Student activities 2012-2015

University of Ottawa Postdoc Symposia Day – May 2015

University of Ottawa
Faculty of Medicine Postdoctoral Association
May 1, 2015
Correspondent: Fiona McMurray, Postdoctoral Fellow

Molecular Biology and Biochemistry (MBB) Graduate Colloquium – April 2015

Simon Fraser University – IRMACS-Centre
April 14, 2015
Correspondence: Kaylee Magee, MBB Graduate Caucus Secretary

a) the overall theme of the activity
The overall theme was recent student research in the department. We had talks and poster presentations on many different topics throughout the day, all of which stemmed from research conducted by MBB undergrads, grad students, and postdocs.

b) the organizing or sponsoring group of students/trainees
The students in the MBB Graduate Caucus organized the event, from booking the venues to chairing the talk sessions to preparing the food.

c) location of the event
The event occurred at the IRMACS (Interdisciplinary Research in the Mathematical and Computational Science) Centre at Simon Fraser University

d) roughly how many people participated/benefited
Approximately 100 people attended the event. 25 students presented posters and 20 students gave talks.

e) Any special features, such as major invited speakers, special sessions linked to the event, etc.

Our keynote speaker, Dr. Naomi Fast of the University of British Columbia, gave a talk entitled “Genome reduction: What can nature’s smallest genomes teach us about cellular processes?” We also had faculty judges for the student talks and posters and were able to give out over $800 in prizes to student participants.

12th Annual OCIB Symposium – April 2015

Ottawa-Carleton Institute of Biology Student Conference
Carleton Univeristy
Department Biology
April 29-30, 2015
Correspondent: Francina Webster, Marc Beal, Alexandra Long and Julie Cox, Ph.D Candidate

Software Carpentry Scientific Computer Programming Workshop

Software Carpentry Scientific Computer Programming Workshop
Simon Fraser University
Correspondence: Tiffany A. Timbers, Postdoctoral fellow

UBC Experimental Medicine Student Research Day – November 2014

UBC Experimental Medicine Student Research Day
University of British Columbia
Faculty of Medicine
November 2014 
Correspondent: Eric Pesarchuk, PhD Candidate

With over 200 students, Experimental Medicine is the largest graduate program in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia (UBC). Twice per year we hold a Student Research Day to allow students to present their research in oral and poster formats. We have a wide variety of research interests including molecular mechanisms of disease, drug development, biomaterial engineering, human physiology, and public policy analysis. These conferences also provide networking opportunities for students and faculty in our program that are located at numerous research facilities throughout Vancouver. Our Student Research Days are always wholly organized and implemented by the Experimental Medicine Student Committee.

We are grateful for the financial assistance provided by the Canadian Society for Molecular Biosciences for our 2014 Student Research Days. This year’s events were held in June and November at the Children and Family Research Institute and Vancouver General Hospital, respectively, and were each attended by approximately 120 people. We always seek out talented and inspiring keynote speakers for these events. In June we heard from Dr. Jeremy Hirota who is a new faculty member in the Department of Medicine at UBC. He not only outlined his respiratory medicine research but also gave pointed advice on how to land desirable Post Doctoral Fellowships, foster productive collaborations, navigate faculty interviews, and secure a tenure-track position in today’s job market. For November we recruited Karimah Es Sabar, President and CEO of the Centre for Drug Research and Development, who has been voted one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women. Her inspiring talk highlighted the growing overlap between academia, industry, and government, and how scientists with diversified skills in business, project management, and entrepreneurship will be the most successful in this changing climate.

The Experimental Medicine program at UBC looks forward to continuing our longstanding partnership with the CSMB.

Cell Biology Graduate Students’ Association – October 2014

Cell Biology Graduate Students’ Association
University of Alberta
Department of Cell Biology
October 10, 2014
Correspondent: Emily Herman, Former CBSA President & Azra Lari, Current CBSA President

On behalf of the Cell Biology Graduate Students’ Association we thank you for sponsoring our two-­-day 2014 Cell Biology Invited Speaker and Research Day Event at the University of Alberta.

