Conferences and Cancer Cells

                “Where were you all week?”

                “I was at a conference.  In Maine.”

                “People go to conferences in Maine?”

                “No.  Scientists go to conferences in Maine.”

                “What’s that like?”

                What is that like?  It’s an experience.  If you ever feel that you miss your twin extra long bed, showering in flip flops, or that inexplicable joy that can only come with living four feet from someone you’ve never met, then I do believe it’s time you attended a scientific conference.

                I’ve been told, but am not sure, that many work conferences are large affairs.  Thousands of people pour into one (MAJOR) city, drink at bars, sleep in hotels, and do …something?... during the day.  I don’t know what other professions do, actually.  But I’ll tell you what scientists do!  We attend talks, listen to other people’s research, talk about our own research, and spend a great deal of time on our computers.  

                Unlike larger conferences, this one was small (~ 120 people) and focused on one particular type of protein.  Since it was small, no hotels for us!  We were boarded at a college and lived in dorms.  Bathrooms could be found at the end of the hallway.  Boys on one floor, girls on another!  Yes, the average age of attendees was mid 30s.

 Mornings consisted of breakfast (cafeteria-style.  If you aren’t ready to walk aimlessly around with your food hoping upon hope that some other strangers will let you sit with them, then you may not be ready for this), followed by three hours of talks.  No coffee in the auditorium please!

                Afternoons were free until about 5pm when fifty posters went up in the dining hall.  The posters were manned by their creators and people came around to ask questions and discuss the research.  Dinner followed (again, cafeteria style - you needed self esteem armor to eat) and then another three hours of talks. 

 

                We were set loose from science at 10pm to either hide in our rooms (me) or attend a cash bar/fusbal tournament in the (again) dining hall.  For the record, we were in a very small Maine town.  There isn’t anywhere to go.  The coordinators actually admitted later that the venue choice was purposeful – it keeps people thinking more about science and less about anything else.

                By day four of this lifestyle, when I had successfully phoned every friend I had ignored since graduate school, emailed my husband every small joke that came my way (including a fabulous list of gaffes said by Prince Philip – link at the bottom of this post), and perfected the art of undressing/showering/redressing in a stall the size of broom closet, I was ready to go.  I think I ran to my car.

                While I’ll be disparaging about the “amenities” and lack of private sleeping quarters, I’ll be positive about the research.  Not all scientists are meant to speak in front of a large room (easily determined by the number of open laptops in the audience), but the ones that can speak and explain their research well are very interesting.  

                This entire conference was focused around one protein in our bodies.  That one protein is supplying projects and questions to labs all over the world.  Its job is so complicated, multi-faceted and nuanced that we still can’t say that we know everything about it.  Isn’t that extraordinary?  

Think about Paris.  We all know where it is, how many people are in it, and can look at a map of it.  We can find its simple facts.  But knowing the city, understanding its history, its future, the certain je ne sais quoi (I know!  I’m so cheesy!) is another story all together.  The same is true of proteins.  We know things about it, but we don’t know everything.  The more we know, the more we can understand when things go wrong in our bodies and how to fix them.  That was what the conference was all about.

I learned a lot of interesting things while I was there, but I’d like to focus on one aspect of cancer cells I never knew about until this conference: The Warburg Effect and Glutamine Addiction.  To explain why these two things are cool will require a bit more space than I have available here so look for a second post either tonight or tomorrow!



Also, feel free to tell me about other professions and their conferences.  Are they good?  Bad?  Different?  Better?  Do you have to pretend to be in college again!? 

Prince Philip Funnies: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2001251/As-Prince-Philip-turns-90-relive-hilarious-gaffes.html