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Conference Summary
24th Fungal Genetics Conference
March 20-25 2007, Asilomar Conference Center, Pacific Grove, CA
Bridget Barker
PhD Candidate
Genetics GIDP
Attending the Fungal Genetics Conference is always a rewarding experience. This is the second time I have been able to attend this meeting, which is convened every other year. This conference was of particular importance to me due to the focus on medical mycology. I attended all four plenary sessions, and was hard pressed to decide between concurrent sessions in the afternoon. This is not a common occurrence. At most other meetings I attend, it is difficult to find talks pertaining to mycology, let alone the emerging field of medical mycology. By attending this meeting I was able to gain critical insight into recent developments in the area of medical mycology. Several talks generated intense discussion and debate about the nature of fungal pathogenesis in humans. I was also invited to apply for admission to a summer course in molecular mycology at Wood’s Hole Marine Biological Laboratory. This is another great opportunity to further my knowledge, and I would not have been aware of the course had I not met the course organizer at the meeting.
I made a number of important contacts at this meeting. I was able to talk to collaborators from Mexico and establish the potential for future work for the pathogen on which I work, Coccidioides posadasii, the organism that causes Valley fever. This pathogen grows in the soil in both Arizona and Mexico, however we know very little about the distribution in Mexico. This critical contact would not have been possible had I not attended this meeting. My poster “Analysis of environmental isolates of Coccidioides validates the genetic and geographical isolation among populations and species” was well received, and I was able to develop another collaboration to make the microsatellite frequency data available through a website so that this data will be useful to future researchers. I was encouraged to submit this analysis for publication, and was directed to a potential journal that was interested in the paper.
Finally, I attended this meeting shortly before taking my oral comprehensive exam. It was excellent preparation for my exams, as I was asked several questions relating to recent work that was presented at the meeting. It was very helpful to attend the meeting in partial preparation for exams. In summary, I am extremely grateful for the support I received from the Herbert E. Carter travel grant to attend this meeting.
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