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Stowers Institute hosts Stowers Research Conference: Molecular Cell Biology - RNA Regulation

More than 75 attendees, including 20 speakers consisting of Principal Investigators and their trainees, attended the three-day event.

25 April 2024

The Stowers Institute for Medical Research hosted a Stowers Research Conference (SRC) April 17-19, 2024, bringing together renowned scientists, investigators, and their trainees for an immersive gathering centered around Molecular Cell Biology—RNA Regulation.

Organized by Stowers Institute Associate Investigator Ariel Bazzini, Ph.D., and Kamena Kostova, Ph.D., a cellular and molecular biologist and Staff Scientist at Carnegie Science, the conference was an exceptional platform for fostering creativity and collaboration in the field of RNA biology.

“Everyone is just so engaged and it's really spectacular because the topics are so diverse,” explained Kostova.

More than 75 attendees, including 20 speakers consisting of Principal Investigators and their trainees, attended the three-day event.

“Witnessing conversations where people are getting ideas from each other in real time...it is so important to teach them that that is how real science can move forward. And the fact that we can do it in that positive way,” said Yunsun Nam, Ph.D., an Associate Professor at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.

SRC 2024 Molecular Cell Biology - RNA Regulation attendees

Stowers Research Conferences have earned a reputation as innovative, intimate events that inspire creativity and collaboration for both established and early career scientists in biology.

It's been a very interactive conference and that's really a terrific format,” said Roy Parker, Ph.D., Keynote Speaker and Distinguished Professor at University of Colorado – Boulder. “I hope to implement this format in the conferences I organize.”

SRC distinguishes itself by providing a chance for trainees to share the stage with their advisor and present in tandem, offering a fresh perspective and an exciting twist to the usual conference format.

“We offer the mentor and mentee to talk together during the same slot, and that is actually very fun because most of them have never done that,” Bazzini said.

The tandem talks also provide a platform to showcase up and coming scientists in their respective fields.

“Just from what I saw here and from all the discussion, these mentees will be the future in the RNA field,” Bazzini remarked.

“This is my first in-person conference and so it's nerve wracking, but it's really cool to know that my PI is also going to be up there and we get to share two different stories together,” said Courtney Jungers, a Graduate Research Assistant at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

Stay tuned for more information coming soon about the next SRC in Fall 2024.