BioClock Studio at the CCB Symposium

 

 

BioClock Studio students participate in the annual CCB "From Cells to Clinic" symposium in a variety of roles. Students interview speakers, serve as event photographers, broadcast symposium news through social media, pass the microphones during Q&A sessions, present a poster to describe the BioClock Studio, and gather information from participants to inspire future BioClock Studio projects. Click the images above (or the links at left) to learn more!

What Students Say

For many students in the BioClock Studio, attending the CCB Symposium is their first glimpse into the culture of a scientific conference. Our students consistently report that, for a variety of reasons, attending the Symposium is one of the most rewarding experiences they have had during their studies.

What surprised me the most was how scientists from different backgrounds... were all working to a common goal of understanding the clock..." - Jay Dandekar

"I loved it! I was a mic runner, and that was fun because I had a chance to listen to all the session's talks and I learned a lot from the speakers... I also got the chance to interview Dr. Carrie Partch, and she taught me some very interesting things about undergraduates going into circadian biology research. She was very inspiring and I learned a lot from her...Going to a conference like the CCB Symposium is like eating a bag of potato chips: once you have one you keep wanting more. I learned a lot, and now I want to keep learning about up-and-coming research about circadian biology: it's just so darn cool!"Rahil Hamza

"I was really surprised by how relatable these scientists were, especially Dr. Kriegsfeld. I really enjoyed interviewing him and I was surprised by how much I related to him and his stories. I learned that I am much better at interacting with intimidating scientists than I thought I was!" - Erin Johnson

"I found this year's symposium to very similar to last year's. Most of my surprise came from how much I was able to help my classmates both before and during the symposium. I learned that I could be a good mentor!... This symposium has been the richest experience of my entire UCSD career. Not only is it the highest quality environment to learn about the latest work being done in the field, but also for students to be introduced to the scientific community. Every face is a friendly one, everyone's optimistic energy is at a peak, and each conversation brings valuable insights, no matter what background you come from." -Stephanie Leon

"I grew to appreciate how scientists are normal people. I definitely gained the insight that these individuals, though smart, are approachable... This is a place where you are able to build connections that will definitely follow you for years to come!" - Mike Lim

"I was glad that a lot of the researchers and presenters chose to keep their information highly specific and technical. Though it caused a lot of information to fly over my head, I think that it is important that not all presentations are comprehensible to outsiders, as doing so could potentially end up diluting the important material." - Paul Llanura

"Being surrounded by researchers at the top of their field who were passionate about the circadian biology community was very inspiring to me. Even more inspiring was their eagerness to talk to students and discuss their research. This includes the poster session in which I was able to learn a lot about circadian biology and ask all the questions I wanted. The atmosphere of the Symposium was all-around very "Festive," in the way everyone was eager to meet with other researchers and spark possible collaborations. Much of the research discussed at the symposium had not yet been made available for the public, and so it felt like being at the premier of a blockbuster movie!" - Clara Oh

"CCB Symposium was definitely a pleasant experience. As an undergraduate, it is easy to feel intimidated by big name researchers and not know how to approach them to talk about their research. BioClock Studio was the perfect way to get exposure to ground-breaking discoveries in the circadian rhythm community." - Kristen Phung

"My favorite part of the symposium was having the opportunity to interact with scientists who have made important contributions to circadian biology. I learned that beautiful moments are made when you gather a group of people who share the same passions." - Adreanne Rivera

"I really enjoyed the symposium, being able to listen to different researchers present their work, doing my spotlight interview with Dr. Andy LiWang during the symposium, and asking other researchers at the symposium about their work.... There are so many applications of circadian biology that I had never even thought about before... also it was my first conference, so getting to learn how the structure of conferences work definitely has left me with the urge to attend another! Funnest part of the course!" - Cheyenne Schloffman

"Everything was amazing. My first research conference - WOW! The CCB Symposium was an experience that I never thought I would have the chance to partake in... It really opened my eyes to how absolutely amazing and necessary research is!" - Sarah To

"I felt valued as a BioClock Studio member in the symposium... Overall, participaing in the symposium was more fun than I hoped it would be, and the talks... were more accessible than I thought they would be... I felt that my invested time and effort into the symposium was repaid many times over in the form of fascinating talks and an insider's look into the field of circadian biology" - Waverly Tseng

"My favorite part of the Symposium was getting to meet and talk to Todd Holmes about our Common Clock Graphics. Hearing his opinion on how to appeal to your audience when publishing papers and graphics and their importance in providing the grounds for future research and discovery, I was really motivated to make our current diagrams more comprehensive and engaging. After all, I want people to learn from the materials that BCS has created and be able to build off of them as well." - Christopher Tu

"The Symposium was much more casual than I expected it to be.... Everyone was very easy to talk to and down-to-earth... I also learned a great deal about preparing a poster!" - Maria Villalon-Landeros