Event Highlights
The department of Biochemistry and Biophysics held its 2023 research retreat at the Cookery in Durham on October 19, featuring a dynamic lineup of events. The day included engaging talks showcasing the remarkable science within the department, two informative poster sessions (’23 poster session assignments), a thought-provoking keynote address by Dr. Linda Columbus titled “One woman’s journey through STEM,” which candidly shared her experiences as a woman in science, and stimulating DEI discussions. The event concluded with a lively happy hour, making it a successful and exciting day with over 100 participants, 40 poster presentations, and four trainee talks. The retreat was filled with lively discussion and terrific science, leaving everyone eagerly anticipating next year’s event.
Keynote Speaker
The keynote talk speaker this year was Dr. Linda Columbus from the University of Virginia.
Linda is an expert in the biophysics of membrane proteins, particularly regarding bacterial pathogenesis and host-pathogen interactions. She shared “One Woman’s Journey through STEM” that stimulated a lot of discussion and introspection about how we make science more equitable.
2023 Presentation winners
The best talk was Nick Randolph (Kuhlman lab), the best post-doc poster was Kanishk Jain, PhD (Strahl lab), and the best graduate student poster was Uriel Jean-Baptiste (Neher lab). Congratulations to our 2023 research retreat presentation winners.
View our photos and learn about their research at: “Congratulations 2023 Retreat Presentation Winners.”
Thank you to our organizers
We would like to thank all our committee members for the planning, our graduate students, and all our other volunteers!
The organizers did a terrific job.
2023 Retreat Planning Committee
Richard (Rick) Baker Ph.D
Jill Dowen PhD
Robert Lee PhD
Maria Al Haddad
Leiah Carey PhD
Rhonda Strickland