With the help of your generous contribution we hosted distinguished guest Dr. David Drubin from the University of California, Berkeley. Our event began with a “Meet the Speaker” evening for students and faculty to mingle with Dr. Drubin. Early the next day Dr. Drubin gave a very exciting and well-­-received keynote lecture titled “Harnessing Actin Dynamics for Endocytosis”. We were able to highlight our own research through selected student talks and a competitive poster session. These sessions were very well attended by members within and outside our own department. We also hosted a pizza lunch for graduate students who grilled Dr. Drubin with questions about his research, academic career, and opinions about science in general.

The second part of the day was our “Careers in Science” discussion led by a panel of guest speakers. This year our speakers included Dr. Andrei Fagarasanu who is currently a Hematology Fellow at the University of Alberta Hospital, Dr. Melissa Dobson who is a Bachelor of Technology and Technology Management Instructor at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT), and Dr. Stephanie Minnema who is a management consultant at KPMG LLP. This diverse panel gave the Cell Biology Graduate students a chance to engage with successful individuals who have established careers outside of traditional academics.

This event created an environment of learning, discussion, networking, and sharing of knowledge and skills. This is imperative for students to experience to be successful in their graduate studies and future careers paths, regardless of where that will be. Research Day was also beneficial to the many guests outside our department from the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry and promoted an environment for collaborative discussion within our own University.

 

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Biology Graduate Research Forum – October 2014

Biology Graduate Research Forum
University of Western Ontario
Department of Biology
October 3, 2014
Correspondent: Kayla Gradil, BGRF Organizer & Aimee Lee Houde, BGRF Sponsorship Committee

 

Overall theme of the activity: The primary mandate of the BGRF is to provide a forum for graduate students to showcase their research in biological sciences through poster and invited verbal presentations. It is also the aim of this research forum to host an invited speaker who will present their current endeavours within the field of biological sciences.
The aim of the BGRF is to bring together students within the multi-disciplinary umbrella of biological sciences to exchange novel and exciting ideas within their respective fields. It is also our hope that this annual event will foster inter-disciplinary collaborations, which would add and enhance the academic and scientific research experience of the participants here at Western.

Organizing or sponsoring group of students/trainees: The Biology Graduate Research Forum (BGRF) is organized by the graduate students of the Department of Biology at Western University.There were 9 short verbal presentations, 6 short presentations, and 20 poster presentations by biology graduate students. There was also a photo contest and awards ceremony for the graduate students.

Roughly how many people participated/benefited:70 graduate students and 15 faculty from the Department of Biology.

Any special features, such as major invited speakers, special sessions linked to the event, etc.: The keynote speaker was Dr. Marla Sokolowski from the University of Toronto. Dr. Sokolowski’s lab studies how genes and the environment interact to influence behaviour in fruit flies. They discovered the foraging gene which influences naturally occurring behavioural variation including the rover/sitter polymorphism. This gene plays a role in behaviour in many other organisms including social insects.

      There was a break for the Weekly Departmental Seminar series: Dr. Mungo Marsdentalked about integrin signalling in XenopusDevelopment?. There was also a break for Friday Philosophicals Graduate Seminar series:(1) Vicki Simkovic talked about genetic vs. environmental effects on nestmate recognition in the Eastern subterranean termite Reticulitermesflavipes and (2) Joanna Konopka talked aboutthe success of native and exotic egg parasitoids (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) as biological control agents of H. halys (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae).

 

Vancouver Worm Research Meeting – September 2014

Vancouver Worm Research Meeting
University of British Columbia
September 2014
Correspondent: Jennifer Grants, Chair 

The overall theme of the Activity: VanWoRM (Vancouver Worm Research Meeting) is a monthly student-run seminar series for Caenorhabditis elegans (nematode) researchers in the Vancouver area, from the University of British Columbia (UBC) and Simon Fraser University (SFU). This month, VanWoRM hosted a seminar at UBC, with excellent presentations on diverse topics from Catrina Loucks (SFU), Victor Jensen (SFU), George Chung (UBC), and Tiffany Timbers (SFU).

The organizing or sponsoring group of students/trainee: VanWoRM is run by five students from UBC and SFU, Jennifer Grants (Chair), Khang Hua, Grace Goh, Troy MacDairmid, and Kwangjin Park.

