At this point, I think I have written more about conferences than anything else. I am sure you are thinking that is all scientists do – Don’t be fooled! I have been incredibly fortunate to get to so many conferences in the last few months, culminating in two iconic fixtures in the Australian protein science conference circuit – Lorne Proteomics and Lorne Protein Structure and Function. I wont belabour the point about how important or valuable these conferences are (at this point, it gets kind of redundant!), but I will give a quick overview of my experience of the Lorne Meetings 2018.
First, it is important to understand the origins of the Lorne meetings. Starting out in the 70’s as a humble symposia, the Protein Structure and Function Meeting this year celebrated it’s 43rd installment. It is now at the centre of five consecutive meetings that run throughout February in the lovely beach town of Lorne, Victoria, covering Proteomics, Proteins, Genomes, Cancer and Immunology. I have been to a few of the Proteins meetings throughout my PhD, but this is the first time that I have attended two of the Lorne meetings back to back. It gave me a unique perspective on the similarities and differences of each meeting, and I benefited from each in wildly different ways.
A nice feature of the Lorne meetings is that the experience starts during the transit to Lorne. This year I traveled with one of my supervisors, and it was a great opportunity to have some one-on-one time. If you ever get the chance to travel with your academic mentors, I highly recommend grabbing it with both hands! It is through these conversations that you can get to know the person behind the science, and the politics behind the academic. For me, these conversations have been a highlight over the years, and this was no exception.
The first in my lineup was Lorne Proteomics. Given proteomics a very new skill to me, this was a great opportunity to get up-to-date knowledge from leaders in the field and help cement my growing understanding of best proteomic practices. I felt very alone and new to this crowd, with only one or two familiar faces in 240 delegates. However, I was lucky to be a speaker selected from abstract (a fancy way of saying I applied with a description of my research, and they chose me as one of the ~60 presenters). This was a true treat, as it was a great way to introduce myself and my work to a completely new network of scientists. I got some great feedback and a brand new approach to my project. What struck me most about this conference was the diversity of science that was covered in the talks. Being primarily a technique based conference (as opposed to a biological theme as with the Proteins meeting), there were marine biologists, physiologists, ‘method’ologists (mass spectrometry, crystallography, electron microscopy), molecular biologists, statisticians and mathematicians. It was a great overview of the scope of disciplines in which proteomics and associated techniques are both indispensable and actively developed.
An interesting side-note to this conference was the inclusion of the Annual General Meeting for the Australasian Society of Proteomics. This was my first foray into Society politics and management. It was a really great opportunity to observe the inner workings of the society and see where I could potentially get involved in the future. There were rumblings of an ECR-led program for Lorne Proteomics 2020, so stay tuned!
Barely a few hours after the close of the Proteomics meeting, the Proteins delegates descended on Lorne. The faces were more familiar and, for someone who enjoys the sensation of routine, everything felt a little more like ‘home’. The first night featured one of my favourite sessions – the Leach lecture, in which an emminent Australian Protein Scientist is awarded the lecture and intertwines personal experience with scientific detail. This year’s lecture was given by Ray Norton, and he did not disappoint.
Ray Norton on his #science journey, quoting John Lennon (or more accurately Readers Digest!)
“Life’s what happens when you’re busy making plans” #Lorneproteins #LeachLecture
— Dezerae Cox (@dezeraecox) February 4, 2018
Other notable sessions included the Student & Invited Speaker lunch, where I was a ‘facilitator’ (my job was to help stimulate conversation across the table). As well as the great opportunity students had to interact with our international visitors, there were two keynote speakers. First, Liz Miller gave a great summary of her science journey – how she had landed in her first post-doc, managed to coordinate two academic careers across the globe, and how she had taken advantage of the often serendipitous nature of science. Her take home message was planning moves in science takes time, so start looking and thinking about it early. This was echoed by Nobel Laureate Richard Henderson, whose take-home message was to do almost as much research into the paths you can take, and the places you can go, as actual science itself. I think, in our current scientific and political climate, that these messages could not be more timely for students to hear from leaders in our field.
Last but not least, I had the chance to catch up one-on-one with two of the international speakers. Building on my confidence from the Proteostais and Disease Symposium, I took this opportunity to get their input on my current project, their thoughts on my career goals and their advice on moving forward over the next few years. I am truly amazed, and incredibly grateful, for the generosity of experienced researchers in offering their mentorship to me as a young Early-Career Researcher – it turns out that sometimes all you have to do is ask.
It goes without saying, that if you ever have the chance to get to one of the Lorne Conferences you wont be disappointed. Hopefully I’ll see you there next year!
