
{"id":2299,"date":"2019-02-22T08:30:27","date_gmt":"2019-02-22T08:30:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/how-a-casual-conversation-at-a-conference-became-the-highlight-of-my-science-career\/"},"modified":"2025-01-15T06:37:08","modified_gmt":"2025-01-15T06:37:08","slug":"how-a-casual-conversation-at-a-conference-became-the-highlight-of-my-science-career","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/how-a-casual-conversation-at-a-conference-became-the-highlight-of-my-science-career","title":{"rendered":"How a casual conversation at a conference became the highlight of my science career"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"margin:0cm 0cm 8pt; margin-right:0cm; margin-left:0cm\"><span style=\"font-size:11pt\"><span style=\"line-height:107%\"><span style=\"font-family:Calibri,sans-serif\"><b>I tried to shake hands with someone wearing an arm sling and it became the highlight of my science career.<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin:0cm 0cm 8pt; margin-right:0cm; margin-left:0cm\"><span style=\"font-size:11pt\"><span style=\"line-height:107%\"><span style=\"font-family:Calibri,sans-serif\">With only a few months left before applying to graduate school, I went to the <a href=\"http:\/\/conferences.union.wisc.edu\/phages\/\" style=\"color:#0563c1; text-decoration:underline\">Phage Meeting<\/a> in Madison, Wisconsin. Technically, it\u2019s called the Molecular Genetics of Bacteria and Phages Meeting, but everyone calls it the Phage Meeting. I was very excited about it and was looking forward to the tons of great science-related discussions paired with a pitcher of Spotted Cow beer on the terrace overlooking the lake. Summers in Madison are beautiful, and I\u2019m still jealous of the students who get to visit the Student Union for concerts and locally-made ice cream! Anyway, this meeting would be the perfect opportunity to learn about the research I would be conducting during my graduate career, and maybe even meet some of the people I\u2019d hoped to work with.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Default Alt text\" class=\"responsive\" data-file_info=\"%7B%22fid%22:%227681%22,%22view_mode%22:%22default%22,%22fields%22:%7B%22format%22:%22default%22,%22field_file_image_alt_text%5Bund%5D%5B0%5D%5Bvalue%5D%22:%22Default%20Alt%20text%22,%22field_file_image_title_text%5Bund%5D%5B0%5D%5Bvalue%5D%22:%22Default%20Title%20Text%22,%22field_image_tags%5Bund%5D%5Btextfield%5D%22:%22%22,%22field_image_tags%5Bund%5D%5Bvalue_field%5D%22:%22%5C%22%5C%22%5C%22%5C%22%22%7D,%22type%22:%22media%22%7D\" src=\"http:\/\/insights.cactusglobal.com\/sites\/default\/files\/terrace.jpg\" style=\"\" title=\"Default Title Text\" \/><br \/><em>The Phage Meeting venue<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-top:0cm; margin-right:0cm; margin-bottom:8.0pt; margin-left:0cm\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif\"><span style=\"font-size:11.0pt\"><span style=\"font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;\"><span style=\"color:black\">All science conferences are different. I\u2019d been to the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) General Meeting (now called Microbe) before, which is a HUGE conference attended by thousands of people from all around the world; you can wander the gigantic poster hall and see all types of microbiology research, but it\u2019s easy to get lost in the crowds. As a very young scientist, I was awestruck and bewildered but didn\u2019t have the confidence to just go up to a more senior researcher and strike up a conversation. Worse, the PIs (Primary Investigators, aka Lab Bosses) usually end up all together in some corner or going to a nearby coffee shop to talk business. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-top:0cm; margin-right:0cm; margin-bottom:8.0pt; margin-left:0cm\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Default Alt text\" class=\"responsive\" data-file_info=\"%7B%22fid%22:%227682%22,%22view_mode%22:%22default%22,%22fields%22:%7B%22format%22:%22default%22,%22field_file_image_alt_text%5Bund%5D%5B0%5D%5Bvalue%5D%22:%22Default%20Alt%20text%22,%22field_file_image_title_text%5Bund%5D%5B0%5D%5Bvalue%5D%22:%22Default%20Title%20Text%22,%22field_image_tags%5Bund%5D%5Btextfield%5D%22:%22%22,%22field_image_tags%5Bund%5D%5Bvalue_field%5D%22:%22%5C%22%5C%22%5C%22%5C%22%22%7D,%22type%22:%22media%22%7D\" src=\"http:\/\/insights.cactusglobal.com\/sites\/default\/files\/ASM2014.jpg\" style=\"\" title=\"Default Title Text\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-align: center;\"><em>Here&#8217;s a picture of me at ASM 2014<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin:0cm 0cm 8pt; margin-right:0cm; margin-left:0cm\"><span style=\"font-size:11pt\"><span style=\"line-height:107%\"><span style=\"font-family:Calibri,sans-serif\">The Phage Meeting was a different matter: with only a few hundred guests, all of whom were excited about similar sub-fields of microbiology, everyone got a chance to mingle with all the attendees \u2013 right from brand-new students all the way up to professors emeriti. This conference was my opportunity to meet with the people I hoped to impress during interview season six months away.