Insider's Guide to the Meeting

 

There area so many reasons why students and young scientists bennefit from attending the

ACA meeting. Make sure you don't miss out on any of them!  Here are some tips to ensure

you get the most out of your experience.

 

 

Learn Something New

Every year cutting edge crystallography skills and techniques are presented.  Make sure you don't get left behind.

 

  • Attend a Workshop

           On Saturday, workshops provide a venue where you can learn about a specific software

           package or a  technique while bringing your own samples and data.  It's hands on and

           extremely practical.

  • Attend Talks & Poster Sessions

           There are a total of 20 all-day sessions over the course of the meeting.  Abstracts that are

           not selected for talks are presented as posters in one of the three poster sessions

           (refreshments are usually provided). If you have indicated on your abstract submission

           form that you are eligible for a prize, you will be judged during your session.

  • Expand Your Horizons 

           Be daring.  Attend talks or visit posters that are presenting information unfamiliar to

           you. Ask questions and use the meeting to enhance your crystallography knowledge

           beyond your own research and experience.  You may find a field or an opportunity that

           really interests you.

  • Don't Dismiss the Vendors

           One resource that too often gets overlooked is the availability to talk to the many vendors

           that provide the necessary hardware and software for crystallographic research.  Talking

           with vendors is a great way to expose yourself to the cutting edge equipment and techniques

           that will shape how reasearch is done in your lab in the future.

 

 

 

Network by Building Professional Relationships

The meeting provides awesome venues to meet other scientists and to create professional networks.  Don't miss out on these valuable opportunities:

 

  • Mentor/Mentee Dinner

           The Mentor/Mentee Dinner is an event where young scientists (mentees) meet seasoned

           scientists (mentors).  Mentors give advice over dinner and drinks in a casual, realxed

           setting.  This is an excellent opportunity to meet mentors from both academic and

           industrial backgrounds.

  • Young Scientsts Mixer

           The Mixer is one of the most popular events at the meeting.  Food and drinks are

           provided and professional relationship building is promoted.  This event is organized

           by the Young Scientists Special Interest Group (YSSIG) and financed by the ACA and/or

           an occasional vendor.

  • Vendors (again!)

           Meet them!  Get their business cards and use them as contacts doen the road.  Vendors

           want to help you have a good experience at the meeting because you are either a potential

           customer now or will be in the future.  Vendors sponsor many of their own at the meeting,

           such as lunches and parties, sepcifically to create these types of relationships.  Some of

           the events are by invitation or ticket only, so visit the vendor booths to get all the

           information.

 

 

 

Get More Involved

Involvement in a Special Interest Group (SIG) allows for participation in the management

and the direction of the ACA.   It also provides special opportunities to work directly with

experienced crystallographers.

 

  • Attend a SIG Meeting

           SIGs are vital to the ACA because they determine the topics for each year's meeting. 

           They are kept alive by people who invest in specialized areas of crystallography through

           their attendance at SIG meetings.  Each of the twelve SIGs has to evaluate their current

           year's accomplishments and plan sessions for next year's meeting.  Becoming a SIG

           member and contributing to that SIG's meeting will help shape the following year's meeting

           for every person who attends.  Investing in a SIG is to ensure that your experience at next

           year's ACA meeting is even better than this one.

 

 

 

"I had the opportunity to discuss my poster presentation in the presence of some  professors who took great interest in what I was talking about. I actually met with a professor from the University of Florida, Gainesville...who after listening to my presentation and finding out I got a Pauling poster prize, promised me a position in his chemistry department and called me "a future graduate student of that University."
~Ernest Asani, Student 
 
 
"This was my first conference and experience was invaluable and will undoubtedly help me decide on future directions for my PhD project as well as for my long-term career. "
~ Oliver Baetting, Student
 
 
"The conference was everything I had imagined only better...There were many invigorating talks, and so many people exited about their work. Every day of the conference held its own possibilities of networking, learning and growing as a crystallographer. During my poster session, I shared my work with many interested attendees. It was exhilarating to tell my story and to get feedback from many distinguished people."
~ Christine Beavers, Postdoc
 
   
"As a graduate student, I enjoyed the YSSIG mixer as well as the Mentor/Mentee dinner, which provided a great forum to meet prominent individuals in both the small molecule and macromolecular fields. More than anything, I enjoyed the opportunity to reunite with old acquaintances as well as make new ones."
~ Bryan Johnson, Graduate Student
 
 
"I was...grateful for the opportunity to present my work and meet with many colleagues who gave advice in planning the next phase of my career. It gave me a chance to meet with various vendors before I begin setting up my new lab."
~ Nicole LaRonde-LeBlanc
 
 
"This was the first conference of any kind that I have been to where I thought that the people that I met would be with me for years to come. They would be my future colleagues, collaborators, competitors, business associates,and friends.It was nice to feel like part of a real community, and I'd like to thank the ACA for making it possible for me. See you next year!"
~ Bomina Yu, Postdoc