The virtual Biosymposium

The virtual Biosymposium: moving to virtual interactions 

Article by Tyler Ford

The Biotechnology Program at City College of San Francisco (CCSF) enables students from non-traditional backgrounds to achieve fulfilling careers in Biotech. As part of this program, students conduct research internships with academic and industry partners in the Bay Area. At the semi-annual CCSF Biosymposium, these students come together to present their research to one another, to their mentors, to CCSF faculty, and to members of the biotech industry.

The Biosymposium serves as a huge step in the bridge from student life to a successful career in Biotech. Students learn presentation skills that will be essential in any biosciences career. They also learn about possible career paths from career panels and network with people from the biotech industry. They even meet future employers. 

This year, the Biosymposium went virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To retain all of its key components, the Biosymposium was transformed from a one day in-person event into three virtual events held over three Fridays in May: Virtual Speed Networking, Virtual Poster Sessions and Virtual Mock Interviews. Each event was thoughtfully organized and provided many benefits to attendees and the Biotechnology Program itself. We cover a few of these benefits below.

Students seamlessly networked from a distance

The Biosymposium organizers made use of a variety of systems to coordinate attendance at student talks. During the Virtual Poster Session, the organizers distributed attendees from a central “venue hall” to various “rooms.” In each room, a single student presented their research. The organizers made sure that presenters always had audiences for each of their 15 minute presentations. They did this through a highly coordinated dispatch system. With this system, they could see exactly how many attendees were in each room.

The result? Students communicated their expertise to attentive audiences throughout the entire Biosymposium. Indeed, in some ways this worked better than standard in-person poster presentations. During in-person poster sessions, attendees often wander aimlessly through a sea of presenters. Some posters may get a glut of viewers. Others have no audience. At the virtual Biosymposium, presenters got roughly equal attention. Presenters likely spoke with many people that they wouldn’t have gotten a chance to see at a standard symposium.

As CIRM intern Darrin Goodness mentioned: 

“In poster sessions, I was more likely to visit research that I was totally unfamiliar with and was truly impressed with the interns' experiences and ability to communicate effectively. Usually, I would just say, ‘I'm unfamiliar.’ and ask for an overview, similar to a real-life interaction and it worked just as well.”

The virtual set-up also allowed audience members to interact with presenters through text. Besides leaving a written record of audience responses for students to reflect on later, this new feedback mechanism seemed to help quieter students “speak up." Similar systems may make it easier for introverted students to take part in in-person symposia.

CCSF Bioscience Intern Cole Chabon commented on the comforting virtual setting saying:

"The new format for the Biosymposium allowed for focused individual interactions with attendees via virtual contact. Attendees and presenters were within their own quiet environment yielding a more personalized conversation."

The virtual Biosymposium helped students develop an increasingly essential skill - virtual presentation

Science is an international enterprise. To ensure that scientific research can achieve its most important impacts, the research process and conferences must incorporate voices from all walks of life.

Standard scientific conferences often fail to achieve this level of inclusivity. They can be expensive. They often take place in centralized locations that can be difficult to reach or otherwise discourage participation of marginalized members of the scientific community.

To mitigate this substantial problem, one option is to go virtual or partially virtual. This lowers costs for attendees. It also limits travel requirements. Overall, it allows more people to have a voice at conferences.

Thus, to be successful in the sciences, researchers must become adept at virtual presentations. This year, CCSF students got a head start in developing their virtual presentation abilities. The multiple virtual events built logically on top of each to cultivate student’s skills. Students first had the chance to talk about themselves informally during Virtual Speed Networking. Later, they practiced their science presentations during the Virtual Poster Sessions. Finally, they honed their skills while discussing themselves, their experiences, and their scientific knowledge during 30 min Virtual Mock Interviews with a panel of science professionals. 

Students were supported in these efforts in numerous ways. They got help from their research mentors. They got help from their teachers. Finally, they received feedback from symposium attendees. Thus, they are well prepared to network, interview, and give similar presentations in the future. The experience also provided them with a documented virtual presentation that can be shared with future potential employers.

As CCSF Bioscience Intern Raul Morales said:

For me the Virtual Biosymposium was a very pleasant experience that I recommend to any student who has the opportunity to participate. It was a great exercise that helped me develop virtual interaction skills, but above all, I learned to speak in public on scientific topics and also learned how to answer questions efficiently.

New skills for the CCSF program organizers

Thanks to the pandemic, the Biotechnology Program organizers learned how to coordinate a top-notch virtual symposium. They made sure all presenters had audiences for all parts of the event. Through live, online forms, they also made sure that attendees could see presentations on their preferred topics. Finally, the organizers were always easy to find in the virtual “venue hall.” They quickly answered any attendee questions and kept things running smoothly. This all made for fast-paced, fulfilling events.

Importantly, the organizers can now confidently give future Biosymposia virtual components. This will hopefully attract more attendees and thereby expand the perspectives and networking opportunities available to CCSF students.

Looking forward to future Biosymposia

The 2020 Virtual Biosymposium was certainly different from those of years past. However, in the same way that virtual internships helped the Biotechnology students develop new skills, the virtual Biosymposium gave students, attendees, and organizers an opportunity for growth. Future Biosymposia are sure to be even better thanks to the hardwork of all involved.

For more information about the BioSymposium:

• Dr. Golnar Afshar

• Dr. Karen Leung