.  

Among the many roles that scientists play, mentoring younger scientists is one that researchers are rarely trained for. In the current STEM research environment—where lack of funding is but one of the systemic issues faced by young scientists—roles, responsibilities, and career trajectories are changing. Organizations such as Future of Research and Rescuing Biomedical Research have been formed in recent years to address systemic issues facing academic research. Others, such as the National Mentoring Research Network, have arisen to address the training needs of those who wish to remain in academia but receive no formal training in how to supervise and mentor students. Still, there are gaps in the cultural awareness and value of being an inspiring leader, promoting a positive work environment, and in having happy, mentally fit employees. Where other industries recognize these benefits, academic culture lags. But all of these issues are intertwined and lead to the pessimism and learned helplessness found in many young researchers regarding their careers. System, training, and culture all intersect to provide a scientist’s well-being and productivity.  

Labmosphere and Future of Research are holding a conference in collaboration with UMD-College Park with support from The American Society for Cell Biology, The Genetics Society of America, and the Union of Concerned Scientists, to discuss current mentorship practices and how they can be improved.   

This one-day conference will take place at the end of National Postdoc Appreciation Week. The day will consist of talks, breakout sessions, a mentorship panel followed by discussion, and a networking reception. To register, sign-up here. For more information, visit our website.   

Southeast Mycology Symposium  

Abigail Courtney

Aileen Ferraro

Nathan Glueck

Earl Kang

Alexander Mela

Jie Zhu

The kingdom Fungi includes a wealth of biologically diverse organisms that are essential to the global ecosystem. Fungi are principal decomposers of organic matter as well as major facilitators of nutrient exchange between other organisms and the environment. Many fungi are medically or agriculturally important pathogens, whereas other fungal species have crucial technological applications, including antibiotic synthesis, the industrial-scale enzymatic breakdown of biomass, and production of food products for human consumption. In addition, the use of fungi as model organisms has uncovered general principles that are applicable to all eukaryotic life. In 2011, Mora et al. conservatively estimated that there are over 600,000 species of fungi on earth, constituting approximately 7% of all eukaryotes and second only to animals. Despite all of this, fungal biology research is underrepresented globally, especially in the southeastern United States. By organizing the Southeastern Mycology Symposium (SEMS) at the University of Georgia, we aim to (a) provide a regional forum in which researchers can exchange ideas and (b) inform a breadth of scientists regarding current questions being explored in fungal biology. This trainee-organized symposium will be oriented towards research that employs genetic approaches and broadly aims to explore the genetics and evolution of fungi. The research presented at our symposium will focus on interactions between fungi and other organisms, which will appeal to a diverse range of research interests. In addition to exposing attendees to the extensive variety of relationships that fungi maintain, this will foster communication between different fields in the scientific community. Furthermore, a centrally located, well-advertised symposium on the UGA campus will be accessible to a vast number of scientists, particularly young scientists, from diverse locations and backgrounds. The University and the surrounding region will benefit from this unique event that we hope to continue in the years to come.

Guest post by Aurora MacRae-Crerar.

Hosted at the University of Pennsylvania, this year’s Evolution in Philadelphia Conference (EPiC) aimed to foster collaboration among early career evolutionary biologists. The conference was sponsored in part by the Genetics Society of America (GSA) through its Career Development Symposia program, which supports events that contribute to the career development of early career members. The intellectual input that comes with sharing and discussing ideas is a vital part of the scientific process, and the conference provided substantial opportunities for early career scientists (ECSs) to showcase their work, practice presenting, and receive constructive feedback from their peers. The Philadelphia Evolution Group organizing committee saw the opportunity to bring together ECSs with similar research interests from all of the universities in the broader Philadelphia area, allowing the participants the opportunity to build lasting research relationships and collaborations with other students and postdocs. The symposium provided great networking opportunities for all involved; undergraduate students interested in research careers learned about graduate school, senior graduate students explored possibilities for postdoctoral research, and postdoctoral researchers learned from assistant professors about their experiences setting up their own research lab.

The organizing committee, who worked tirelessly to bring the ninety-one attendees from over twenty schools together for this event, was led by Emily Behrman (graduate student, University of Pennsylvania) and Katie D’Amelio (graduate student, Drexel University), Jacob Russell (Associate Professor, Drexel University) and Rob Kulathinal (Assistant Professor, Temple University).

In the opening keynote, Mary Caswell Stoddard (Assistant Professor, Princeton University) explored mimicry, mechanics, and macroevolution in avian eggs, while the closing keynote by Sarah Sander Lower (postdoctoral researcher, Cornell University) covered the evolution of firefly bioluminescence. Bird eggs and bioluminescent fireflies weren’t the only subjects explored; speakers presented on a diverse array of organisms, from deep-sea tubeworms to Northern Fur Seals to urban ants to chimpanzee gut microbes—and many more. Such an eclectic and exciting collection of study organisms is fitting for a conference about evolution, the process that has resulted in the biodiversity of all lifeforms.

Student research was front and center at EPiC. Students had the opportunity to highlight their work in talks and posters—and through boisterous conversation over food and drink. Lehigh University swept the competition for best student talk. First place winner Dan Marad of the Lang lab talked about his work on adaptation rates in haploid and diploid yeast. Also from the Lang lab, second place winner Katie Fisher presented her research on intralocus sexual conflict in evolving yeast populations. In third place, Michael McQuillin from the Rice lab talked about the potential for cognitive ability to act as a reproductive isolating barrier.

The prize for best student poster was awarded to Walker Alexander of the Gonder Lab at Drexel University for his presentation on understanding chimpanzee trafficking using population genetics. Alex Berry of the Brisson Lab at the University of Pennsylvania won second place for his work on the migration of the Chagas disease-causing parasite in urban environments. Finally, undergraduate student Joseph Scavetta of the Vojvodic lab at Rowan University won third place for his explorations of disease resistance in the acorn ant.

EPiC also provided undergraduates from Svetlana Vojvodic’s lab at Rowan University with the opportunity to tour the lab of Tim Linksvayer at the University of Pennsylvania, giving them wider exposure to how research is undertaken outside their own institution. Lab tours like this one play an important role in fostering a sense of belonging among budding scientists and strengthen the scientific community as a whole.

From newly minted professors to undergraduates starting their scientific journey, the early career scientist community was well-served, and the conference was nothing short of  EPiC!

The Philadelphia Evolution Group will continue to host events to bring together evolutionary biologists in the region. For more information about the group and upcoming events, please visit: https://philadelphiaevolut.wixsite.com/phillyevolution

If you are interested in organizing your own GSA Career Development Symposium, the next round of proposals are due January 10, 2018. The funding allows student and postdoc members to organize local symposia that provide career and professional development opportunities for other early career scientists. Examples could include career skills symposia and networking events.