Roughly how many people participated/benefited: 40

18éme Journée Scientifique des Étudiants – August 2014

18éme Journée Scientifique des Étudiants du Centre de
Recherche sur le Cancer
Axe Oncologie du CHU de Québec
August 20-21, 2014
Correspondent : Claire Dziengelewski , Ph. D Candidate

La 18èmeédition de la Journée Scientifique des Étudiants (JSE) du Centre de Recherche sur le Cancer de Québec et l’Axe Oncologie du CHU de Québec s’est déroulée les 20 et 21 août dernier au Centre de Recherche sur le Cancer de l’Université Laval. Organisée par les étudiants du Centre de Recherche, cette journée a rassemblé environ 140 participants provenant des diverses équipes de recherche en cancérologie fondamentale et clinique, en radio-oncologie ainsi qu’en néphrologie. Plus de 105 stagiaires de premier cycle, étudiants diplômés, professionnels de recherche et stagiaires post-doctoraux ont profité de l’occasion pour présenter leurs travaux de recherche par un exposé oral ou sous forme d’affiche. Les meilleures présentations ont été récompensées par l’octroi de plus de 6000$ en bourses de congrès et de 1600$ en prix.

Chaque année, les étudiants invitent pour l’évènement un ou plusieurs chercheurs de renommée internationale qui présentent leurs travaux.Pour la 18èmeédition, nous avons eu le plaisir d’accueillir les Dr. Lepage de l’Université de Sherbrooke et Dr. Beauchemin de l’Université McGill à Montréal. Ils ont présenté leurs travaux de recherche portant sur l’amélioration des techniques d’imagerie pour le cancer, et sur l’implication de la protéine CEACAM-1 dans la progression et la dissémination des cellules de cancer colorectal, respectivement. Ils ont également participé activement à la journée en évaluant les présentations orales des participants tout en assistant aux sessions de présentation par affiches. Le Dr. Beauchemin a également animé une discussion avec les étudiants à propos de leur avenir dans le monde de la recherche, ce qui était la première initiative du genre dans le cadre de la Journée des Étudiants et qui a été très appréciée par les étudiants.

Le comité organisateur tient à remercier la Société Canadienne pour les Biosciences Moléculaires pour leur contribution financière à l’organisation de cette Journée qui est sans aucun doute la plus importante dans notre Centre de Recherche.

International Summer Institute for Bioscience Researchers – August 2014

First International Summer Institute on Course Design, Education,
and Leadership for Bioscience Researchers
University of Manitoba & University of Oxford
College of Medicine in Winnipeg
August 5-9, 2014
Correspondent: Dr. Francis Amara

Background

The aim of this Summer Institute was to promote discipline-specific course design and teaching, and to create the next generation of bioscience educators who will lead curricular development in ways to enhance student learning. They were expected to acquire the knowledge, skills, and confidence to conduct research focusing on teaching in their subjects and to evaluate educational literature, with the view to use effective teaching practices. The International Network of Bioscience Educators, which is based at the College of Medicine, University of Manitoba, in partnership with the Oxford Learning Institute, University of Oxford, U.K., hosted the Summer Institute. The College of Medicine and Office of the Vice President (Academic) and Provost, University of Manitoba sponsored the Summer Institute. In addition, the Canadian Society for Molecular Biosciences provided financial support. The Institute was held at the College of Medicine in Winnipeg on 5-9 August 2014, daily from 9:00 a.m. to 4: 30 p.m.

Theme: A Problem-based Approach to Designing Courses

The overall theme of the Institute was for the participant to acquire new knowledge on how to design a course and lead in doing so. The “problem” participants worked on was to develop an undergraduate course in the biosciences. The approach to this theme was to envision problem-based learning (PBL) tutorial groups of participants engaging in a design activity in a more integrative way throughout the week. The participants were divided into tutorial groups. Through this activity, participants were to:

a) Identify the “Big Ideas,” – the thinking processes, key concepts, or core values that define biosciences education (and invent ways to help students learn those)
b) Attend the Summer Institute’s seminars, workshops, and plenary sessions
c) Apply the key concepts from the seminars, workshops, and plenary sessions to design innovative teaching and assessment plans
d) Receive and provide feedback on the “Course Designs” Experience small group problem-based learning

Workshops provided were:

a) Using educational frameworks. For example, the Teaching Goals Inventory and backward design to develop learning objectives
b) Pathways to scientific teaching by designing transformed courses
c) Constructing group learning activities
d) Learning and assessing critical appraisal of a primary biomedical literature
e) Cognition and metacognition prompts
f) Feedback and assessment techniques

Each workshop was followed by a group activity to implement what they have learned in designing a course. For example, after a seminar on active learning strategies, they’d go back to their tutorial groups to design a learner-cantered activity or two for “their” course.By the end of the week, tutorial groups were able to develop a number of different, innovative first year courses that we hope some participants will have the opportunity to teach at their current institution or in a future teaching role. These designs will be used in future Institutes to inspire other participants. Faculty colleagues and students in each tutorial group collaboratively designed the courses.

