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Recap 2019 Western/Southern Section Meeting

By SRAI News posted 05-02-2019 03:39 PM

  

Hedberg-Olin

Authored by: Gina Hedberg & Lynda Olin


As the 2019 Western/Southern Section Meeting came to a close, Lynda and I sat down for the first time in days, breathed a collective sigh, and agreed the 2019 Western/Southern Section Meeting was a wonderful experience. Beyond the rainy Monday which forced the Opening Reception indoors, we believe the meeting met expectations (and even the rainy Reception was just fine due to a great member turnout and music by the Zene Strings!)

Sunday’s workshops kicked off four days of learning experiences and networking for our attending members from the Western, Southern, Midwest, Northeast, and International Sections.

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Karen Bone, Florida Atlantic University Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute and Monday Keynote Speaker, Dr. Ellen Ochoa. Tuesday speaker Dr. Robert Harman, CEO, DVM, VetStem BioPharma, his service dog Ben, and Renee Vaughn, Duke University School of Medicine.

We are thankful for the 67 speakers and presenters who gave time and energy on a voluntary basis. Throughout the meeting, 65 outstanding workshops and sessions were delivered by fellow SRAI members to good reviews. This is truly a member-driven organization – the speakers at these meetings all developed their materials and presented them in a spirit of supporting their fellow SRAI members.

We are grateful for the two invited speakers who gave outstanding presentations Monday and Tuesday mornings. Dr. Ellen Ochoa’s keynote address inspired us! As the first Hispanic woman in space, Dr. Ochoa is a distinguished alumna of San Diego State University and Stanford University and a member of the Astronaut Hall of Fame and the California Hall of Fame. She is also the current co-chair of the National Science Board. On Tuesday morning, Dr. Robert Harman arrived with a heart-warming canine partner named Ben. Dr. Harman is the founder and CEO of VetStem Biopharma and took us on a fascinating journey on the founding of his company and the future of stem cell therapy for animals and humans. Both Dr. Ochoa and Dr. Harman and Ben must have felt like rockstars after many requests for photos and autographs.

In reflection, Lynda and I offer heartfelt thanks to SRAI members who work untiringly to develop and produce meetings. To make a meeting work, there are so many SRA International members involved, all who are balancing this voluntary effort with their professional and personal duties. It is humbling to realize how many of you answered the call when we asked you to take part in planning, developing, and presenting the 2019 Section Meeting.

Hearty thanks to the amazing SRAI Headquarters staff Ellen Quinn, Jenny Atkison, and Emily Mincey and to our technical support staff, Zak and Lucas. These individuals were the foundation of our meeting. There wasn’t a detail missed or an event out of order with these folks in charge.

We appreciated the support of our sponsors, Cayuse, StreamLyne, and Elsevier. The fun Balboa Park vendor game gave us trivia and facts while getting to know sponsors and Section officers. How many people managed to send the orange airplane through the loop at the SteamLyne booth? Ellen Zavala, you are a champ, I know!


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Jennie Amison, San Diego State University and Tonya Edvalson, University of Utah


It has been a privilege to serve the Western and Southern Sections as presidents. Lynda and I have now passed the baton (literally) to Jennifer Easley and Don Campbell who are already busily planning the 2020 Southern/Western Section Meeting in historic Savannah. We encourage you all to get involved and look forward to seeing you there next year. Thanks also go out to the Southern and Western Executive Committees, the Meeting Planning Committee and Subcommittees, on-site volunteers, and the Manchester Hyatt Hotel staff for making our meeting memorable. 


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