In early March, 70 graduate students gathered with faculty, staff, and members of the local biotechnology industry to network and share their ongoing research at the annual Biotechnology Training Program (BTP) banquet.
BTP, which is funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), supports graduate students conducting research in biochemical sciences and related fields. Trainees complete directed coursework and an industry-based internship, gaining specialized training in academic and industry research.
The program’s director and Department of Biochemistry chair, Brian Fox, addressed the trainees, praising the intellectually engaged community of trainees past and present who have made BTP successful. In his opening remarks, Fox noted that the program’s strength comes from trainees’ diversity of skills, backgrounds, and interests, and their abilities to ask hard questions and learn together. Next year, Fox will hand the reins to Department of Biochemistry faculty members Vatsan Raman (director), Scott Coyle (co-director), and Judith Simcox (co-director), who will serve as BTP’s co-directors.
This year, students heard from keynote speaker William J. Karpus, Dean of the University of Wisconsin–Madison Graduate School and a professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine.
In his presentation, Karpus emphasized that curiosity is trainees’ greatest asset as researchers. He encouraged them to bring their love of basic science and discovery to open new possibilities and lines of inquiry. Such approaches are advantageous in the outcome-oriented landscape of biotechnology. “Never quit being curious,” Karpus said. “Always ask why, always ask how.”
Written by Renata Solan. Photos by Paul Escalante.