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Career Workshops (limited ticket availability, purchase during registration)
Community-Organized Workshops: Tuesday June 20/Thursday June 22
Writing papers and grant proposals has always been an important part of an academic scientist’s workload, but now more than ever it is crucial for scientists to acquire additional communication skills in order to disseminate the results of their work more broadly. We’ll hear from scientists at various stages of their careers and on various career paths about their approaches to science communication, whether about their own or the work of others. We’ll discuss WHY communication skills are important, how to develop them, how to make the most of social media, as well as the importance of infographics in science communication and tools to help you to create them. We’ll also hear from experts about the strengths and weaknesses of various approaches and platforms (from blogs to YouTube), how organizations and platforms such as GARNet, Global Plant Council, ASPB, and Plantae.org can support your science communication efforts, and how the new journal Plant Direct will promote an open science ethos. ‘Arabidopsis Breakthroughs with Chemistry- new techniques to think outside the box with Chemistry and Chemical Biology’ will present and discuss the ways chemical and other practical approaches help find answers which have not been found for a long time with conventional approaches. RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science (CSRS), workshop organizer, aims to achieve a resource and energy sustainable society by combining unique interdisciplinary fields of plant science, chemistry and chemical biology. In the last a few years, RIKEN CSRS has presented successful research outcomes via this interdisciplinary approach. We would like to share our knowhow and that of others using these techniques with the Arabidopsis community on how to make a breakthrough using chemical approaches. This workshop will consist of 4 talks on different topics using Arabidopsis and various chemical approaches. The ADAPTOMICS workshop on emerging Brassicaceae model species: Arabidopsis thaliana is the most developed plant model, which continues to allow great scientific progress in the plant sciences. The very biology that facilitated the success of Arabidopsis as a model organism, however, implies that highly important research questions cannot be addressed in this species. The German DFG-funded Research Priority Programme 1529 ADAPTOMICS (“Evolutionary Solutions to Ecological Challenges: Molecular mechanisms underlying adaptive traits in the Brassicaceae s.l.”; www.adaptomics-dfg.de) has been working to fill this gap over the past six years. The goal of this research programme is to employ the benefits afforded by genomics and high-throughput sequencing technologies in order to address traits and scientific questions that cannot be studied in Arabidopsis alone, while taking maximal advantage of knowledge, tools and resources available for this closely related species. This workshop will showcase the successful development of novel Brassicaceae model species and genome-enabled approaches towards understanding the molecular mechanistic basis, ecological roles and evolutionary history of important phenotypic traits that are not found in A. thaliana. Overcoming the Imposter Phenomenon in Academic Science: Imposter Phenomenon (IP, or Impostor Syndrome) is the persistent feeling that you aren’t as smart as your colleagues, that your success is due to luck rather than their your abilities, and that you are an ‘imposter’ who will one day be discovered. IP was first described for high achieving women, but it is common among other underrepresented groups as well as the population as a whole. IP is particularly prevalent among high achievers and in academic realms. There are a number of negative effects of IP, including anxiety, overwork, and avoiding interaction. One of the most powerful ways to combat IP is to acknowledge it and understand that many people feel this way. This workshop will describe IP and the many ways it can manifest; discuss the impacts of IP on scientific careers, and academic science in particular; and provide specific strategies to recognize and combat imposter thoughts. The workshop is interactive and participants are encouraged to discuss their experiences in small groups or anonymously. Although primarily aimed at those who have experienced imposter thoughts, the workshop will also educate supervisors so that they can be better mentors. Attendees will leave with a clear understanding of Imposter Syndrome, the ability to recognize imposter thoughts in themselves and others, and specific actions to take to combat Imposter Syndrome. New and Updated Bioinformatics Datasets, Tools and Resources: This workshop includes a series of short talks from several major Arabidopsis data and stock resources, aimed at providing a quick overview of what’s new at each one. Designed for both experienced researchers needing a reminder on what is available and those new to Arabidopsis research, we will aim to bring researchers up to speed on the latest developments, to ensure that everyone is aware of what is available and can take full advantage of the latest tools, data and resources in their work.
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