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin:0cm 0cm 8pt; margin-right:0cm; margin-left:0cm\"><span style=\"font-size:11pt\"><span style=\"line-height:107%\"><span style=\"font-family:Calibri,sans-serif\">After the first evening though, I realized my mistake: everyone else here was smarter and more mature than me. I thought I liked microbiology, but these people lived it! The facts I struggled to remember in my classes were casually being talked about, oftentimes by the people who had originally discovered them. They used first names, or even nicknames, while patting each other on the back or leaning in for a hug. It seemed like everyone already knew each other, and I found myself at a large round table, eating dinner with people nearly 10 years my senior who joked about the previous years\u2019 meetings.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin:0cm 0cm 8pt; margin-right:0cm; margin-left:0cm\"><span style=\"font-size:11pt\"><span style=\"line-height:107%\"><span style=\"font-family:Calibri,sans-serif\">The cool thing about scientists (or one of the many cool things) is that we were all, at one time or another, the outcasts, the nerds, or the misfits. Instead of this dinner ending with me hiding in the hallway, as I\u2019d previously done in the middle school lunchroom, a postdoc across from me brought me into the conversation. Instead of laughing or rolling their eyes at my only being an undergrad, the others sitting at the table were kind and supportive. They encouraged me to meet with as many people as I could, no matter their status or title.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-top:0cm; margin-right:0cm; margin-bottom:8.0pt; margin-left:0cm\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif\"><span style=\"font-size:11.0pt\"><span style=\"font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;\"><span style=\"color:black\">I pray that neither he nor anyone in his lab ever reads this, but one of the people I really wanted to talk with that night was Andrew Camilli, PhD. He was a big name in microbiology, and for a good reason. The science that came out of his lab at Tufts was innovative, thorough, and downright exciting. He was giving the final big talk on the last day of the conference. And I wanted to catch him before his talk, because after that, he was likely to be whisked away by fellow PIs.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-top:0cm; margin-right:0cm; margin-bottom:8.0pt; margin-left:0cm\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif\"><span style=\"white-space:pre-wrap\"><span style=\"font-size:11.0pt\"><span style=\"font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;\"><span style=\"color:black\">Knowing it would be best to act casual and confident, I decided to approach him during one of the poster sessions. My chance to smoothly approach him and say hello came when he wandered away from the group. Instead, I got scared at the last minute, and basically jumped in front of him. Startling him, I then said, too loudly, \u201cHi Dr. Camilli, my name is Susanna and I\u2019m an undergraduate student.\u201d Then I put out my right hand, forgetting that this would make the situation even more awkward, as he couldn\u2019t return the handshake due to the arm sling he had on. This was not going great. Understandably, he looked bewildered and then annoyed at losing his two seconds of solitude.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-top:0cm; margin-right:0cm; margin-bottom:8.0pt; margin-left:0cm\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif\"><span style=\"white-space:pre-wrap\"><span style=\"font-size:11.0pt\"><span style=\"font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;\"><span style=\"color:black\">Realizing my error in doing any of this and becoming aware of how absolutely ridiculous I must look, I wanted to turn and leave the building; possibly the state. Instead, I continued: \u201cYour research is really interesting, and I\u2019ve been considering applying to Tufts for graduate school this year. Would you mind talking to me a bit about the program?\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-top:0cm; margin-right:0cm; margin-bottom:8.0pt; margin-left:0cm\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif\"><span style=\"white-space:pre-wrap\"><span style=\"font-size:11.0pt\"><span style=\"font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;\"><span style=\"color:black\">Amazingly, he smiled and told me that he loved the university, he highly recommended applying, and even asked about my own research interests. It was a short exchange, and I left feeling proud about approaching him, while he likely forgot about me as he turned around. But that was okay with me. I was thrilled that he had taken the time to talk and give me some tips about applying to grad school programs.