I recently returned from a conference of about 500 participants where almost everyone works on corn (maize). The experience got me interested again in a field that's no longer my primary focus.

The conference was particularly engaging because my principal investigator assisted with the introductions. Also, my second child's impending arrival made for an easy conversation starter. I presented a poster with brand new data — on a mutant I'm characterizing — that I was quite excited about. But I also included on the poster an older photograph of corn ears with sterility defects that I thought the community at large might be interested in. I was amazed that the latter generated far more excitement than the former for most viewers.

Unlike earlier years, I received a lot of suggestions and lots of encouragement. It was great to have so much attention for my project, to have so many people wanting to hear about it: this was not the case on many previous occasions. Also encouraging, I met a researcher whose work intersected with mine. We talked extensively about his results and my previous work, which got him very excited. It seems that there is a budding interest in this field now that I've left it. Did I miss the wave or, maybe, did I start it? Either way, it's satisfying to see my work appreciated, even though it took some time.