Chicago Postdocs To Discuss Training, Science Policy at Future of Research Symposium

By: Kyle Dolan, PhD, and Rianne Ellenbroek, PhD, University of Chicago

Event date: Oct. 29, 2015

We can't wait for October in Chicago this year.

Fall foliage on the Lake Michigan shoreline. The return of sweater weather. The Cubs going all the way to a World Series title (well, at least we're allowed to dream, right?).

Most of all, we can't wait for October 29^th. On that day, Chicago-area postdocs will present the first Future of Research (FOR) Chicago Symposium.

The FOR Chicago Symposium is a response to, and a continuation of, a national conversation regarding changes in American science policy and scientific culture. The symposium will invite its audience, particularly young scientists in training, to consider several fundamental questions: how do we insure the continued success of the American scientific enterprise into the 21^st century? How do we keep STEM fields desirable for people to pursue, both intellectually and as a career path? And, how do we prepare people to be both good scientists and good citizens in the context of today's society?

The all-day event will showcase keynote talks from Gregory Petsko and Keith Yamamoto, both esteemed scientists noted for their outspoken advocacy for young scientists and reforms in scientific training. A panel discussion will feature guests from the local and national arenas of academia, industry, funding, government, and advocacy. And, in the grassroots spirit of the Future of Research conference series, we'll invite our participants to share their ideas on building a better scientific enterprise through a series of workshops on the themes of training, funding, and science culture. From these conversations, we'll gather the opinions of attendees to synthesize a series of policy recommendations to be shared with key stakeholders and the community at large.

Our organizational team consists of postdocs, faculty, and administrators from several major Chicago-area universities. These dedicated volunteers, with the support of our local postdoc administrations and postdoc offices have put in a huge effort over the past six months to get this event up and running.

The event promises to be an amazing gathering. We had over 120 people pre-register: postdocs, graduate students, faculty, and people outside of academia. People signed up from as far away as Minnesota and Nebraska. We have a fantastic venue at Northwestern's Prentice Hospital, in the heart of downtown Chicago, steps away from Lake Michigan.

The problems facing science today present an opportunity for transformative change. It will take scientists working together with a broad group of allies to make sure that the future of science remains bright. If you're reading this and you've signed up for the FOR Chicago Symposium, we look forward to seeing you. If you're reading this and you haven't signed up, we hope you'll join us.