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July 12: ISMB Day 1 Recap

Welcome back to ISMB! We hope you’re enjoying yourself so far and are looking forward to a further few days full of science!

Day 1 of the ISMB 2024 conference was jam-packed with 7 in-person tutorials, the 20th year celebration of the Student Council Symposium, and the Youth Bioinformatics Symposium!

 

Highlights of Day 1

Following a welcome from ISCB’s President Predrag Radivojac and Honorary Conference Chair Francis Ouellette, Dr. Fiona Brinkman gave a stellar opening talk to officially begin ISMB 2024!

Dr. Brinkman, a self-described nature lover and computer geek, explored how we as researchers can sustainably maintain and further develop bioinformatics and computational biology software, databases, and tools when funding support has a time limit, as well as exploring how we can promote open data and science in a way that’s sustainable and beneficial to communities.

While a main current to Brinkman’s talk was the challenges posed by the distinctly unsustainable grant-based funding model—which has the potential to limit growth in the field—there were several other important points discussed.

One such point was that interdisciplinary integration is necessary for innovation and novel discoveries! This point was exemplified by efforts to identify drug-targetable genes while preserving beneficial bacteria. Excitement over open-source data brought Brinkman’s talk to another key point: accurate, well-organized data is key to moving the field forward and has the potential to “get a lot more people’s brains working” on the big questions.

We need diversity and inclusion for greater innovation, but this requires more people, which requires more funding, which leads us back to the unsustainable grant cycle, which many researchers and labs finds themselves stuck in. Brinkman suggested the bioinformatics and computational biology community needs to advocate for public-private partnerships to ensure resource sustainability as we try to keep up with this quickly evolving field. A crucial overarching point from Brinkman was that we need sustainability with sensitivity. We need to watch out for unintended harm or loss of benefits to communities. As well, more discussion and consultation are needed to accurately address the challenges of funding and biological data sustainability, including maintaining benefits of open data, equity for marginalized/disadvantaged groups, and the need to ensure data sovereignty for groups.  

An overarching message of Dr. Brinkman’s opening keynote address at ISMB 2024 was a call for organized, careful advancement in bioinformatics, integrating open science principles with a sensitivity to community impacts and the evolving nature of bioinformatics.

 

Quick Reminders

  • Talk and poster presenters: Please review the details found on the Presenter Information Page.

  • WiFi Access: The WiFi info can be found on the back of your badge, but just in case:

    • Network: ISMB2024

    • Password: 2024ISMB

  • Having trouble accessing the virtual platform?

    • Make sure you’re logged in using the correct email address. Remember: You must use the email you registered for the conference with in order to access the virtual platform.

    • Refresh your browser! Clear your cache/cookies and try again.

    • Try a different browser.

Navigating the Virtual Platform

ISMB 2024 is powered by JUNO. While it works on all browsers, JUNO works best on a Chrome browser. To have the best experience, viewing virtually or participating onsite using the platform feature, be sure your device is operating the latest version of Chrome.

Missed a Session?

Sessions (with author permissions) have been recorded and will be part of the on-demand library. You can view the available sessions at https://iscb.junolive.co/ISMB24/On-Demand 24 hours AFTER the session has been completed. 

After the conference, we will work to edit the live session recording into individual videos. As registered participants of this event, you will have exclusive access to the conference content and will be able to log in at any time to view a recording!

 

Coming Up Tomorrow, Saturday, July 13

Abridged Agenda
 
 
 
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