Notes from the biomass

The 20. Genetics Congress just started in Berlin. Its one of the biggest conferences in the field and was a regular topic in the canteen of the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, my place of work, even during the European football championship.

Martin Fenner will cover the conference today and tomorrow and from Monday on, I will have the pleasure to follow up. I’ll use the blog of the Nature Network group Berlin. We (the Berlin group) have organized several activities around the meeting, including open dinners with outstanding scientists over the course of the next week (thanks to Nature for the support). If you happen to be in Berlin, come and see us.

Berlin has numerous research institutes, which are spread all over the town and beyond. Many scientists find the connectivity amongst the researchers leaving a little to be desired. Blaming the institutes, their directors or the German research organization might be convenient and fun but of little good; luckily Phil Selenko, who is setting up shop for in-cell NMR (!) at the FMP contacted me via the Nature network a while ago when he arrived, looking for support to start an informal gathering similar to what he had experienced in his PostDoc in Boston.

We’ve had our first get-together with people from the area a month ago and  there is more to come. If you are in the life sciences in Berlin and want to meet people beyond your local crew, check the Berlin group at the Nature network for activities.

[Picture under CC-license from extranoise]