Tufts students in the Genetics and Neuroscience programs joined together on April 11 – April 13 in the annual effort to facilitate community between the Boston-based and Bar Harbor-based students. The three-day retreat featured student-talk sessions, student-poster sessions, faculty talks, a keynote speaker, a DEI workshop, and some down time to explore Acadia National Park and casual time for students to get to know each other.
Every student, excluding first-years, were strongly encouraged to either present a talk or a poster. This allowed for peers to ask questions, and just generally get a feel for the research that is being done throughout the programs. There are a lot of exciting projects lead by the Tufts Genetics/Neuroscience departments, and I look forward to more opportunities to learn about research being done within our programs.
Something that struck me during the retreat was the keynote talk given by Dr. Kevin Bath, from Brown University. While Dr. Bath was presenting his research, I was inspired by the way he explained his research like a story. Every part of his work flowed logically and every side question I had was answered through his experimental process. After he finished presenting his research, he went into his career journey that brought him to his current position. It was incredible to see that even researchers who seem so put-together and accomplished have gone through similar struggles to us early-stage scientists. It is exciting to see where my path will take me and understand that other people have made it through the many challenges that arise.
Hoping to become a part of the retreat planning committee in the future and help it run as smoothly as it did this year.