ANNE-KATRINE FRANK, PHD
THE DANISH STEM CELL CENTER (DANSTEM), UNIVERSITY OF COPENHAGEN, DENMARK.
Why did you decide to participate in the conference for the second time?
– I participated in the last conference, and I really liked it. The topic is the same, but all the issues are new. There are still many sessions where I don’t have the previous knowledge to understand everything. It is easy to become very narrow within your own field, so it is nice to get a broader perspective on stem cell research.
– What I think is special about these conferences is that there is a lot of time to socialize. The first day I thought to myself: “We have 2 hours to eat and then 1.5 hours for drinks – can I really keep on meeting new people?” But you can and it works very well.
What has been your best experience?
– Monday night all the tables were mixed for dinner. I ended up at a table with two group leaders, an editor from a journal, postdocs and PhD students. It was one large mix and everyone was talking together – it is easy because we have so much in common.
What do you bring home from the conference?
– New results – and then I have become better at following along because I have been in the field for a longer time. The conference hasn’t changed that much from last time I participated, but that is a good thing.
STEPHEN M. FRANKENBERG, RESEARCH SCIENTIST
UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA.
Why did you decide to travel all the way from Australia to participate in this conference?
– It is a great opportunity for me to meet colleagues who work in the same area – to catch up with them and exchange knowledge. I have also met many names from the literature, who I have never seen before because we haven’t been to the same conferences. I would definitely recommend other people from Australia to go if they can get themselves through the air.
What has been your best experience?
– I just really like the way things are organized. Great food, the venue is nice and everything runs smoothly with lots of bells ringing so you get to go to things on time.
What do you bring home from the conference?
– I have pretty much decided what I am doing in the moment, but it helps understanding what direction I should go in the long term – where I should direct my research. And then I have got lots of thoughts about what I need to go home and read up on more.
JENNIFER NICHOLS, RESEARCH SCIENTIST
PHYSIOLOGY, DEVELOPMENT AND NEUROSCIENCE, UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE, UNITED KINGDOM.
Why did you decide to participate in the conference for the second time?
– I am here to learn. I came to the last conference two years ago, so I know that this is a great atmosphere for learning. It’s the trapping of people outside of town (but in beautiful surroundings), the small size of the venue and because the people here are interested in communication. It’s a condition of going to this conference that people stay and chat to everybody. Juniors want to see how it works for other scientists, how other groups are doing – and get an opportunity to talk to them.
– This year I was selected to give a short talk. I have been working in the field of developmental biology for 30 years, so it is a curiosity and a scientific interest that I have always had and I am happy to share our new results. But a special thing about this conference is that also junior people get to have a talk. It is not a scaring atmosphere.
What has been your best experience?
– This morning, I went to a talk where I thought “this is not really interesting” – but then all of a sudden she got to a point where I thought “that is actually really interesting”. Then you start thinking of how you can relate these things to your own works and possible collaborations.
What do you bring home from the conference?
– I bring home more ideas and ways to think about my own work. People, I want to collaborate with, that I wouldn’t necessarily have thought of collaborating with.
MEHDI TOTONCHI, POSTDOC
ROYAN INSTITUTE, IRAN.
HE RECEIVED ONE OF THE FIVE TRAVEL GRANTS THAT WERE GIVEN FROM THE CONFERENCE ORGANIZERS.
Why did you decide to travel all the way from Iran to participate in this conference?
– I heard about this conference through my supervisor, and I thought the topics and speakers were very interesting. Now I am here, and I know that it is much more knowledgeable than other conferences. It is small, but very interactive. You can easily find the speakers and other interesting people, because they are here all day and willing to talk.
What has been your best experience?
– I have met and talked to so many good scientists here – among these Hitoshi Niwa, Jennifer Nichols and Jacob Hanna who are all experts within my field. In Copenhagen airport, I met Niwa and we started to talk. This discussion has continued throughout the conference.
What do you bring home from the conference?
– I might have a collaboration with one other participant coming up. We have generally made an agreement, but still have to discuss the last details. Besides the collaboration I bring home a lot of new knowledge and a great memory.
