Electron diffraction has been used for many years, mostly in materials science. The innovative idea in more recent applications of microED, however, is the use of cryo-EM to select out individual microcrystals too small for X-ray diffraction and solve their structure by electron crystallography Sawaya et al. I sat in the audience, thinking in awe about all the new opportunities that are now presenting themselves — see, for example, Lanza et al.
It is possible that some other forms of instant communication can capture the immediacy and excitement of such work, but I am all the more convinced of the value of the direct, personal communication that is experienced in scientific meetings. National Center for Biotechnology Information , U.
Published online Feb Edward N. Author information Copyright and License information Disclaimer. Correspondence e-mail: zn. Baker This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution CC-BY Licence, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original authors and source are cited.
This article has been cited by other articles in PMC. References Jones, C. ACS Cent. They are easy to use and will help you review important conference information as you move through sessions and events.
There are normally a variety of session formats to select from including pre-conference workshops, panel discussions, team delivered presentations and of course single presenter presentations. Each offers a special experience and learning opportunity. Branch out a bit and see if you can sample a range of presentation approaches and styles. It is easy to be overwhelmed by the range of activities happening during a conference.
Spend some time before you go reading through the program to get a sense of what seems most interesting and relevant. Large conferences may also offer a common reading for thought and reflection and if these are accessed in advance they may add much to your overall conference experience. Taking the time to prepare in advance will help you feel more relaxed and organized once the conference begins.
Conferences offer so much — it can be helpful to review, reflect and strategize in advance. Conferences can be packed with interesting sessions and it can be hard to choose between interesting concurrent sessions. Although it may be tempting to attend individual sessions with trusted coworkers, consider asking your friends and workmates to spread out over the conference and attend different concurrent sessions.
This strategy will ensure maximum exposure to what the conference has to offer. Set some time aside to debrief and share materials and handouts with these workmates during breaks. This will help you gain access to much more of the conference than you could as a single attendee.
Raise your hand, offer a comment, tell a story, frame a challenge, suggest a solution, give an example, reflect, engage and engage others! Be an active rather than passive participate. Much of the learning that takes place at a conference happens through peer-to-peer sharing and interaction.
You may also wish to consider volunteering at a conference. This can be a great way to gain professional experience and engage more fully in the conference as it is happening. Choose to attend at least one conference presentation in an area that you are not familiar with. This might help you discover a new passion, resource or opportunity.
Focus not only on extending existing knowledge and expertise, focus on growth. Conferences are great ways to engage with your familiar and trusted workmates but make it a point to expand your professional contacts by introducing yourself to at least three new people. I love the themes that the Woodard group puts together. These people work hard to present a great conference. If you want to share what you know, submit a session now.
And as you return to your respective offices, my best advice after attending numerous conferences is to let it soak all in.
Sometimes you can leave a conference feeling overwhelmed. Review what you learned and implement just one or two things. You can always implement more later. Skip to main content.
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