Conference Review: BIOSS’s First International Symposium 23 - 25 September 2010
With its three-day conference “Signalling Meets Synthetic Biology”, BIOSS has established a new forum for the exchange between scientists. For the first time, international experts in signalling research and synthetic biology came together to present their work to each other, to find common ground and to scout out new potential.
Roughly 230 people took part in the conference's intensive programme with excellent presentations at a high scientific level. In all, there were three days of 29 talks in which exciting new insights into very different contexts of research were presented. The selection of topics, the overall programme, organisation and atmosphere earned the rating of 'perfect' from several experienced conference participants.
Thanks to the warm summer weather, Freiburg lived up to its sunny image. The charm of the spacious, light foyer of the chemistry building made the already positive mood even brighter. Coffee breaks and delicious meals also offered pleasant opportunities to talk and laugh with other participants.
Being able to meet people from other specialised fields than their own allowed researchers to gain new perspectives and to establish new partnerships. “Without the conference, this would never have happened,” several participants said. The organisers are very happy that this goal was achieved.
Opening with Rector Dr. Hans-Jochen Schiewer
BIOSS's scientific director Michael Reth and Rector Hans-Jochen Schiewer welcomed the participants to the conference on Thursday morning
The SGBM Session Organised by Doctoral Students of the Spemann Graduate School of Biology and Medicine (SGBM)
A team of four dedicated doctoral students from the SGBM School, which is part of the German Research Foundation's Excellence Initiative, organised the afternoon session and poster session on their own.
Poster Session
BIOSS’s interdisciplinary work was illustrated by 37 posters covering seven different subjects. The two best posters were chosen by a jury. These awards were handed out in a small ceremony on Friday.
The Barbara-Hobom-Prize
The renowned journalist Barbara Hobom came to hand out the first Barbara Hobom Prize in person.
Maria Karlsson, a doctoral student in Dr. Wilfried Weber’s laboratory at BIOSS, was excited to receive the prize of €10,000. Virginie Lecaudy from BIOSS also said a few words of welcome and the Vice Rector for Medicine Charlotte Niemeyer congratulated Ms. Karlsson on behalf of the Rector’s Office.
Poster Awards
The first prize for the best poster went to Alexander Lang from Klaus Aktories’s working group at the Institute of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology at the University Medical Center Freiburg.
The title of his poster was “Photorhabdus luminescens toxins ADP-ribosylate actin and RhoA to force actin clustering”.
The prize of €500 was donated by the oldest supporting foundation at the University of Freiburg, the Wissenschaftliche Gesellschaft Freiburg im Breisgau.
Second prize went to Almut Dufner from Klaus-Peter Knobeloch’s working group at the Department of Neuropathology at the University Medical Center Freiburg.
Her poster was entitled “USP8 controls T-cell development and immune homeostasis”.
The second prize of €300 was donated by BASF.
Gala Dinner
The conference gala dinner was held at Zum Roten Bären, one of Germany’s oldest restaurant and hotels. After dinner, many participants enjoyed a glass of wine in one of Freiburg’s charming pubs.
Closing
At one o’clock in the afternoon on the third day of the conference, BIOSS’s scientific director Michael Reth held a closing speech expressing his thanks to all of those who attended the first international symposium hosted by BIOSS, Centre for Biological Signalling Studies. The feedback we received from participants confirmed our overall impression: “It was a successful, intensive conference” to which participants look forward to attending again in 2012.
We look forward to seeing you all again in Freiburg!
Impressions from the Symposium