Academic Events

BCCA Research Seminar Series

The BCCA Research Seminar Series (formerly known as the Monday Noon Seminar Series) is a long-running series featuring local and invited speakers from a variety of research fields. Most sessions are held over the noon hour every Monday. Many invited speakers enjoy meeting with the trainees at the BCCRC and GrasPods is happy to facilitate this interaction. If you have a suggestion for a speaker for the BCCA Research Seminar Series or would like to meet with one of the speakers please contact us.

Thursday Trainee Seminar Series

Now Hiring: Two Seminar Coordinators for 2010-2011. Please refer to the job description or your email for more details. An honorarium of $1000 per coordinator is offered. As this position will involve a signficant time commitment, in addition to a short cover letter, please include a note of OK from your PI when applying. Deadline is Wednesday, July 14, 5pm. Enquiries and applications should be directed to GrasPodsExec[at]bccrc.ca. The 2009-2010 Coordinators were Asef Javan (ajavan[at]bccrc.ca) and Hisae Nakamura (hnakamura[at]bccrc.ca).

Schedule 2009-10 (Excel file)

Being able to effectively communicate your work is one of the most essential skills in science. The Thursday Trainee Seminar Series is a forum for students and post docs to gain experience in speaking about their work in a familiar setting. It is also a great opportunity for others to learn what their fellow colleagues are working on and learn something about a topic that is not their field of study. These seminars are held Thursday mornings at 9:00am in the Gordon and Leslie Diamond Lecture Theatre at the BCCRC. Each presentation will be 20-25 minutes, followed by a short question period. Two trainees will present each Thursday. Refreshments consisting of coffee and pastries are provided. As an added incentive two members of the audience receive a $5 Starbucks card! Audience members who ask questions at the seminars will also be entered into a separate draw for one of two additional $5 Starbucks cards.

The schedule has been finalized. Please read it and mark your calendar with the date of your presentation. If you cannot present on the day that was assigned to you, please contact the TTS Seminar Coordinators as soon as possible. After September 1^st, it will be your responsibility to find a replacement. Let's have a great year!

The Bennett Family Distinguished Lecture Series

Originally known as the Winslow Bennett "Kick it Upstairs" Lecture Series in Translational Research, this lecture series was established by Winslow Bennett's sons, Wood, Peter, Frank and Russell, on the occasion of Mr. Bennett's 80th birthday. This lecture series honours Winslow Bennett's long-time interest in, and commitment to, research and its many applications, in particular to the treatment of cancer at the BC Cancer Agency. Mr. Bennett served as a director on both the BC Cancer Agency and BC Cancer Foundation boards and became the 26th BC Cancer Foundation president in 1983. Since the 1970's he has devoted many years to improving cancer treatment and care through research. Each lecture in this series brings in a world-renowned researcher for a day's worth of scientific discussion and informal meet-and-greet sessions. This is truly a trainee-driven event, as the selection of the annual lecturer is inspired by and the day's festivities organized by the graduate students and post-doctoral fellows working in the BC Cancer Agency. "I'm happy to see my celebration gift in the hands of young researchers," Mr. Bennett, says. "They are the bright lights. They are out in front as our leaders in research." The Bennett Family is thrilled to be part of this important initiative and hopes that the lecture series will stimulate and inspire new science and discovery. Underscoring this, at the 2009 lecture, the Bennett family unveiled a new donation to create an endowment fund that will ensure the Lecture Series will continue for years to come. The 2010 Lecture will be the first of this new generation of lectures, rebranded as the Bennett Family Distinguished Lecture Series.

Past speakers have included Brian Druker (2006), Carlo Croce (2007), Nancy Jenkins and Neal Copeland (2008), and Andrew Fire (2009). Planning for the 2010 installment is currently underway. Watch your email for more details as they become available.

Jobs In Science Interview Series

The Jobs In Science Interview Series (JISIS) was created to provide the trainees of the BCCA with information about the variety of jobs that can be obtained with a degree in science. The series is informal and open to all trainees at the BCCA. If you have a suggestion for an interviewee please contact us.

The JISIS team is always looking for people interested in helping out with the interview series. The JISIS is a monthly event that provides information about different careers accessible with a science degree. We obtain this information by speaking to professionals to find out about their past and present experiences in the work field and the progression of their scientific careers. Such individuals will work with the existing JISIS team to research, recruit and interview our guests. Everyone is welcome to join, including grads, PDFs, staff, technicians, and PIs. If you are interested, please contact Maisam Makarem directly at mmakarem[at]bccrc.ca.

User Groups Support Groups

Frustrated with FlowJo and GeneSpring? Confused by Discovery Space and R? GrasPods would like to facilitate informal Q/A and user group sessions for program users supplemented with refreshments. Do you have an idea for a support group or would you like to organize one of the groups? Then contact us!