At the heart of this year’s inaugural BioFestival, co-sponsored by Zymo Research on October 18, was a friendly and fast-paced scientific competition showcasing the creativity and curiosity of all Harvard trainees and scientists. Selected students and postdocs took the stage for five-minute Zymo Lightning Talks, presenting either their current research or future scientific directions. In addition, 24 posters were on display, highlighting exciting projects across diverse areas of biology.
Lightning Talk Winners:
Kris Locken (Zymo) with Jeremy Koob
1st Prize: Jeremy Koob (MCO Graduate Student ), Fei Chen Lab
2nd Prize: Maithili Joshi (Bioengineering Graduate Student), Samir Mitragotri Lab
3rd Prize (tie): Marc Duque Ramirez (PiN Graduate Student), Florian Engert Lab, and Joshua Price (MCO Graduate Student), Deborah Hung Lab
(Note: The third prize—normally $1,500 plus Zymo reagents and supplies—was split between two winners, with the total cash prize increased to $2,000 to award $1,000 to each.)
Poster Competition Winners:
Mary Heather (Kiwi) Florido (BPH Graduate Student), Lee Rubin (HSRB) and Kristopher Sarosiek (HSPH) Labs— Poster #19
Wasan M. Rafat (Undergraduate Student, CPB and History of Science), Rachelle Gaudet Lab— Poster #23
Kate Kim (Undergraduate Student, Neuroscience and Philosophy), Daniel Hochbaum (HMS) Lab — Poster #24
This first-ever Harvard BioFestival drew nearly 250 participants from across Harvard’s schools and departments. While the event was hosted by MCB, it was open to the entire Harvard community and succeeded in bringing together scientists at all levels to share ideas, discoveries, and enthusiasm for research.
The celebration continued the following Monday, October 20, with a Career Series panel discussion, also sponsored by Zymo Research. Although attendance was smaller, those who attended benefited from candid conversations about transitioning into industry careers. Representatives from Zymo even took time to review attendees’ resumes line by line, offering tailored feedback and career guidance.
MCB’s Scientific Director, Polina Kehayova, expressed her gratitude to everyone who helped make the inaugural BioFestival a success.
“My warmest thanks and congratulations to everyone who shared their work with us!” she says
“It was so exciting and inspiring to see so many people- undergraduates, graduate students, postdocs, and staff-who came to share their science. It was as if for a few precious hours we were in a bubble where we could be immersed in the thrill of scientific curiosity and discovery without being weighed down by the immense challenges that have colored this past year.” Kehayova was impressed with the poster presentations, which she saw as a window into the myriad exciting science projects in our community, and the lightning talks, which she believed were truly spectacular. She also extends her deepest gratitude to the Zymo team for sponsoring the event and for actively engaging with the trainees.
Organizers and judges of this event (from left to right): Takao Hensch, Faith Thompson, Cristian Quinn-Camacho, Polina Kehayova, Kris Locken, and Victoria D’Souza (not all are shown)
Thanks are due to our own Victoria D’Souza, Takao Hensch, and Amanda Whipple, as well as Zymo’s Aaron Clausen and Andrew Yale, for judging the speaking contests and to the festival attendees who judged the posters. Special thanks to Polina and Francisco Arellano and their colleagues from MCB Administration, for their considerable efforts in organizing the BioFestival.
Congratulations to all the winners—and to every participant—for making this year’s BioFestival a celebration of science, community, and discovery.
