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Spring Issue 2007
Recap of Postdoctoral Events Held During
the Annual Meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina
This year proved to be an exciting Annual Meeting for
postdocs! To kick off the meeting, the Postdoctoral Assembly
(PDA) handed out lapel pins Sunday night with the Charlotte
insignia and the word "POSTDOC" across the
top to distinguish postdoctoral members. In addition,
the PDA hosted or co-sponsored many events geared towards
making sure postdocs get the resources and information
they need most! Below is a short recap of some of those
events:
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| Chair Jennifer Duringer (left) congratulated Kristen
Mitchell (right), one of the three recipients of
the first Best Postdoctoral Publication Awards. |
- Sunday night Student/Postdoc Mixer: Students
and postdocs gathered in a relaxed atmosphere and began
the meeting catching up with old friends and networking
with new ones. Posters and representatives from the
Specialty Sections, Regional Chapters, and Special
Interest Groups were on hand to provide information
and encourage participation. Students and postdocs
can join one Specialty Section and one Special Interest
Group at no-charge as part of Student/Postdoc membership
in SOT.
- Wednesday afternoon Postdoctoral Luncheon: Postdocs
had a chance to kick back and relax as they enjoyed
a sit-down luncheon designed to promote networking
and celebrate postdocs in the Society. SOT President Jim
Popp provided opening remarks, followed by
comments from current Chair Jennifer Duringer and
incoming Chair Kristen Mitchell. Recipients
of the first ever Best Postdoctoral Publications awards
were announced in addition to recognition of all postdoctoral
Specialty Section, Regional Chapter and Special Interest
Group award winners. Recipients of the Best
Postdoctoral Publications Award include Nadine
Dragin, University of Cincinnati; Kristen
Mitchell, University of Texas Medical Branch, and Drobna
Zuzana, University of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill. Recipients were chosen by a process modeled after
NIH review, with internal and external reviewers and
avoidance of conflict of interest. Those attending
the luncheon had a wonderful time! PDA hopes to continue
this event next year.
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| The Student/Postdoc Mixer stimulated
networking at the start of the meeting. |
Students and postdocs met informally
with Council Wednesday afternoon. |
- Wednesday afternoon symposia "You
Just Can't Focus on the Science": The
Career Resource and Development Committee teamed
up with the PDA to bring an outstanding seminar
that focused on leadership and communication skills
that young investigators need to develop in addition
to the usual bench and writing skills. Speakers
included Tom Kawabata and Leigh
Ann Burns-Naas from Pfizer Global Research.
In addition, 80 books were given out on "Making
the Right Moves" from Burroughs-Wellcome/HHMI. Power Point slides
and notes from this session are available on our Web site at the link
above.
- Wednesday afternoon mixer with Council and
Students and Postdocs: This year, the Student
Advisory Committee (SAC) and the PDA decided to merge
the meetings with Council into a single event where
all students and postdocs were invited to speak with
Council members in a casual atmosphere. After brief
remarks from SOT President Jim Popp,
SAC President John Norman, and PDA
Chair Jennifer Duringer, attendees
mingled and engaged in lively discussion.
The PDA will be contacting postdocs soon to request
feedback on SOT activities. We encourage postdocs to
respond to the survey to assist the PDA Board in planning
for the upcoming year.
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