Health NewsAthens Without Ever Leaving the U.S.
Yesterday, I took time from BIO2009 in Atlanta to meet some colleagues at the University of Georgia in Athens, GA. Given my relative proximity to Athens (compared to Edmonton that is), it seemed like the logical thing to do, and the 90 minute car ride against rush hour traffic made things a breeze. It was relaxing to drive along the heavily tree lined freeways, especially since I was escaping the snow back home. I was there to pick up some materials, but as it happened my trip coincided with the harvest of a pine tree which only happens once every year or two. They nicely allowed me to pitch in a get my hands back on something scientific other than a quarterly report. What I also received was an alternate definition of ‘large scale genomics’, working on a tree that was approximately 40 years old.
A scientific oasis
How quickly we’ve reached the last day of BIO 2009 and I have to wonder where the time has gone. The last two days have been packed solid starting with a great view of the Canadian pavilion opening on Tuesday. As we were right next door, foot traffic by the booth was high for quite a while and again I had excellent discussions with people interested in science that Genome Alberta is funding (many on the pine beetle project, a personal favorite of mine). I liken the booth to a scientific oasis in a sales desert where people can relax for a few minutes from the high powered trade show floor. Also, these projects seem to bring out a personal connection with people as they reminisce about past experiences.
Defending the castle – a pine tree response to MPB attack
Looking at images of pine forests in BC and Alberta, the effects of the MPB epidemic are easy to see. In face of this pictorial assault, it is easy to forget that MPB attacks may not always result in the death of the tree. Pine trees have their own array of defence responses giving them a chance to repulse invading insects (such as MPB) and pathogens. I thought I’d touch on one of the primary responses by pines (and other conifers) in this blog, and that is the production of oleoresin, a viscous and odoriferous mixture of chemical compounds.
A beetle is a beetle is a beetle, right?
A beetle is a beetle is a beetle right? Not to a population biologist. This current epidemic contains millions of mountain pine beetles (MPB) spread across both Alberta and BC. Once beetles take flight each year in search of new trees, where do they go? Who is moving where? Is there anything different about beetles in different areas? These questions may prove crucial to our understanding of this and future outbreaks. However, before we can ask in depth questions we need a basic understanding of current beetle populations. Since we can’t just ask beetles these questions, we’re lucky that genomics offers tools which can help.
MPB project at BIO 2008 – final day
As the exhibition portion of the BIO convention wraps up this morning, I felt a bit of reflection over the last few days was in order. I've had a chance to interact with a really diverse group of people from all aspects of the biotech community. Though not directly working on MPB research, the level of knowledge about the outbreaks in Colorado and the science behind our research was amazing. More than a few people commented that the discussions they had with our booth were refreshing and a good break to the networking and business aspects of their days here. The opportunity to talk to the international biotech community about our work was also a unique opportunity I was glad to have.
Besides the exhibition floor, the networking opportunities at outside events (receptions, galas, dinners) were immense. For anyone who has not attended a BIO convention before (such as myself), the real ability to interact with thousands of people is a huge benefit. I’m sure I talked with twice as many people about our research and Genome Alberta outside the trade show as within it. For me the experience here this week was hugely positive and I hope the opportunity arises to do this again.
The Mountain Pine Beetle project at BIO 2008 – Exhibition day one
To begin, I need to say what an event the BIO International Convention is. This afternoon’s exhibition session started off with a bang with the formal opening of the Canada Pavilion. This was followed closely by the opening of the BioAlberta Pavilion where I had the pleasure of briefly meeting and talking with the Honourable Doug Horner, Minister of Advanced Education and Technology. I was also pleased at the level of interest both the poster and the Genome Alberta booth received. I had numerous discussions about the project with people who work in all aspects of the biotechnology field. Interestingly, many of them were not researchers. Quite a few were drawn by the poster, but even more stopped to look at the slide show of images we displayed to reflect the project. The scanning electron microscope images were a really big draw. From all the discussions I had today, one stood out. Two gentlemen from Malaysia approached the Genome Alberta booth, drawn to the pine beetle project due a similar situation they were experiencing with an important crop plant. They were intrigued by the integrative genomics approach we were taking and felt it had direct applicability to their situation. To me this demonstrates the broad applicability of our approach and the various scenarios it can be applied too. I definitely look forward to another interesting and engaging day tomorrow. Who knows who else could drop by the booth?
Discussing the Mountain Pine Beetle Epidemic Project with the Honourable Doug Horner (right) at the Genome Alberta Booth at BIO 2008
Mountain Pine Beetle project on the road – 2008 BIO International Convention
One part of science that I absolutely enjoy is telling others about the research I am involved in. Be it through a blog site, at conferences, or just over a coffee, it gives people a glimpse of what we as scientists are doing and how we can apply the results. So when Genome Alberta asked the Mountain Pine Beetle (MPB) project to present at their 2008 BIO International Convention Booth, I jumped at the opportunity. What better way to reach thousands of people and raise awareness of the devastation that the MPB epidemic has caused in Canada (beetle and fungus don't forget) and show the novel approaches we are using to understand this epidemic.