Calendar of events, awards and opportunities

Every week, we update this list with new meetings, awards, scholarships and events to help you advance your career. If you’d like us to feature something that you’re offering to the bioscience community, email us with the subject line “For calendar.” ASBMB members’ offerings take priority, and we do not promote products/services. Learn how to advertise in ASBMB Today.

Dec. 26: Enroll in the ASBMB's Art of Science Communication winter 2024 course

The Art of Science Communication is an eight-week online course designed to provide you with fundamental training in science communication. Whether you're a professional scientist, educator or a scientist in training, the ASC course will equip you with the knowledge to effectively and confidently present your science to nonexpert audiences in formal and informal settings. The course delves into the essential elements of crafting a compelling presentation through instructional videos, background material, live online discussions and peer-to-peer mentoring. The course starts Jan. 22 and concludes on March 15. Space is limited. Apply by Dec. 26 to reserve your spot.

Dec. 31: Call for stories about science centers

In celebration of its 50th anniversary, the Association of Science and Technology Centers is seeking stories about "the way that science centers and museums ... and other organizations ... play a role in the lives or careers of individuals and are making a positive impact on local communities." Questions to consider include:

• Did a science center or museum — or other experience with science engagement — play a formative role in your own life or career?
• How do science centers and museums have a positive impact on your community?
• How will the science centers and museums of the future engage all people?

Responses are accepted in the form of video, photos or text. Learn more.

Jan. 4: Webinar about NIH Summer Internship Program

The NIH's Summer Internship Program is "an opportunity for students in college, graduate, and professional school to perform a summer research internship in the Intramural Research Program at the NIH." Join the webinar at 3 p.m. Eastern on Jan. 4 to hear from Lori Conlan of the NIH Office of Intramural Training & Education about how to apply. Learn more.

Jan. 10: Air Force program application deadline

The Air Force Research Laboratory Scholars Program is administered by Universities Space Research Association with the goal of "strengthening the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce pipeline." Undergraduate and graduate-level university students pursuing STEM degrees and upper-level high school students are invited to apply for the AFRL Scholars Program. Selected students will participate in stipend-paid internship opportunities and "gain valuable hands-on experiences working with full-time AFRL scientists and engineers on cutting-edge research and technology and are able to contribute to unique, research-based projects." Learn more.

Jan. 15: Nominate yourself to speak at #DiscoverBMB 2025 in Chicago

Discover BMB is the annual meeting of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. The 2025 meeting will be held in Chicago, and we're calling on ASBMB members to help shape the programming. Self-nominate yourself today for a speaking slot! This is your chance to let the organizing committee know about your research. Applicants must be regular, industry or early-career members of the ASBMB. To apply, briefly describe (2,000 characters or fewer) your recent work as it relates to one of the 2025 themes. See the themes and apply. Learn more about the call for self-nominations.

Jan. 15: Congressional policy fellowship application deadline

The American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy is partnering with the American Association for the Advancement of Science to host a one-year policy fellowship on Capitol Hill. "Fellows will provide high-quality, science-based, independent guidance to federal policy makers and elevate awareness of the society among policymaking circles." Learn more.

Jan. 16: GEN webinar on improved AAV capsid purification via high-resolution chromatography

Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News is hosting a webinar titled "Improved AAV capsid purification via high-resolution chromatography" at 11 a.m. Eastern on Jan. 16. During the webinar, Aleš Štrancar of Sartorius BIA Separations will "discuss various chromatographic methods to consistently separate empty, partial, and full capsids in large-scale AAV manufacturing." Learn more.

Jan. 17: ASBMB webinar on effective negotiation for women scientists

Negotiations occur every day in the scientific laboratory and workplace and often involve issues that are key to research success and career advancement. This workshop, co-sponsored by the ASBMB Women in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Committee and the Committee on the Advancement of Women Chemists, teaches the fundamentals of negotiation relevant to a variety of one-on-one conversations and group settings. Topics include:

• negotiation to advance research and career objectives,
• identification of negotiables for research and career advancement,
• elements of a successful negotiation,
• developing alternatives to an agreement,
• techniques for handling difficult people and conversations,
• listening and appreciating different viewpoints, and
• identification of short- and long-term negotiation goals.

Space is limited so register promptly. Learn more.

