By Elizabeth Fisher, Swapna Nandakumar and Sol Torruella
On Thursday, September 28th, several postdoctoral fellows from the NSCI went to the University at Albany (UA) to attend the 3rd Annual Capital District Postdoc Association (CDPA) Symposium to cap off PostDoc Appreciation week! The Symposium was held in the D’Ambra Auditorium at UA and was a full day of oral and poster presentations by fellows from across the Capital District including Albany Medical College, UA, NSCI, and the Wadsworth Center. There were also sessions on how to transition to a research faculty position by new UA faculty member Dr. Soma Dash and a workshop on resume building by Dr. Tracy Costello. Dr. Liz Fisher at the NSCI presented a poster on her work on interactions between microglia and endothelial cells. NSCI postdoc Dr. Sol Torruella, who was on the organizing committee for the symposium, enthusiastically stated: “I like the idea of having our own symposium because it’s a stress-free environment in which postdocs can show their science, hang out with other postdocs, exchange ideas, and enjoy a day with other members of the area. That’s why the symposium is scheduled during the Postdoc Appreciation week.”
Local meetings are a great way to establish new collaborations and nearby connections. The CDPA is a local organization made up of and run by postdocs to network, offer support, share resources, and host events (both scientific and social) with other postdocs located in the area. Dr. Torruella notes that “From NSCI, we have a good group of people that attend the CDPA social events and meetings, and that actively participate to show the cool science that they are doing!” Dr. Swapna Nandakumar, another postdoc at the NSCI, said of the symposium: “The CDPA symposium is a great way to meet postdocs in the capital district region and to get an idea of the breadth of topics that postdocs in the region work on. As an immigrant, I find that being part of CDPA gives me an opportunity to hear about how other immigrants like me navigate the job market and to generally share in the experience of building a life in a new country.” Postdoctoral positions are often temporary and are a training phase in which PhDs often move to new locations where they have few connections outside of their labs. Organizations like the CPDA and events such as the Postdoctoral symposium help to build community amongst these trainees at a crucial point in their careers. Dr. Torruella, when asked about the role of the CDPA said this: “The CDPA was formed to promote the development of the capital district postdocs in their areas of interest, such as building their way to industry or to faculty positions, we are always sharing information about workshops, seminars, and positions. It also offers a community to make friends, get to know the area, and build leadership skills. Right now, most of the postdocs that are working in Albany come from abroad, so groups like the CDPA are super important as a support system. As we have members in all the universities and institutions from the area, we can share tips, connect with other postdocs members, and answer questions from people considering Albany to do their postdocs.”