Stevison Lab at 43rd Annual SEPEEG

Sunrise early on the first day of the meeting.

In October, I was fortunate to bring members of my newly formed lab group to the 43rd annual SEPEEG meeting (pronounced "seepage"). I attended this meeting last year as a new faculty and it was a delightfully casual experience. Lots of students (including undergraduates) attended and gave talks! The talks were sharp and engaging and so were the questions, but the atmosphere was beyond friendly.

Stevison Lab + an AU groupie.

Hosted at a 4-H club, it's not your typical scientific meeting. They kick it off with a campfire and a keg, followed by a very full day of talks. There is some free time in the afternoon to enjoy the scenery (see pictures!). After dinner, there is a keynote, often from the home institution, and a poster session. Second night features another campfire before the morning of talks and a bittersweet departure. It felt like summer camp for all my science buddies!

Sunset through the moss covered trees.

As a new faculty, I am recruiting pretty heavily to get folks interested in my lab and this small meeting is a great place to reach undergrads interested in grad school at a key time in the process of applying. But it is also a great way to connect with my regional institutions. This summer at the much larger and formal evolution meetings, I had friendly faces in the crowd that were in my corner. It felt nice belonging to this much larger Southeastern community of scientists.

My grad student talking at his poster.

This hasn't been the first time in my career that regional meetings have offered me a home. When I was a postdoc in the bay area, I regularly attended the Bay Area Population Genomics meetings, which also rotated host institutions. Though an obvious challenge to those with families, I found this more intimate and isolated setting allows for connections I never made during these one-day conferences that were more formal. Even though this was my second time attending the SEPEEG meetings, it felt like I had been going my whole life. I'm so glad to have found such a warm and inviting community!

Kayaking on Cherry Lake.

A truly bittersweet departure from this awesome meeting!