Working with faceless beings hidden inside my computer for more than six months was surprisingly easy and productive. Yeah, at the beginning I wondered, what does she or he sound or look like? Then, over time, their Google images became their faces. Which is really weird, I have to admit, since some of them have flowers or random non-human photos as their images. But those are the mental images I learned to associate with my fellow COMPASS members. So when I walked into the COMPASS get-together at the ASCB Annual Meeting, I was excited, yet a little nervous, to finally meet my COMPASS colleagues in person.
Trying to guess who was who from the door was fun. Some faces I had seen at our Google hangouts, but others were completely new. But as the morning progressed the amazing feeling of finally getting to meet this wonderful and energetic group of people just took over. There we were, COMPASS live!
These are the people responsible for organizing the ePoster sessions and many of the Professional Development events at the ASCB Annual Meeting. The people who run the ASCB Ambassador Program, COMPASS Careers, and the COMPASS Blog all year around. With help, of course, from the amazing ASCB staff.
This little group of energetic students and postdocs has managed to write a new and exciting chapter in the history of the ASCB. And I am incredibly lucky to be part of it.
It was an honor to meet you, COMPASS.
About the Author:
Laura Diaz-Martinez is Associate Director of the Campus Office of Undergraduate Research Initiatives and Research Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences at The University of Texas at El Paso. She is also an active ASCB member and former member of ASCB’s COMPASS.
