Gabby Bulliard presenting her poster at the Biomedical Engineering Society annual conference.
Author: Gabrielle Bulliard | Major: Biomedical Engineering | Semester: Fall 2023
On October 14th, 2023, I presented my research on evaluating genetic mutations and promoters for hemophilia B gene therapy at the Biomedical Engineering Society Annual Meeting in Seattle, Washington. Gene therapy is emerging as a cure for genetic diseases, and optimizing these treatments paves the way for a future where people can afford to be healthy.
When my mentor, Dr. Chris Nelson, pushed me to attend the conference in Seattle, I was unsure at first. I would miss around a week of classes, and I doubted that the conference would be that beneficial. When I spoke to my lab-mates who had been before, they emphasized the importance of presentations and networking and how the BMES meeting was an excellent conference. They convinced me, and in a few weeks’ time I was on a plane to the Pacific Northwest.
When the conference started, I met undergraduate and graduate students, post-docs, professors, biotechnology representatives, and even high school students. I learned about their research, and they learned about mine. The conference featured a plethora of research presentations and keynote speakers. While I couldn’t attend all of them, they expanded my knowledge of topics and standard methods used in the biomedical engineering field. The sessions featured topics from deep learning algorithms to molecular immunoengineering. I gained insight into the thought processes of researchers and primary investigators, leading me to generate possible improvements to my experiments. The presentations also helped me learn to think critically about the information presented to me and to challenge the analysis and techniques used. When I presented my research on the last day of the conference, I kept in mind the questions that others had asked the presenters I saw the days before. I was able to streamline my presentation and make it more coherent for those who were not in my specific research niche. The feedback I received on my research gave me a better idea of how to move forward and what my future experiments should be.
Along with meeting people to discuss with and improve my research, I also networked with many graduate schools looking for Ph.D. students. I visited the labs of Dr. Jeffrey Chamberlain and Dr. Niclas Bengtsson, who have done incredible research in muscular genetic therapies. They encouraged me to apply to the University of Washington graduate school and gave me a tour of the area. I was also fortunate to connect with professors from other universities, such as the University of Florida, Vanderbilt University, and Duke University. They all encouraged me to reach out if I was interested in their work and possible mentorship opportunities. It was inspirational to have conversations with researchers who were established in the field and flattering that they were interested in what I had done. They shared the experiences and challenges they had faced on their academic journeys, and it was motivating to hear. Their guidance, both in terms of research and career advice, was invaluable.
Meeting with other scientists who were interested in my work was an uplifting experience. It showed me the community that I am a part of and the wonderful people that are in it. Attending this conference further cemented my plans and highlighted my love for the research that I do. I aim to continue pushing the efficacy of genetic engineering in my graduate career, and I now feel prepared to find a graduate school that is the right match for me.