Conference Summary
8th World Congress for Microcirculation
August 15-19, 2007, Milwaukee, WI

The 8th World Congress of the Microcirculation met in Milwaukee, WI from August 15¬19, 2007. This conference gathered scientists from around the world to speak on the newest research in the microcirculation.

As an applied mathematician interested in developing computational models of red blood cells in small vessels, this conference provided me with the opportunity to learn about the general biology underlying the systems I am modeling. I was also introduced to the biological questions currently being posed. I hope to apply some of the information I obtained from the conference to adjust my model in order to answer additional questions and interpret my model results.

In addition, I particularly appreciated the directed scope of this conference; the talks were focused on specific aspects of the microcirculation. While attending larger and more general conferences provides good background knowledge of a topic, a smaller and more specific meeting such as the World Congress yields much insight into a particular research area in a short period of time.

Meeting and interacting with so many renowned microcirculation researchers from all over the world at a single conference was a unique opportunity. The summary of the work presented at the meeting gave me a broad overview of the areas of microcirculation which are considered interesting and applicable.

While presenting my poster, I had the chance to speak with various researchers. We were able to exchange insights into possible applications of my computational model. As an applied mathematician, I place a priority on developing projects that are grounded in reality and produce applicable results. Being exposed to experimentalists and clinicians at this conference introduced me to additional real-world problems to which my model can contribute.

I greatly appreciate the help of the Herbert E. Carter travel award in making this unique experience possible. When the World Congress in Microcirculation meets again in four years, I hope to participate again. The knowledge I have gained from this conference will help me as I continue my PhD work on a computational model of red blood cell motion through arterioles/capillaries.