Jan. 18: Last call for abstracts for #DiscoverBMB 2024 in San Antonio

Discover BMB is the annual meeting of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. The 2024 meeting will be held in San Antonio, and we're now accepting late-breaking abstracts for poster presentations. When you present your research at #DiscoverBMB, you get the recognition and constructive feedback that you need to make your work even better. The meeting will be held March 23–26 in San Antonio, Texas. See the abstract categories and submit your late-breaking abstract.

Jan. 24: ASBMB webinar on Department of Energy funding and training

Join the ASBMB public affairs department for its monthly "Finding the funds" webinar connecting ASBMB members with the unique funding opportunities that are available to them as BMB scientists. In this edition, Gail McLean of the Department of Energy Office of Science will present on DOE funding priorities, award opportunities and training grants. Learn more.

Jan. 24: GEN webinar on the state of cell and gene therapy

Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News is hosting a virtual event on Jan. 24 about the state of cell and gene therapy. Speakers from industry and academia will "discuss the latest research developments, innovations, and disruptive technologies that are impacting patients’ lives today and will spur cell and gene therapies to bigger and better things tomorrow." Learn more.

Jan. 26: Enter Science's "Dance Your Ph.D. Contest"

Science's "Dance Your Ph.D. Contest" is now accepting entries! In this competition, scientists are invited to explain their research through dance. Here are the steps to enter, from Science Magazine's LinkedIn:

1. Turn your Ph.D. thesis into a dance.
2. Post the video on YouTube.
3. Submit the link by Jan. 26.

There are three prizes. The first two categories come with $750 prizes and are "physics, biology, chemistry and social science" and "AI/quantum." The top prize, for "Dance Champ," is $2,000. Learn more.

Jan. 30: Webinar on NMR spectroscopy in RNA drug discovery

This webinar, hosted by Bruker, will "overview the versatile roles of NMR spectroscopy in RNA drug discovery for providing the structural basis for the rational drug design. Advanced techniques for simplifying crowded spectra of large RNAs will be discussed." Learn more.

Jan. 31: FASEB Catalyst Conference on liquid–liquid phase separation and inclusions of TDP-43

FASEB's Catalyst Conferences are "short, virtual meetings that are intended to help foster communities in emerging areas of biology." This is the first Catalyst Conference of 2024, and it "will bring together scientists to discuss on the many unresolved and still debated issues on TDP-43 structure, biology, misbehavior, and involvement in diseases." Learn more.

Feb. 5: 2024 Lasker Awards nomination deadline

The Lasker Foundation is accepting nominations for the 2024 Lasker Awards in biomedical research and advocacy. Prize categories include: Basic Medical Research, Clinical Medical Research and Public Service. Winners will receive a $250,000 honorarium. "Since 1945, the Lasker Foundation has conferred more than 410 awards, which recognize the contributions of scientists, physicians, and public citizens who have made major advances in the understanding, diagnosis, treatment, cure, and prevention of human disease." Learn more.

Feb. 16: NIH Summer Internship Program deadline

The NIH's Summer Internship Program is "an opportunity for students in college, graduate, and professional school to perform a summer research internship in the Intramural Research Program at the NIH." Interns work with a principal investigator and research opportunities include: "biomedical, behavioral, and social sciences with opportunities to explore basic, translational and clinical research." There will be a Q&A webinar at 3 p.m. Eastern on Jan. 4. Learn more.

March 1: FDA's Rare Disease Day public meeting

In observance of Rare Disease Week, the Food & Drug Administration will host a virtual public meeting on March 1 from 9 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Eastern. Topics that will be covered during panel discussions include "the legal framework for approving studies and medical products at FDA, what FDA does during review processes to approve medical products, decentralized clinical trials and digital health technologies" and more. As stated in the event description, "stakeholders are invited to provide their perspectives on the discussion questions through the public docket." Learn more.

March 15–16: National Postdoctoral Association conference

The 2024 National Postdoctoral Conference will be held in Seattle. It is "the largest national conference and networking event dedicated to the postdoctoral community " during which attendees will have the "opportunity to gather and enhance their professional development and leadership skills." Learn more.

March 23–26: See you at #DiscoverBMB in San Antonio

#DiscoverBMB is the annual meeting of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. With a mission to share the latest, most impactful research findings in the molecular life sciences, #DiscoverBMB offers an exciting agenda that includes talks by the field's foremost experts, interactive workshops on the latest trends, technologies and techniques, and an invigorating exhibition of posters, services and products. The meeting attracts researchers in academia and industry, educators, trainees and students from across the globe. It offers unparalleled opportunities for collaborating, networking and recruiting. See the symposia themes and organizers.  Learn more.