The tutorial groups were given a 30-minute slot in which to give a 15-minute presentation and have 15 minutes to answer questions or facilitate a discussion on their Course Designs. Each presentation was complemented by a written course outline with sufficient details to enable other participants to teach it, including:

a) Course title
b) Short “blurb” suitable for course catalogue. (No more than 100 words.)
c) Intended learning outcomes
d) Schedule of main topics or activities
e) Description of assessment processes and criteria
f) Possible key texts or recommended readings

Examples of Course Designs

· Microorganisms: friend or foe
· Science, Scientist, and Society: why Science is important
· Current Health Related topics: dissecting facts and fictions
· Environment and Health: a project-based course
· Health Sciences in a Modern World

Special Features

Some of the notable highlights of the Summer Institute were:

Keynote Presentation

“Creating the Future: Preparing the Next Generation of Bioscience Educators”. Dr. Kathleen Quinlan, Head of Educational Development, Oxford Learning Institute, University of Oxford, UK.

Research Seminars

·“Lessons Learned from Science Doctoral Students’ Experiences” by Gregory Hum (Ph.D. candidate), Institute for the Study of Teaching and Learning in the Disciplines, Simon Fraser University, Canada

· “Pedagogical Values of Involving Science Undergraduate Students in Research” by Dr. Anna Wilson, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia.

Plenary Sessions:

“Leadership models for Faculty Development”. Joanne Hamilton, Assistant Professor & Director, Educational Development, University of Manitoba, Faculty of Medicine,

· “Using Self-Reflection to Integrate the Core Tenets of Invitational Education with Collaboration” by Dr. Alanna Baldwin, Centre for Health Innovation, College of Medicine, University of Manitoba, Canada.

· “Leading Change in Curriculum Development” by Professor Keevin Bernstein, Director of Curriculum Renewal, College of Medicine, University of Manitoba.

Profile of Facilitators and Participants

There were 5 major invited international, bioscience educators and speakers, including Professor Diane Ebert May (AAAS Fellow), Michigan State University, East Lansing, U.S.A., Drs. Simon Hunt and Adam Ritchie, University of Oxford, and Dr. Paul Seldon, Imperial College, University of London, UK.

40 participants registered for the Institute, of whom 3 participants were international faculty members from Alfaisal University, Saudi Arabia, 2 were from the University of Alberta (Ph.D. Candidate&Postdoctoral Fellow), 1 doctoral student from the Department of Immunology, University of British Columbia, and the rest of the participants were faculty, doctoral students, postdoctoral fellows, and research associates from the University of Manitoba.

Evaluation: Comments by participants

“ I would recommend this Summer Institute to those who enjoy teaching in higher education” (Assistant Professor, Faculty Member)

“ It is very useful for me. I am thinking to use those teaching skills in my future teaching activity.” (Ph.D. Candidate)

Annual James Lepock Memorial Student Symposium – May 2014

Annual James Lepock Memorial Student Symposium
University of Toronto
Department of Medical Biophysics
May 29, 2014
Correspondent: William Tu, Ph.D Candidate

The 2014 James Lepock Memorial Student Symposium is organized by graduate students of the Department of Medical Biophysics (MBP) at the University of Toronto and took place on Thursday, May 29, 2014 at the Toronto General Hospital Helliwell Centre. The symposium gathers graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, and faculty members of MBP and its various affiliated institutes, including Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Sunnybrook Health Science Centre, and SickKids Research Institute, to learn about the wide array of research being conducted and to provide feedback on improving the students’ research. This year, over 150 people attended the symposium.We hosted top-flight researchers to speak, including insight and engaging keynote sessions by Dr. Robert Kerbel (senior scientist at Sunnybrook Research Institute) on translational oncology and Dr. Xiaoyuan Shawn Chen (senior investigator at National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering) on nanomedicine, and a discussion panel on technological innovations and impact in biomedical research with Dr. Joseph Cafazzo (University Health Network), Dr. Kullervo Hynynen (Sunnybrook Research Institute), Marco Raposo (Illumina), Dr. Ian Tannock (Princess Margaret Cancer Centre), and Dr. Aman Thind (Colibri Technologies Inc.). MSc and PhD Students were also selected to give oral presentations and poster presentations, and the best speakers and posters were given awards.

