Can’t-miss programming at the 2019 ASCB|EMBO Meeting

DC skyline

Andrew Murray’s President’s Column for the October issue of the ASCB Newsletter does a great job of laying out the main features of the 2019 ASCB|EMBO Meeting. Here are some highlights of other programs and events you may have overlooked while browsing the upcoming meeting program online.

Meet Your Matches

When attendees and exhibitors arrive to pick up their badges, they will be randomly given a pin with a number on it that approximately 100 other attendees and/or exhibitors will also have. Beginning with the opening night reception on Saturday, December 7, and anytime you are in the Exhibit Hall, ASCB encourages participants in this Meet Your Match challenge to find another participant with the matching number button. Each time you meet a match, get your badge scanned by an ASCB Staff member at one of the five stations in the opening night reception or at the ASCB Booth throughout the week for a chance to win a $100 Visa gift card. Those who meet at least five of their 100 matches will be entered to win! If you or your match can’t make it to the scan station or booth at the same time, snap a photo and bring it to the booth so that at least one of you can be scanned to enter the drawing.

ASCB Booth

Make sure to stop by the ASCB booth (#612) to pick up a reasonably priced short- or long-sleeve t-shirt (or one of each) available in various colors with an exciting new design. ASCB will also be selling themed socks, mugs, and wireless phone chargers. In addition to new merchandise, the booth will feature a colorful backdrop where you can take a selfie, a chance to learn about and sign up for our new online community platform, an opportunity to share your thoughts on ASCB membership on video, the ability to chat with ASCB leadership and staff, and of course, a place to relax in one of our popular bean bag chairs. Visit the Membership Help Desk at the ASCB booth to learn professional development resources, volunteering opportunities, and how to make the most of your member benefits. There will also be a chance to win a FREE 2020 meeting registration—stop by to find out how. The ASCB booth is the hub of the Exhibit Hall; don’t forget to stop by to just say hello!

Educational and Professional Development Sessions

Sessions this year will focus on careers, education, the workplace, funding, publishing, outreach, international researcher issues, and science policy. There are nearly 50 different sessions from which to choose. Check out some of these relevant and innovative offerings: Careers in Science Policy, A Transition to Open Access or Open Science, The Art of Self-Advocacy: A Panel and Networking Reception from WICB and COMPASS,  Writing Your Science Story: How to Get Everyone Else Excited About Your Work, #GFP25: Lighting up Cell Biology (Martin Chalfie and Jennifer Lippincott-Schwartz discussing green fluorescent protein and where it has led, and the winners of ASCB’s image and video contest), and Advocacy Toolbox: The Two-Minute Speech. Seating is limited, so make sure to check the program for times and locations and arrive early so that you won’t be left out in the cold.

One-Day Biotech Mini-Course

Considering a career in biotech? Register to attend this one-day course offered by ASCB and the Keck Graduate Institute. Applications are open on the 2019 ASCB|EMBO Meeting Registration site. (There is a separate fee. You need not register for the ASCB|EMBO Meeting to register to attend the one-day biotech mini-course.) In the morning, attendees will learn about processes by which scientific discoveries are translated into bioscience ventures and common business strategies through a case study/lecture/small group learning format. During lunch, a career panel Q&A will allow participants to network with representatives from local biotech companies. At the professional development workshop in the afternoon, registrants will get advice on how to combine scientific, business, and social skills to become business-ready and competitive for a professional career as well as get help building a resume, dissecting job postings, and landing job interviews.

4DNucleome Conference

The 4DNucleome Conference, jointly organized by the 4D Nucleome Network and ASCB, will be held on December 5–6 at the Capital Hilton. This conference will feature recent technological and conceptual advances in research on higher-order chromatin organization in eukaryotic cells. Registration is $300 and is due by October 15 at https://4dn-annual-meetings.smapply.io.

Membrane Band Concert; Ask A Scientist Bar Night; EdComm Networking

Jam out to well-known rock songs revised with a scientific lyrical twist performed by Membrane Band, a musical group comprising cell scientists and ASCB members. Open to everyone, including the public, the show happens from 8:00–11:00 pm on Sunday, December 8, at Hill Country Barbeque Market, 410 7th St. NW, just a few blocks south of the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. Food and drink will be available for purchase. The concert is free thanks to sponsorships from the French Society for Cell Biology (SBCF), Hybrigenics Services, The Twinkle Factory, Club Exocytose Endocytose, and Shadow Woods Productions, LLC.

Tour DC watering holes with your ASCB colleagues and practice your science communication skills as you strike up conversations with local patrons. The Committee for Students and Postdocs (COMPASS) will host Ask A Scientist bar night on Sunday, December 8, beginning at 8:15 pm. It’s open to all ASCB members, whether you are a student, established scientist, or anything in between. Meet at the registration area to split up into groups. Free t-shirts that say “I’m a Scientist: Ask Me About My Research” will be available to the first 100 people for pick up before heading out into the night.

The Education Committee’s Networking Happy Hour will happen Sunday, December 8, from 7:00 to 9:00 pm at the Right Proper Brewing Company Shaw Brewpub, located at 624 T St. NW. There will be food and drink available for purchase.

Register for the 2019 ASCB|EMBO Meeting here.

About the Author:


Mary Spiro is ASCB's Strategic Communications Manager.