Conference Summary
Society for Free Radical Biology and Medicine
November 14-18, 2007, Washington, DC

Sarah Wilkinson
PhD Candidate
Cancer Biology GIDP

I greatly enjoyed attending the Society for Free Radical Biology and Medicine (SFRBM) 2007 Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. This was the second time I have attended this meeting, and I benefited from it in many ways.

I presented my data in a poster forum, and spent the entire two hours talking about my work non-stop! This was a great opportunity to discuss my work with other students, post-doctoral fellows, and established scientists. I was nervous about the poster session at first, but I found that I really enjoyed sharing my work aloud on a one-to-one basis, receiving comments and critiques, and thinking on my feet in response to questions. The feedback I received will be very helpful as I work on getting my data published, and as I move on to the next set of experiments.

I learned about how free radicals apply to my own field, cancer, as well as many other biological systems and disease states. Each morning of the meeting opened with a "Free Radical School¡¨ session, to bring everyone up-to-date on basic topics in the field, and enhance understanding of the morning's plenary sessions. The plenary sessions were grouped into major topics each day, and presented by leading scientists in the field. During the afternoon oral presentations and poster sessions, I was able to see the details of ongoing experiments by students, post-docs, and senior scientists. Dinner and the evening hospitality room provided a chance to socialize ¡V including gathering around the piano and singing tunes (with big names in the field) on the last night of the conference!

I used this opportunity to renew and expand my acquaintance with other scientists in my field. My mentor and co-worker have attended this meeting for years, and were very enthusiastic about introducing me to everyone in their network. I plan to graduate in May, so I looked as this as a great opportunity to make contacts for the future. I handed out several copies of my abstract and contact information, and wore a red sticker on my nametag as a signal that I will be looking for a job soon. I also attended a meeting of the Women in Science committee; this will be a great network to be involved with, as they have a strong focus on mentoring relationships and helping women succeed in science.

I took advantage of several additional opportunities at the meeting this year. I arrived early to participate in an exciting pre-meeting workshop, Media Training 101. First, we received pointers on thinking about our work in ways that a lay audience could understand, and practical tips on interacting with interviewers from different media sources. Then, we had the opportunity to practice being interviewed on camera, and to watch our performance and receive constructive criticism. This was a great experience, as one of my interests is increasing scientific literacy among the lay public. I also attended a dinner workshop about "Emotional Intelligence.¡¨ We learned that just being smart and driven isn't always enough to succeed ¡V it is also important to use emotional intelligence to maintain balance in one's own life and career, and to understand how to lead others.

This was a wonderful experience, which will benefit my graduate and professional career. I am extremely grateful for the financial support of the Herbert E. Carter Travel Award, which made this opportunity possible.