CSB Graduate Research Symposium – May 2014

The First Annual Cell and Systems Biology (CSB) Graduate Research Symposium
Ramsay Wright Laboratories, University of Toronto
May 16, 2014
Correspondent: Donghoon Lee, Graduate Student

The First Annual Cell and Systems Biology (CSB) Graduate Research Symposium was held on May 16th, 2014 at the University of Toronto St. George campus. The event was organized by the CSB Graduate Seminar Organizing Committee, consisting of four CSB graduate students (Helen Chen, Miranda Hunter, Donghoon Lee, and Yixie Zhang).

More than 50 CSB graduate students turned out and celebrated their ongoing research endeavours, showcasing 16 posters with topics ranging from plant/microbial biology to animal morphogenesis, and neurobiology. Participating students were engaged in vibrant discussion and had the opportunity to share their research with fellow colleagues. The invited CSB faculty, Dr. Jennifer Mitchell, delivered an intriguing lecture on “How do transcription factors control cell states?” sharing her research interest development in transcriptional regulation starting as a graduate student till now as a principle investigator. Overall, the event was a great success with numerous positive remarks, establishing a tradition that will continue to grow and expand in the future.

The organizing committee is grateful for the generous sponsors for this event: the Department of CSB and the Canadian Society for Molecular BioSciences.

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine Poster Competition – May 2014

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine Poster Competition
Université de Montreal
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine
May 9 & 10, 2014
Correspondent: Samuel Tremblay-Belzile

The Biochemistry Graduate Student Association of the Université de Montréal (AÉCSBUM) organized the poster competition to allow students and professors to familiarize themselves with the research activities of the department of biochemistry and molecular medicine. This year’s event had the distinction of taking place as part of the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of our department, taking place on May 9th and 10th in the Roger-Gaudry building of the university. Because of the context, many alumni of the department were present, bringing our total number of participants to approximately 150, including 33 presenters.

Ontario Ecology, Ethology, and Evolution Colloquim – May 2014

2014 Ontario Ecology, Ethology, and Evolution Colloquim
University of Guelph
May 8-10, 2014
Correspondent: Sara Kafashan, Research Associate

Event summary:
For decades, OE3C has brought together top researchers across Ontario to share findings in an intimate academic environment. Originally known as the Ontario Ecology and Ethology Colloquium, the recent addition of the third E – Evolution – significantly broadened the scope of this conference. This year, the Ontario Colloquium, with all of its three Es, is hosted by graduate students of the University of Guelph’s Integrative Biology, Animal and Poultry Science, and Psychology departments. We are happy to welcome over 120 top researchers to share their exciting findings. Presentation topics are highly diverse, ranging from animal welfare, climate change, and conservation biology, to evolutionary psychology and social behaviour. We are also proud to have four plenary speakers present the most recent and intriguing findings within the fields of ecology, ethology, and evolution. OE3C is a great way for young researchers to receive constructive feedback about their research, and for faculty to recruit, and interact with, top prospective students. Like past OE3Cs, this conference was entirely organized by a subset of dedicated graduate students. Together, we strive to make this conference a friendly, collaborative, fun, and positive academic experience for all.

Organizing committee members:
Jamie Ahloy Dallaire
Kate Eisen
Kelsy Ervin
Sara Kafashan
Tony Kess>br> Heather Kinkaid
Richard Matta
Zachary Ramsay

Attendees:
120 attendees, ranging from undergraduate students to graduate students, post-doctoral students, and faculty

Plenary speakers:

10th Annual CBS Graduate Student Symposium – April 2014

10th Annual CBS Graduate Student Symposium
University of Guelph
April 28 2014
Correspondent: Elyse Roach, PhD Candidate

What: The College of Biological Sciences Graduate Student Symposium is a student run event that aims to encourage scientific communication between students, research fellows and professors within the three departments of Molecular and Cellular biology, Integrative Biology and Human Health and Nutritional Sciences. This year the GSS transpired on April 28th from 8:30am – 5:00pm.