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-top:0cm; margin-right:0cm; margin-bottom:8.0pt; margin-left:0cm\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif\"><span style=\"white-space:pre-wrap\"><span style=\"font-size:11.0pt\"><span style=\"font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;\"><span style=\"color:black\">I paid extra close attention to his talk the next evening; he showed new data about how the growth environment determines how well certain bacteria can infect an animal. The bacteria (<\/span><\/span><\/span><i><span style=\"white-space:pre-wrap\">Vibrio cholerae<\/span><\/i><span style=\"white-space:pre-wrap\">) causes the disease cholera, and this research might help us create better treatments and safety plans to deal with ongoing outbreaks. He wandered around the stage and told us things that most people hadn\u2019t ever heard of yet. As per usual, he gave a great talk, and I was beside myself for having met him in person.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-top:0cm; margin-right:0cm; margin-bottom:8.0pt; margin-left:0cm\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif\"><span style=\"white-space:pre-wrap\"><span style=\"font-size:11.0pt\"><span style=\"font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;\"><span style=\"color:black\">The story could have ended there, and it would have been a great conference. However, as we ate dinner at the closing banquet, Dr. Camilli appeared at our table. He walked over and asked how I liked his talk. The entire table turned to me, the woman on my right with her mouth half open at his addressing me, and I said I liked it very much. He smiled but looked surprised when I said, \u201cBut, I did have a question. Wasn\u2019t there some phenotype with the PhoB mutant?\u201d (Yes, after almost 6 years, I still remember the details of this conversation). He started to laugh and said: \u201cI was waiting for someone to ask me that question! Yes, there was a huge defect in colonization, and it took us forever to get that data because there just wasn\u2019t enough bacteria.\u201d I thanked him for answering, he walked away, and I glowed for the rest of the evening.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-top:0cm; margin-right:0cm; margin-bottom:8.0pt; margin-left:0cm\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif\"><span style=\"white-space:pre-wrap\"><span style=\"font-size:11.0pt\"><span style=\"font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;\"><span style=\"color:black\">I look back to this conference to remember that we are all both more and less important than we think. I was terrified that everyone would judge me for being so inexperienced, but they didn\u2019t really care. Moreover, they were kind to someone who reminded them a bit of themselves a decade earlier. I was certain that someone so highly esteemed as Andrew Camilli wouldn\u2019t spend any extra time talking with me, much less seek me out to ask my opinion, but he was a scientist like everyone else.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-top:0cm; margin-right:0cm; margin-bottom:8.0pt; margin-left:0cm\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif\"><span style=\"white-space:pre-wrap\"><span style=\"font-size:11.0pt\"><span style=\"font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;\"><span style=\"color:black\">I am thankful to my boss for giving me the opportunity to attend this conference so early on in my training; I am thankful to the people at the table who welcomed me and encouraged me to talk; I am thankful to Dr. Camilli for paying attention and taking interest in me, even when others seemed to offer him much more value in conversation; lastly, I am thankful to my past self, who was scared of looking silly but who still put herself out there and too-loudly said: \u201cHello, my name is Susanna.&#8221;<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I tried to shake hands with someone wearing an arm sling and it became the highlight of my science career. With only a few months left before applying to graduate school, I went to the Phage Meeting in Madison, Wisconsin. Technically, it\u2019s called the Molecular Genetics of Bacteria and Phages Meeting, but everyone calls it [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1195,"featured_media":33313,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2414],"tags":[2668,2454],"new_categories":[],"new_tags":[],"series":[],"class_list":["post-2299","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-inspiring-researcher-stories","tag-motivational-stories","tag-researcher-stories"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How a casual conversation at a conference became the highlight of my science career<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Susanna Harris is a PhD Candidate and social entrepreneur. 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