From bucket list to podium: A postdoc's experience at ASM Microbe
Dr. Aathmaja Rangarajan, an MGI postdoctoral researcher in the Waters lab, shares highlights of her trip to the ASM Microbe conference last week, supported by the Peggy Cotter Travel Award.
I was excited to attend my first American Society for Microbiology, or ASM, Microbe conference in Los Angeles this year, a moment I had been looking forward to for a long time. I first heard about the scale and grandeur of this meeting over a decade ago when I was pursuing my master’s in India, and it had always been on my bucket list. I had planned to attend in 2020, but the pandemic disrupted those plans. This year, thanks to the support of the Peggy Cotter Travel Award from the Michigan ASM branch, I was finally able to make it happen.
ASM was an incredible international conference with over 5,000 attendees, making it the largest microbiology meeting in the U.S. The conference was divided into multiple sub-tracks including environmental microbiology, clinical microbiology, host-microbe interactions, and molecular biology. I enjoyed the mix of in-depth symposia, cross-track plenary sessions, short talks, and micro symposia that gave a great snapshot of current research. I loved the sessions on biofilms, polymicrobial communities, metal regulation, and stress responses in bacteria. I was especially fascinated by the talks on how AI is being applied to microbiology related discoveries and the panel discussion on the risks of mirror life. Poster sessions were a highlight, featuring work from trainees around the world. There were also excellent events tailored for grad students and postdocs, including career panels and interactive sessions with experts.
I was honored to give a talk on my current research exploring the regulation of a phosphodiesterase by zinc in the session of “Mechanism of metal acquisition and utilization in bacteria” which had an audience of over 150 people. The conference was a fantastic experience. I thoroughly enjoyed the diverse sessions, met scientists from across all continents, and had meaningful conversations that sparked new ideas for my own work. ASM Microbe not only broadened my scientific perspective but also helped me build valuable connections within the microbiology community. I returned inspired and energized!