This event was organized by Shawn Beaudette, Alison Berezuk, Jennifer Bernard,Danve Castroverde, Thanushi Eagalle, Dita Moravek, Liliy Nasanovsky, Elyse Roach, Veronique Taylor, Jessica Ralston, Meghan Yip, Tegan Williams, Derek Zwambag, Glen Van Der Kraak (Associate Dean of Research), and Karen White.

Where: The University of Guelph Science Complex and Alexander Hall, University of Guelph, Guelph, On., Canada.

Who: We had 230 registrants consisting of Graduate students, Post Doctoral Fellows, Lab Technicians, Lab Coordinators and Professors.

Features: The event featured a keynote address by Dr. Hendrik Poinar of McMaster University. He talked about his research related to the evolution and origins of ‘the black death’. The symposium also showcased graduate student research across the college in student oral presentation sessions and the day concluded with a student poster session and social.

College of Biological Sciences Graduate Student Careers in Biology Day – April 2014

College of Biological Sciences Graduate Student Careers in Biology Day
University of Guelph
April 22, 2014
Correspondent: Scott Mazurkewich, PhD. Candidate

On April 22nd 2014 the graduate students from CBS held the second annual Graduate Student Careers in Biology day. This was a free, all day event focused on informing the graduate students in CBS of career opportunities that exist in industry, government and academia. There were over 200 graduate students from across the three departments of CBS, and additionally over 30 students from outside the college, who registered and attended the event which included 37 alumni other professionals on hand describing the sectors they work in.

The event was held in the Science Complex at the University of Guelph and the day was started by a keynote address in the atrium by Dr. Nana Lee, the Coordinator of the Graduate Professional Development program for the Departments of Biochemistry and Immunology at the University of Toronto, whose talk on “Success after Graduate School” integrated topics on developing critical skills during graduate school and how to pursue your passions after your degree. The keynote address was followed by a series of concurrent smaller round table discussion sessions with the alumni and other professionals to give students an opportunity to hear about careers in their sectors. The day was concluded with a career fair/networking mixer with representatives from companies and organizations in southern Ontario on hand to interact with students and the university community as a whole.

We have since surveyed the student attendees to gauge the impact of the event. We have received an overwhelmingly response from the students remarking that this 2nd annual event was a success, useful in informing their future career choices and recommend running the event again next year. As a committee we look forward to working towards providing career information to our fellow graduate students and hope to have the support from student affairs in the future.

The event was organized and run primarily by a committee of graduate students under the advisement of the College of Biological Sciences Associate Dean of Research, Dr. Glen van der Kraak. The graduate student members were: Scott Mazurkewich, Jonathon Samson, Christian Carlucci, Tara MacDonald, Erin Connelly, Anna Deboer, Cory Schilling, Tony Kess, Elizabeth Sears, Alena Mammone, Jose Maloles.

College of Biological Sciences Graduate Student Careers in Biology Day Summary 

UBC Experimental Medicine Student Research Day – June & November 2012

UBC Experimental Medicine Student Research Day
Family Research Institute and Holiday Inn
June and November 2012
Correspondent: Eric Pesarchuk, Student Representative

With over 200 students, Experimental Medicine is the largest graduate program in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia (UBC). Twice per year we hold a Student Research Day to allow students to present their research in oral and poster formats. We have a wide variety of research interests including molecular mechanisms of disease, drug development, biomaterial engineering, human physiology, and public policy analysis. These conferences also provide networking opportunities for students and faculty in our program that are located at numerous research facilities throughout Vancouver. Our Student Research Days are always wholly organized and implemented by the Experimental Medicine Student Committee.

We are grateful for the financial assistance provided by the Canadian Society for Molecular Biosciences for our 2012 Student Research Days. This year’s events were held in June and November at the Children and Family Research Institute and Holiday Inn, respectively, and were each attended by approximately 120 people. We always seek out talented and inspiring keynote speakers for these events. In June we heard from Angus Livingstone, the Executive Director of UBC’s University-Industry Liason Office. He informed students how their findings can be taken from the lab bench to the market place, highlighted specific success stories from UBC, and also spoke about alternative career paths requiring scientific expertise. Our keynote address in November was from Dr. Gerry Krystal, a professor in our program with over 40 years of research experience. He gave a candid and humourous talk about the evolution of his diverse and successful career as well as very pointed advice to students regarding writing papers, obtaining post-doctoral fellowships, and starting a lab of their own.

