Organized by the IGNITE postdocs, this year’s WCMM Research Day was designed as an opportunity to bring researchers together, spark new interactions, and encourage collaboration across the centre. Alongside a strong scientific program, the event also aimed to build community and help create closer connections among fellows at different stages and from different backgrounds.
After a perfectly planned and successful day, and after a well-deserved moment of rest, we wanted to highlight the work of the IGNITE fellows who helped make it all possible. We had the opportunity to speak with Sara Gonzalez Anton (Bourgine Lab) and Katherine Hampton (Pereira Lab) about the ideas behind the event, their experience as organizers, and what this year’s WCMM Day meant for building connections within the WCMM community.
| When planning the arrangement of the WCMM day, what were your main expectations for how the event would unfold, and do you feel the final schedule met those initial goals?
Sara: During the discussions for the WCMM day program it was clear that we wanted to prepare a mix of exciting science content as well as to create a space for more informal discussions among the participants.
Both keynote speakers are top scientists on their fields and showcased a great array of tools and scientific questions that we hope excited and inspired participants. We are also very grateful for people participation in the table discussions, and we hope everyone found it useful and enjoyed it.
Katherine: We had lots of different abstracts submitted by scientists are all stages of their career from undergraduates all the way to experienced post-docs. This meant we could put together a varied program with a wide variety of topics. There an amazing turn out for the event and overall, I think we were all very pleased with how it turned out!
| A major objective was to make the new IGNITE fellows feel like part of the program and encourage them to interact with each other. From your perspective as an organizer, how successful was the event in fostering these new connections?
Sara: I felt it has been a great opportunity to get to know other post docs within the centre, which otherwise it is not always easy. We all have different backgrounds, and I think this help bringing more interesting ideas and discussions to the table. I had a lot of fun working with everyone and let a lot from the other fellows too.
Katherine: I only joined Lund University in December when planning had already started. Despite only recently joining, the whole committee was incredibility welcoming and made my ideas for the event feel valued. Organising this event was a fantastic way to meet other postdocs from different floors. We have even suggested we all meet up outside of work to keep in touch even after this event!
| As both an organizer and a fellow, how was your personal experience meeting the other participants, and did the day help you feel more integrated into the WCMM community?
Sara: Despite being busy making sure everything run smoothly during the day, I felt that being an organiser gives you the opportunity to interact more with the participants. We are very grateful for all participants who submitted an abstract and presented their work on the day, it was great to meet them and discuss a bit more in detail with them.
Katherine: I agree with Sara. The actual day ran a lot smoother than I was expecting. As I was the main person in contact with and organising the selected abstract speakers, this gave me the opportunity to get to know them and their research which was really nice! I feel like I know the groups within WCMM much better now.
| Reflecting on the activities provided, was there a particular session or moment that stood out for you as an organizer?
Sara: I was particularly excited about the theme we focused the event on, microscopy. I really enjoyed the two keynote speaker sessions, learning new things both technically and scientifically.
Katherine: I really enjoyed how many people participated in the discussion workshops. I hope that being able to freely ask questions and discuss important topics such as work life balance and publishing was valuable to everyone who attended.
| Organizing events always comes with logistical hurdles. What was the biggest challenge you faced when arranging this day, and how did you overcome it?
Sara: We were very lucky to have the support of Oskar Hansson and Lisa Karlsson along the way. Their support and input made the logistics much easier for us!
Katherine: I think the most difficult part was making sure that we had thought about all of the organisational aspects such as someone meeting the keynote speakers when they arrived and making sure the IT (PowerPoint presentations etc) and microphones would run smoothly. The whole team was really supportive for this, in particular Oskar Hansson and Lisa Karlsson were an amazing help!