Biotherapeutics and Vaccines Development GRC

I know I set the goal of posting once a week, but the last two weeks were very busy.

That busy schedule was mostly due to a conference I attended. It was the Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on Biotherapeutics and Vaccines Development. 

For five days, a little under 150 scientists and engineers from academia, industry, and government agencies gave / listened to talks and presented / reviewed posters on the multitude of bizarre, but wonderful, techniques and technologies we’re developing to make biotherapeutics and vaccines more accessible. 

I don’t have any photos of the actual event. Talks and posters were held in “no camera / no phone” zone. Recording or photography of any kind was prohibited. 

But that’s beauty of a GRC. Presenters are encouraged to discuss their unpublished and out-of-the-box work. The scientific exploration and risk taking is unmatched. Half of the talks I saw could easily have made their way into a scifi film. But it’s not fiction. It’s happening right now. 

I’m so glad I was able to attend this conference and present some of my work. I met truly remarkable scientists and engineers, shared my success and challenges, and learned about others’ experiences. This conference sparked my curiosity: I have an entire page of questions written out in my notebook. And I know that most of them will never have an answer. 

I’ve come back to my PhD after the holidays and while I’m a sad I’m so far away from my family and friends again, I’m excited and motivated to get back the lab and start achieving my goals!

Quick photo op on the beach in Galveston, TX