Alumni Symposium
In early September the NIH Biotechnology Training Program held its first Alumni Symposium to celebrate the past, present, and future of the program. The NIH – BTP is among the largest of its kind nationally and has trained more than 140 PhD students over its 25 year history at the U of M. September’s symposium included seminar presentations from 8 alumni of the program, a ‘Careers in Biotechnology’ Q & A panel with an additional 6 alumni, and a poster session that showcased the research of current trainees. The symposium was a great success for the 100+ in attendance, with engaging science and career talks, plenty of opportunities for networking, and optimism for the future of the program. A big thanks to all who made it possible!
Symposium Program
Opening Remarks
Mike Sadowsky PhD, UMN Director of BioTechnology Institute
Wei-Shou Hu PhD, UMN Professor of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science
Claudia Schmidt-Dannert PhD, UMN Professor of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics
Science and Careers Session 1
Ross Carlson PhD, Montana State University (UMN ‘03) Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering
Nathan Lindquist PhD, Bethel University (UMN ‘10) Associate Professor of Physics
Emilie Rexeisen PhD, 3M Company (UMN ‘10) Senior Product Development Engineer
Chad Satori PhD, Medtronic (UMN ‘13) Senior Chemist
Careers in Biotechnology Q & A Panel
Susan Abu-Absi PhD, Bristol Myers Squibb (UMN ‘01) Director of Manufacturing Sciences and Technology
Jessica Eichmiller PhD, Alexandria Technical and Community College (UMN ‘12) Biology Instructor
Erin Marasco PhD, Cargill (UMN ‘08) Principal Scientist in Biotechnology
Betsy Martinez-Vaz PhD, Hamline University (UMN ‘01) Associate Professor and Co-Director of Biochemistry Aaron Wlaschin PhD, General Mills, Inc. (UMN ‘06) Senior Engineer II
Katie Wlaschin PhD, 3M Company (UMN ‘07) Advanced Research Specialist
David Umulis PhD, Purdue University (UMN ‘07) Associate Professor of Agricultural & Biological Engineering
Science and Careers Session 2
Derek Adams PhD, Evelo Biosciences (UMN ‘00) Senior Vice President, CMC
Benjamin Kidder PhD, Wayne State University (UMN ‘07) Assistant Professor of Oncology
Briana Kozlowicz PhD, Cargill (UMN ‘05) Senior Molecular Biotechnologist
James Wollack PhD, St Catherine University (UMN ‘03) Associate Professor of Chemistry
Student Poster Session
