The American Society for Cellular Biology conference was eye opening and impactful. I learned so much and am grateful to have experienced it with the other students and Dr. Walsh. Each day consisted of symposia, where we heard from top scientists in the field, and free time to explore the conference and meet new people. This conference was a fun and educational experience that I will hold with me in the future. I learned a lot and am proud to have presented and faced my fears of public speaking. I am lucky to have experienced something most undergraduates will never have the chance to and I did not take any of it for granted.

There was a film premier about fat and why it is essential to our bodies. This was one of my favorite parts of the conference. After the film there was a panel and Q&A with the scientists who produced it. My favorite talk was with Juergen A. Knoblich, a researcher from the lab that originally developed “mini brains” from stem cells to study microcephaly. Mice are usually excellent model organisms for studying brain development, however microcephaly cannot be studied in mice because mice cannot get microcephaly for some unknown reason. Being able to visualize and grown actual brains in petri dishes is revolutionary and has the potential to help tons of people with ranges of neurodegenerative diseases. Having the opportunity to hear him speak was incredible because we talked about mini brains and listened to an NPR segment about this researcher and his lab in my English class last semester. As a Biology major, I never expected something from my English class to feel so relevant in my life. Liberal arts at its finest.

Top photo: Paxton Sickler, Dr. Walsh, Ashley Becker.

Bottom photo: Annamarie Bryant, Ashley Becker, Paxton Sickler, Matt Volk.