So, we are more than halfway through the conference! It has been a remarkable weekend packed with parallel sessions, all too good to miss, and I couldn’t help but wish for a time machine!
Although I had a faint inkling of how big the conference was to be, I was unconcerned. After all, we are trained to deal with Avogadro’s number of molecules! But since I had conveniently forgotten that I was not a molecule, nothing prepared me for this. And, as a first-timer, it was slightly difficult for me to not get mad. However, I am still surviving, and rather happily so!
The “First time attendee drop by” and the “New member welcome coffee” sessions were real ice-breakers. There were other newcomers like me, overwhelmed, mostly jet-lagged, but you couldn’t miss the sparkle in their eyes! They were all riding the biophysics wave, and were loving it!
The best thing about the science presented in this conference is that a fine balance is achieved between showcasing varied biophysical techniques and addressing questions of biological importance. I shuttled between these two types of sessions (and posters) and at the end of the day was quite amazed to find how much more I got to know, and how many potential collaborations I could initiate or take part in!
As researchers, we tend to isolate ourselves. Spending long lonely hours in the lab, with our samples, machines, and data, become a habit, and although there is no denying that we actually like it, meetings such as these help us to come out of our bubble and socialise on both scientific and personal front with others. It is very daunting at first, for many of us, but slowly laptops are flipped out, graphs are discussed, and the ice thaws, and before we realise, we have come out of our introverted selves and bridged gaps, hands shaken, business cards exchanged (thanks to Quartzy for such wonderfully professional cards), and a probable future is built on common grounds. There is nothing better than to share the common passion of pursuing one’s curiosity with others!
Overall it had been quite enriching three days! Two more days to go, and I am looking forward to riding yet another wave!
--Madhura De