April 5: Scientist Mentoring & Diversity Program Biotech and MedTech application deadline

The Scientist Mentoring & Diversity Program is a one-year career mentoring program that pairs ethnically diverse students (undergraduate juniors and seniors, baccalaureate, master's or Ph.D.), postdocs and early-career researchers with industry mentors "who work at companies in the medical technology, biotechnology and consumer healthcare industries." Scholars will attend a five-day training session "to learn about career opportunities in industry and receive career development coaching. They also attend a major industry conference." Learn more.

Sept. 26–30, 2024: ASBMB's transcriptional regulation meeting

The fields of transcription biochemistry and molecular biology have become one with chromatin biology and epigenetics with extensive cross-talk. RNA polymerase II and its transcription machinery play an essential role in the modification and remodeling of chromatin, and chromatin regulates gene expression in both normal and pathological conditions. With recent innovations and technological advances in clinical and preclinical research, personalized medicine is becoming a reality, in part because of advances in our understanding of RNA polymerase II. Many established and new investigators have taken on the challenge of elucidating the molecular mechanisms of gene expression by RNA polymerase II in the context of chromatin. The community is highly dynamic and multi-disciplinary, with an ever-changing set of focal areas that establish new paradigms and new ways of thinking about the topic. Even after decades of study, this research area continues to advance, reveal new concepts, and bolsters almost every other area of biology. Learn more.

Jan. 21–24, 2025: ASBMB Deuel Conference on Lipids

The 2025 Deuel conference will be hosted at the Hyatt Regency in Long Beach, Calif. It is a must-attend event for leading lipids investigators — and for scientists who’ve just begun to explore the role of lipids in their research programs. This event will bring together a diverse array of people including those who have not attended Deuel or perhaps any lipid meeting before. The conference is a forum for the presentation of new and unpublished data, and attendees enjoy the informal atmosphere that encourages free and open discussion. Interested scientists are invited to attend and encourage trainees to submit abstracts. Learn more.

Aug. 17–21, 2025: The 15th international symposium on proteomics in the life sciences

This five-day symposium, held at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard in Cambridge, Mass., will be an international forum for discussion of the remarkable advances in cell and human protein biology revealed by ever-more-innovative and powerful proteomics technologies. Formerly known as the "International symposium on mass spectrometry in the health and life sciences," the meeting has been renamed to reflect the growing number of partial and non-mass spectrometry–based methods under discussion.

The symposium will juxtapose sessions about methodological advances with sessions about the roles those advances play in solving problems and seizing opportunities to understand the composition, dynamics and function of cellular machinery in numerous biological contexts. In addition to celebrating these successes, we also intend to articulate urgent, unmet needs and unsolved problems that will drive the field in the future. In addition to talks by invited plenary and session speakers, short talks will be selected from submitted abstracts. See the program of our previous meeting.

Themes:

• Sunday minisymposium — Biofluid proteomics: discovery to clinic
• Emerging technologies: Sample preparation and automation
• Emerging technologies: Instrumentation and data generation
• Emerging technologies: Single cell and spatial proteomics
• Proteomics in structural biology and integration with other high resolution methods
• Interactomics: Understanding pathways, networks and molecular machines
• Chemical biology and chemoproteomics: Toward functional understanding of drugs and their targets
• Cell, organellar and tissue biology: Signaling, cross talk and communication
• Impact of clinical and translational proteomics in human health and treatment
• Multiomics integrative analysis and the emerging roles of machine learning and neural models

Registration and abstract-submission information will be available in late 2024. Learn more and sign up for email updates to stay informed.

Year-round: Van Andel Institute postdoc preview applications

Van Andel Institute offers sernior graduate students who are exploring postdoc options the opportunity to visit VAI to learn about its postdoctoral training positions. Applications are accepted year-round, and participants will meet one-on-one with faculty and explore VAI's scientific resources. There is no cost to attend for selected applicants. Learn more.

Year-round: HHMI Janelia Visiting Scientist Program applications

Graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and established senior investigators are all invited to participate in Janelia's Visiting Scientist Program. Janelia accepts visitor proposals on a continuous basis. Since 2007, more than 410 visiting scientists from 23 countries have participated in the program. Learn more.