Virtual Chemistry-Biology Interface retreat highlights research and community of graduate student trainees
The annual CBI retreat, which was held virtually for the first time this year, provides current trainees the opportunity to share and learn about research happening across the institute.
On Monday, June 15, the Stanford ChEM-H Chemistry Biology Interface (CBI) Training Program held its first-ever virtual retreat. The event celebrated the diversity of the science that our students pursue and diversity of the community that conducts the research. Eighty participants across 14 departments joined the retreat for student talks and a keynote delivered by Prof. Catherine Drennan, Massachusetts Institute of Technology entitled, “Shake, Rattle, & Roll: Capturing Snapshots of Ribonucleotide Reductase.” In addition to the CBI community, six undergraduate students from local institutions attended the virtual retreat to learn about chemical biology and pique interest in graduate education in STEM. Each undergraduate student was paired with a CBI student mentor to help the undergraduate navigate the scientific meeting. Students and faculty engaged in small group lunch discussions enabled by Zoom breakout rooms, including a room tailored for the undergraduate students, a room for students to meet ChEM-H faculty who are new to Stanford, and a room to chat with Prof. Drennan. The day closed with a professional development panel consisting of CBI students who had either recently graduated or were planning to graduate within the coming months. The panelists provided advice and personal stories to support their peers in navigating the dissertation and job search.
