The Life Sciences Symposium
2023’s 7th annual Life Sciences Symposium was our biggest symposium yet! Our keynote speaker, Dr. Paul Turner, 3 panel discussions covering a range of topics, and 100 graduate and undergraduate student and postdoctoral scholar presenters drew more than 200 attendees to the symposium!
The latest entry in our yearly meetings to promote science communication and interdisciplinary collaboration featured all the same events you know and love from past symposia, including our keynote speaker, 26 student and 9 postdoctoral scholar speakers, 65 posters, 9 exhibitor tables, a panel discussion with our keynote speaker and related individuals from Penn State, and, of course, prizes! For the 2023 symposium, we also introduced two career workshops featuring panels of early career faculty and industry professionals to give students the inside scoop on preparing for their careers post-graduation.
Click here for the Schedule of Events
Keynote Speaker: Dr. Paul Turner
Dr. Paul Turner is the Rachel Carson Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (EEB) at Yale University, and Microbiology faculty member at Yale School of Medicine. He obtained a BA in Biology (1988) from University of Rochester , a PhD in Microbial Evolution (1995) from Michigan State University, and did postdocs at National Institutes of Health, University of Valencia in Spain, and University of Maryland-College Park, before joining Yale in 2001. Turner previously served as Director of Graduate Studies and Chair of EEB, and as Interim Dean of Science. He currently serves as Director of the Center for Phage Biology and Therapy at Yale, and also directs Yale’s Quantitative Biology Institute. Dr. Turner studies evolutionary genetics of viruses, particularly phages (bacteria-specific viruses) that infect bacterial pathogens and RNA viruses transmitted by mosquitoes, and researches the use of phages to treat antibiotic-resistant bacterial diseases.
Breaking Barriers to Diversity in STEM Panel
The Breaking barriers to diversity in STEM panel included our keynote speaker, Dr. Paul Turner, and two professors from Penn State: Dr. Jared Ali and Dara Purvis. Responding to questions from the audience, all three spoke about the challenges facing increasing diversity in STEM fields and provided their perspectives on what individuals and institutions can do to help.
Career Panels
In 2023 we introduced two new career panels to give students insights into making the transition from graduate school to a full time career: Breaking into Academia and Breaking into Indidustry. Our panelists included current Penn State professors and several Penn State alumni who shared their experiences and advice for transitioning to a career.
Check here for a full list of Student and Postdoctoral Scholar Oral and Poster Presentations
Presentation award and contest winners
Photo Gallery
Haven’t heard enough about the Life Sciences Symposium? Check out our other past symposia.