KeyPoint Blog | Science + People + Culture of Keystone Symposia

Keypoint Newsletter: 2023 Season Highlights

Written by Shannon Weiman | Sep 6, 2023 9:45:13 PM

In June we concluded our 2023 season, which ran from August 2022 to June 2023, aligning with the academic year.  It was a busy season, consisting of 60 meetings altogether, including 13 that had been rescheduled due to the pandemic. We hosted over 9,000 participants and covered many exciting new topics, including Neurocircuitry of Social Behavior, Infections in Pregnancy, Computational Design and Modeling of Biomolecules and Multispecific Immune Cell Engagers for Cancer Immunotherapy.

See season highlights below, including Nobel Laureate appearances, scholarships provided, and more!

Nobel Laureate Appearances

2018 Nobel Laureate Dr. Jim Allison presented the Keynote Address at our March 2023 conference on Cancer Immunotherapy: Mechanisms of Response versus Resistance in Banff, Canada. He is serving as lead organizer for the 2024 meeting Cancer Immunotherapy: Beyond Immune Checkpoint Blockade and Overcoming Resistance in Whistler, Canada!

2019 Nobel Laureate Sir Peter Ratcliffe served as chair and speaker at the May 2023 conference on Hypoxia: From Basic Mechanisms to Emerging Therapies in Killarney, Ireland.
 
2020 Nobel Laureate Jennifer Doudna gave the keynote address at the March 2023 joint conferences on Precision Genome Engineering and Genomic Instability & DNA Repair in Whistler, Canada.
 
2021 Nobel Laureates Dr. Ardem Patapoutian & Dr. David Julius served as lead organizer and Keynote Speaker respectively for our October 2022 conference on Vertebrate Sensory Systems in Tahoe City, California.
 

2022 Nobel Laureate Dr. Svante Pääbo featured as Keynote Speaker in our May 2023 conference on New Frontiers in Reconstructing Human Evolution History, in Hannover, Germany.

Financial Aid Provided to over 500 Students, Postdocs, Under-Represented and LMIC Scientists 

Altogether, we provided 432 scholarships to students and post-doctoral fellows, 19 early-career investigators from under-represented backgrounds (ECITAs awards) to attend conferences for essential career building and networking experiences. Here are just a few of the appreciative comments on Twitter from awardees:

 

In addition, with support from by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, we were able to provide 101 scientists from low- and middle- income countries with Global Health Travel Awards (GHTAs), to attend 10 different conferences on topics of global health importance.  GHTA awardees came from 24 different countries, across Africa, Asia and South and Central America

 

Find out more about financial aid programs and opportunities here

Season Highlights from Attendees

The twittersphere was abuzz with raved reviews from students, postdocs and PIs alike, expressing their enthusiasm and appreciation for the unrivaled scientific programming and networking opportunities provided by Keystone Symposia conferences. In particular, we congratulate those rising stars who presented their work, many for the first time, in front of field leaders and peers; a formative experience that has launched the careers many before them. A small sampling below captures the essence of their sentiments, and the value provided to each and every one of our >9,000 attendees!

 

 

Return to the September 2023 Keypoint Newsletter