Social Insect Networking

IUSSI 2018 conference logo [1]

Jetlagged and cramped from sitting through a 12-hour overnight flight, I finally arrived in the Sao Paulo airport in Brazil. It was 8 am local time, but 4 am back in California. My drooping eyes were begging me to take a nap, but my mind was wide awake, buzzing with anticipation. It was my first time in South America, and I was there for my first big scientific conference: the International Union for the Study of Social Insects--IUSSI for short.

I had been working in the Bee Lab for a year and Professor Donaldson had told me about the conference a few months back, explaining that social insect scientists gather here every 4 years to share their latest research. She helped me finalize my abstract for a poster presentation for the conference and I was ecstatic when I received the news that it had been accepted; Professor Donaldson herself was accepted for an oral presentation.

Guaruja Beach right next to the conference hotel [2]

In the weeks leading up to the conference, my excitement grew into nervousness. I was struggling to finish the analysis for my poster and I was running around different stores, trying to buy my first set of professional clothes. After a broken poster printer, two vaccine clinics, and a visa application, I miraculously made it to the conference. Immediately, I realized that I had little to be nervous about. While I imagined people in dress shirts and high heels, I was greeted by professors and students in khakis and sandals. Professor Donaldson quickly introduced me to more people than I could keep track of, and as people all around me greeted each other like long-lost friends, I realized that I had entered into a strange, tight-knit community of insect-lovers.

During the next few days of the conference, I entered into full geek mode. Fueled by coffee and pao de queijo (a delicious Brazilian cheese bread), I dived into talks about ants, bees, wasps, and other social insects. The talks introduced me to whole new fields of research, from genome editing through CRISPR to the evolution of hybridogenesis. Each talk also gave me new facts to add to my ever-growing list of insect conversation starters. (Did you know that paper wasps can recognize each other’s faces? Or, have you heard about slave-making ants?) While my random (often unsolicited) insect facts are often met with rolled eyes and blank stares in a general population, people at IUSSI responded with enthusiasm and facts of their own. As one conversation on the first night of the conference turned into a full-on slideshow of cute bee pictures, I realized that I was among my people. There was so much to learn from the people around me, and I was ready to take it all in.

Cute Valley carpenter bee [3]

As the conference continued, I increasingly realized how lucky I was to be part of such a unique experience. While most colleges have graduate students to focus on, the Claremont Colleges only have undergraduate students to invest in. Professor Donaldson was also awesome enough to use funding from her new NSF grant to pay for my trip. As a result, I was one of only a few undergraduates at the whole conference. Through IUSSI, I was able to meet leading experts from around the world and to learn about the newest research. I was also able to get over my fear of networking with professors. After all, it’s a lot harder to be intimidated by professors when they’re relaxing by the pool with caipirinhas in their hands.

Through my time in college, I’ve learned to prioritize facts and theories in science. After attending IUSSI, I discovered the importance of people in the scientific community. Dinner conversations with professors and students showed me the beauty of collaborations in scientific research. Whenever someone explained difficulties they encountered in their research, other people would come up with referrals to other scientists, volunteer to send them new specimens, or suggest other ways to help. While everyone had specific expertise in their own research, collaborations were able to bring these skills together to produce something more complex and novel. At IUSSI, I was actually able to meet the two other collaborators on the new Bee Lab NSF grant: Scott Powell from D.C. and Elva Robinson from the U.K. After only knowing them through stories or video chats, it was surreal to finally meet them in Brazil for the first time.

One poster presentation, three dozen talks, one stranded ferry ride, and too many cups of coffee later, I was finally back home in the U.S. I am grateful for all the people I met and all the things I learned. I will miss all the bee and ant tattoos I saw, but I will not forget the sense of community I felt. I always knew that I wanted to pursue a scientific career because I’m a giant nerd, but now I’m excited to pursue this path, knowing that I will find other giant nerds who will support me along the way.

At the poster presentation session with Corinne, an undergraduate in the Powell Lab [4]

Media Credits

[1] Logo by IUSSI https://www.iussi2018.com/

[2] Photo by Caroline Domanoski http://placestovisitbrazil.com/guaruja-beach-sao-paulo/

[3] Photo by Garrett Thrasher https://www.thrasherpestcontrol.com/golden-snitch-of-the-bee-world-male-valley-carpenter-bees-take-flight/

[4] Photo by Joanna Chang