Investigating the Basis of Phenotypic Variation in the DNA Damage Response of Acinetobacter baumannii

The Shout-It-Out Award (Conference Travel Award)

Blog Post by Matthew DePamphilis COS ’20

I am very thankful for the support from the Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships which allowed me to attend the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 2019 National Conference in Orlando Florida. I presented my research as a poster on, “Investigating the Basis of Phenotypic Variation in the DNA Damage Response of Acinetobacter baumannii”.

This was my first national conference and was a very valuable experience. As an aspiring future researcher, actively presenting my poster at the conference to various experts in the field was very rewarding. It fostered many insightful and thought-provoking discussions about my scientific discoveries with several scientists from all over the globe. I was even given advice and new perspectives on how to address my scientific question which I look forward to employing when I return back in the lab.

Besides sharing my research, one of my favorite parts about the conference was getting to learn about the novel research actively being conducted by my fellow colleagues. Through attending several talks and previewing some of the several hundred posters at the conference I was able to learn about other research topics that had sparked my interest. These were centered around several fields that were both similar to my current research as well as some that were drastically different. In summary, attending this conference was an extraordinary experience. It allowed me to drastically develop as a researcher and it strengthened my scientific background. I hope to have the opportunity to present and attend again next year.