The Experimental Medicine program at UBC looks forward to continuing our longstanding partnership with the CSMB

Journée Scientifique des Étudiants – August 2012

Journée Scientifique des Étudiants 2012 (JSE 2012)
Cancer Research Centre, Université Laval
August 23, 2012
Correspondent: Gabriel Bossé, Graduate Student

The Journée scientifique des étudiants 2012 (JSE 2012) was held on August 23rd at the Université Laval Cancer Research Center in Québec city. At this meeting 75 students presented their work either by poster or oral presentation and more than 120 people attended the different presentations. Dr. Alain Nepveu from McGill University gave a talk as the invited speaker for JSE 2012. At the end of the day, more than 6500$ had been given as travel fellowships to more than 15 students from the Institute. These fellowships will be use to help the students go to the meeting of their choice.

Your contribution was highlighted in many ways. Your logo was convering half a page in the official program which was distributed to all the participants. All day long a Powerpoint presentation of our sponsors was presented and finally the chairman of the day mentioned the contribution of your organisation many times.

Distinguished Speaker Lecture Series – June 2012

Distinguished Speaker Lecture Series
University of Alberta’s Department of Cell Biology
June 14, 2012
Correspondent: N. Katie Horvat, Cell Biology Students Association Treasurer

The Cell Biology Students Association (CBSA) from the University of Alberta’s Department of Cell Biology hosts an annual Distinguished Speaker Lecture Series. Every year a prestigious guest speaker is invited to the Department of Cell Biology to present a seminar on their specific field of research. This year, Dr. Michael P. Rout from the Rockefeller University, New York was the invited speaker.

Dr. Rout’s seminar entitled, “Before the Pore: Evolution of the Nuclear Pore Complex” was attended by most professors, post doctorates, and graduate students in the Department of Cell Biology, as well as by members of other Departments throughout the University. Refreshments for this seminar were sponsored by CSMB and New England BioLabs. Later that day, Dr. Rout also attended a reception for approximately 50 people including professors, postdocs, graduate students, and staff from the Department of Cell Biology where a variety of refreshments were enjoyed. It was a perfect opportunity to relax and enjoy each other’s company while getting to know Dr. Rout.

In addition to the seminar, CBSA hosts several other smaller events with the Guest Speaker. Firstly, Dr. Rout participated in a get-together with the graduate students of our department, entitled “Grad Student Pizza Lunch.” Graduate students joined Dr. Rout for lunch and were encouraged to ask questions regarding science, research, academics, and careers within science. Dr. Rout was very knowledgeable and open to all questions from our students. It was very entertaining to have him share much of his expertise in science and experiences from his grad student and postdoc days. Secondly, CBSA hosted a “Meet the Speaker” night at O’Byrnes Pub on Whyte Avenue. Executives from the CBSA and other cell biology graduate students had an intimate evening with Dr. Rout. They were able to get to know Dr. Rout more personally and enjoy the night out. Many stories were shared and everyone had a fabulous time!

These events would not have been possible without the generous support of the Canadian Society for Molecular Biosciences (CSMB). Each year CSMB provides funding to support our Distinguished Speaker Lecture Series. Without their help, the CBSA would not be able to make these successful events possible. The CBSA as well as the graduate students of Cell Biology would like to extend a generous ‘thank you’ to all at CSMB. We hope to continue to host this distinguished event in future years with the proud support of CSMB.

Louis-Philippe Bouthillier Meeting – May 2012

Louis-Philippe Bouthillier Meeting
Department of Biochemistry,
Université de Montréal
May 11-12, 2012
Correspondent: Alexandre Desjardins, Graduate Student

In the name of all the members of the Graduate Student Association in Biochemistry at the Université de Montréal (AECSBUM), I would like to thank the CSMB for its contribution to the bi-annual Louis-Philippe Bouthillier Meeting of the Department of Biochemistry. During this Meeting, more than 125 members of the Department including professors, graduate students and few undergraduates shared their latest results and worked on potential collaborations.