SBS soapbox
Scientists Benefiting Scientists: The Spirit of SBS Infuses 10th Anniversary Conference

By Bob Campbell
Chairman SBS Board of Directors

When justifying the time and expense of my pilgrimage to the SBS 10th Anniversary Conference & Exhibition in Orlando, I reflected upon the benefits of attending the annual meeting. I envisioned the usual bevy of sexy, new software and hardware technologies, and the many interesting oral and poster sessions, educational tutorials, and short courses. As I mulled the experience in my mind, I came to realize that the meeting has the most value and benefit to attendees who interact with each other and with the presenters. So I encourage those of you who are reading this article in advance of, or at, the meeting to be more than a “scientific spectator”—someone who simply soaks up information without question, challenge, suggestion, or comment. Take advantage of every opportunity to speak up, and get involved.

Diversity
The SBS meeting has a great diversity of attendees, including scientists from industry (e.g., big pharma, biotech), academia (students and professors), non-profit/government institutions, and the vendor community. Attendees from these diverse groups come with unique perspectives, experiences, insights, and questions.

I truly believe the strength and uniqueness of SBS stems from the diversity of its membership. The advantage of diversity is realized when experiences are shared—when, for example, differing or opposing opinions/perspectives lead to intriguing questions and new scientific directions.

To borrow one company’s slogan, our interactions help us to “think different.” Clearly, to optimize the SBS meeting experience, one needs to maximize the opportunities for interaction.

Opportunities
Following are some of the tremendous opportunities for interaction at the conference. Oral Sessions One opportunity for interaction occurs at the oral sessions, particularly during the question-and-answer period. Standing in front of an audience with a question can be intimidating for many people (including me!), but it is a great way to share ideas with a large group. I challenge all of us to make use of this time! My motto is: “The only stupid question is the one that is never asked.” I’d like to see some new faces asking questions, and less “dead time” when attendees are silent. I have no doubt that there are some fantastic questions just waiting to be heard!

Poster Sessions Another place for interaction is at the poster sessions. With more than 400 posters at a typical SBS meeting, there is a lot to absorb. If your schedule allows, try to make an extra effort to speak with the poster presenters and again, ask questions!

I know there are always a few frustrated attendees who reserve time to speak with poster presenters only to find that the presenter is not there. So for the poster presenters, I ask that you make every effort to be at your posters during the time allotted to you. Interaction benefits both the presenter and attendee. This is a great means to meet other members, learn about new science (targets, technologies/tools, approaches, etc.), and receive direct critique and feedback on your work. The one-on-one poster conversations are often cited as the most rewarding segments of the conference.

Vendor Booths/Tutorials SBS is fortunate to have a very knowledgeable and supportive vendor community. The vendor participants are valuable assets to the society, providing novel tools to assist scientists in drug-discovery research.

Vendors interact closely with scientists on a technical level, working to understand the needs and future directions of their research. It is truly a symbiotic relationship, since we need each other to succeed.

Scientists find or buy new tools that enable, speed up, or increase the efficiency of the drug-discovery process. Vendors profit and are thereby motivated to generate more tools.

But the interactions shouldn’t end there! Vendors need to know which of their products you’ve tried and liked, but more importantly, which products failed to meet your expectations (and why!). Take time to see and/or try out the demos and communicate about features you like and features that are missing. The input of SBS members allows vendors to continuously improve their products. The speed of (software and hardware) drug discovery technology advancement exemplifies how responsive the vendor community has been to our demanding and ever-changing needs.

One additional note: Our vendors support the SBS conferences via sponsorship of the meeting and related activities, so don’t forget to thank them!

Academic Row/Academic Outreach One of the latest additions to the SBS Special Interest Groups is the Academic Outreach Committee (AOC; established in 2003). Academic Row—a special section of the exhibit floor—was created in support of the committee’s mission to foster communication among the industrial, vendor, and academic/non-profit institution communities.

The universities and institutions represented in Academic Row participate in the meeting in order to increase awareness of their educational programs and encourage student enrollment. Many academicians attend the SBS meeting to obtain insights on automation and building HTS capabilities. A substantial number of experienced industrial scientists attend the SBS meeting; these participants can offer valuable advice and encouragement to academicians. Industrial scientists can take advantage of these opportunities for interaction to establish academic collaborations, and to stay in touch with the latest advances in basic science.

In addition, new students from academic/institutional training programs in automation/HTS can make excellent entry-level and summer student/intern hires for big pharma, biotech, and/or vendor companies.

I invite all attendees to take time to visit Academic Row and converse with our academic colleagues. Please also consider attending the AOC Special Interest Group (SIG) meeting on Monday afternoon, September 13. It’s a wonderful forum to share and learn about the needs and ideas of our academic colleagues.

If the AOC is not within your interests, you may wish to attend one of the other SIG meetings, including ADMET, Sample Management, Microplate Standards, Automation Standards, Data Analysis and IT, and Screen Design and Assay Technology.

Networking Events The SBS Annual meeting offers several events, including the opening reception (Sunday, Sept. 12 from 6:30 to 9:30 pm) and new member reception (Sunday Sept. 12 from 5:00 to 5:45 P M), the SBS Gala 10th Anniversary Celebration ( Tuesday Sept. 14 from 6:30 to 9:30 pm), the Career Center sponsored by Bristol Myers Squibb (up and running on Sunday and Monday during regular exhibition hours), and numerous vendor-sponsored activities. While these events can be great fun, they are also wonderful opportunities to meet new people and exchange ideas. Also consider connecting with an SBS Board Member or administrative office staff (wearing the conspicuous name tags or ribbons). They also tend to know many members and can assist with introductions.

Long-time SBS members, if you see a student or new member, welcome them to the meeting!

Get Involved!
SBS is a non-profit scientific society made successful by the diligent efforts of its members. There is always a need for additional help, fresh ideas, and participation by all members. If you are so inclined, offer to help with a conference, special interest group, or committee. Run for the Board of Directors. Write an article for SBS News (for pointers, attend the Writers’ Workshop on Monday afternoon).

Attend the annual Members meeting (Monday Sept. 13th.from 12:20 to 1:05 P M); listen and be heard! By getting involved in SBS more directly, you can truly reap the greatest benefits of membership.

I hope that at least some of these suggestions have been helpful without belaboring the self-evident. Perhaps SBS also could mean “Scientists Behaving Sensibly” (sounds like the name of a new reality show on Cable TV!).

Don’t be just a “scientific spectator”! If you have additional suggestions to improve the SBS meeting experience, please send me an e-mail to: feedback@sbsonline.org. As always, I don’t claim to have all the answers, but I hope that together as a society, we do.

The SBS Soapbox is intended to foster open communication, present new ideas, and challenge the status quo. Readers are invited to respond via e-mail to: feedback@sbsonline.org. Selected responses will be published, with permission, in subsequent issues of SBS News.

The SBS Soapbox is intended to foster open communication, present new ideas, and challenge the status quo. Readers are invited to respond via e-mail to: feedback@sbsonline.org. Selected responses will be published, with permission, in subsequent issues of SBS News.