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Fall 2006, Vol. 2, No. 2 | Index
Behind the Scenes of the Annual Molecular Parasitology Meeting
The MBL was crawling last month with hundreds of experts on human parasites that cause global infectious diseases, a leading cause of death worldwide.
More than four hundred scientists from the United States, Europe, Australia, South America, and Southeast Asia gathered at the MBL for the Molecular Parasitology Meeting (MPM), an annual event that brings together the top researchers, postdocs, and graduate students in the field of molecular parasitology.
The five-day meeting is the largest one in the MBL’s busy conference season and requires the hard work of MBL staff in a variety of departments—from Housing & Conferences, to IT, to the Digital Processing Center, to Custodial Services, to Housekeeping, Apparatus, and Financial Services—to pull it all off.
Two employees heavily involved in organizing the conference are Pam Oldham, Coordinator of Conferences & Meetings, and Chris Dematos, Database Web Programmer. Their planning for the meeting begins each year in January.
Pam works closely with meeting organizers to address the specific needs of the group and to provide a unique and meaningful experience for participants. She is also in constant contact with almost every participant, who this year generated an amazing 753 emails! Participant questions range from “How do I get from Boston to Woods Hole?” to “I’m a loud snorer and must have a single room,” to technical questions that she gratefully passes over to Chris. Pam’s favorite part of the conference is setting up posters in Swope and in Lillie, which is always a challenge.
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MPM by the Numbers
Number of Participants: 420
Countries Represented: 24
Talks Given: 68
Posters Presented: 235
MBL Dorm Rooms Used:
160 on campus, plus a few cottages
Food & Beverages Consumed: 3.5 tons (including 3/4 ton of chicken and beef), 300 gallons of soda, 400 gallons of orange juice, 75+ cases of water, 50+ cases of bottled sodas, 465 gallons of beer, and 115 gallons of wine. |
Chris builds the infrastructure for all of the behind-the-scenes computer systems that help to make the meeting run smoothly. He designs a custom database that allows participants to register, submit abstracts, and, with the expertise of Dave Space, Technical Project Administrator, pay fees online. The database in turn produces all of the information needed to create the 400+ page meeting program. Chris then sets up a secure website where presenters can load and edit their PowerPoint presentations online even as late as 10 minutes before they are scheduled to deliver their talks. This year, three computer servers were dedicated to the meeting. |
The Collecting Net is an employee newsletter published by the Communications Office. Comments and suggestions are welcome. Call (508) 289-7423 or e-mail us at
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