The Minnesota Regional Networking Event was held at St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN on October 28, 2011. Over sixty students and biophysicists, representing over ten educational institutions (high school, undergraduate, and graduate) and industries from Minnesota attended the event.
[caption id="attachment_518" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Students sitting in on a career panel discussion."]
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Participants took part in a biophysics career panel highlighting diverse career pathways. Bengt Svensson (Research Associate, University of Minnesota) led a computational workshop in which participants learned to build an atomic resolution model of a fluorescently labeled calcium pump.
Dave Thomas' (University of Minnesota) seminar highlighted networking opportunities for undergraduates interested in pursuing careers related to biophysics and encouraged faculty at small colleges to take advantage of resources at the University of Minnesota.
[caption id="attachment_519" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Posters were presented during the poster session."]
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The poster session offered a chance to begin conversations about biophysics education and research. These conversations were carried on through dinner, where ideas for potential research collaborations, cross-institutional training grants and undergraduate workshops emerged. Bob Hanson (St. Olaf College) helped to develop Molecular Playground as a way for non-scientists to physically interact with molecules. Check out the video he recorded of students using this technology at the event on
BPS' YouTube channel.
[caption id="attachment_524" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Keynote speaker David Thomas with event organizer Jennifer Klein."]
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Biophysical Society member Jennifer Klein (St. Olaf College) organized this session with help from a BPS networking mini-grant. To view the full program, visit the
Minnesota networking event page of the Society website.
Want to organize a networking session in your area? Visit the
networking events page of the BPS website to submit your mini-grant application.
--Jennifer Klein, BPS Member