Celebrating Young Researchers: A Look Back at CBR-LSI Research Day 2024

Written by: Jackie Hagstrom (left), Mohammed Al-Seragi (middle) and Nastaran Davilu (right) – Summer Students 2024

Edited by: Kaitlyn Chuong, CBR Admin

Summer students listening to presentations.

On August 15th, the CBR community gathered in-person and online to celebrate the hard work and research of this year’s summer students. The day kicked off with welcoming remarks, followed by oral presentations from students, where we heard from peers working on diverse projects. Each student had just 3 minutes to present their summer research projects, with the promise of a rubber chicken noise signaling if they exceeded their time limit.

It was inspiring to learn what these four months looked like for this year’s summer students. The collection of three-minute flash talks was a striking window into the immense breadth of research behind the twenty-one-membered cohort. Everything from cancer glycoimmunology to stem cell differentiation, blood disease pathology and the like were subjects of the two-hour triage of presentations. More impressive than the research itself was how effectively everybody was able to collapse many weeks of work into a mere three minutes — something many students said they struggled with!

The day provided both a platform to showcase our work and an opportunity to engage in meaningful conversations within the CBR community. – Nastaran Davilu, CBR Summer Student 2024

This year’s Neil Mackenzie Mentorship Award was presented to Dr. Michael Sutherland who spoke on what excellent mentorship means to him, as he reflected on his 20+ years of working under Dr. Ed Pryzdial. He emphasized the value of giving students actionable advice when challenges arise, the importance of empathy, comradery and being understanding and even showcased his knowledge of “brat summer”, a term he learned from his students. A particularly memorable moment was Dr. Sutherland humorously mentioning being told he has no “rizz,” and shared his experience of checking if the term was offensive, only to have Reddit users call his question “cringe.” This lighthearted moment, featuring other classic Gen-Z phrases, added humor to the day and highlighted the inclusive and fun spirit of the CBR community.

Dr. Ed Conway with Dr. Brianne Kent.

To top it off, Dr. Brianne Kent, this year’s keynote speaker, delivered a highly insightful address on the intersection of learning, sleep, and circadian rhythms with dementia and what that means for our aging and vulnerable populations. Dr. Kent began by discussing novel biomarkers that could help predict the onset age of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), which may provide patients a better chance at benefiting from treatment. One such biomarker is disturbed sleep, with research suggesting that targeting sleep disturbances could prevent up to 15% of AD cases. She explored various topics, including the potential of the antidepressant Trazodone to slow cognitive decline. Overall, this research points to slow wave sleep as a key area of therapeutic intervention, and suggests that cognitive tasks assessing pattern separation are particularly sensitive to sleep disruptions and sleep aids. Maybe a bit more upending was Dr. Kent’s realization that students don’t sleep nearly as much as she thought, something that many students can attest to.

Following the keynote address, the event transitioned to the poster session in the LSC West Atrium. The CBR community circulated and engaged in in-depth discussions with students eager to delve deeper into their research. Poster judges provided valuable feedback, helping to explore future research directions, critiquing methodologies, and making connections to other related work happening at the CBR. With refreshments in hand, students also took the opportunity to explore their peers’ posters, gaining insight into where their research paths might lead after the CBR Summer Studentship Program. The evening ended with a BBQ dinner shared with friends, families, and lab members, a fitting end to a summer filled with connections and opportunities.

Ending the day off with poster presentations was an amazing representation of the collaborative atmosphere that permeated the event. It was clear that this year’s Research Day was more than just a platform for sharing results; it was a space for building connections, exchanging ideas, and sparking new collaborations. – Sajida Chowdhury, CBR Summer Student 2024

The CBR community gathering in the LSI West Atrium.

Congratulations to all of the award winners at this year’s Research Day:

Best Oral Presentation (voted by the students) – Madelyn Tisdale, Mizumoto Lab
People’s Choice Award (voted by the audience) – Houria Afshar Moghaddam, Av-Gay Lab
Best Poster Presentation (voted by the poster judges) – Simrat Binning, Cote Lab

CBR Research Day was a hit in many more ways than the findings we were able to share. It was a time of learning but one of celebration as well. I have high promises for the Research Days to come and hope to be around for them too! – Mohammed Al-Seragi, CBR Summer Student 2024

Find all the photos from Research Day on our Facebook page: HERE!

Recordings from the event can be found on our YouTube channel: HERE!