Achievement

In October 2008, we hosted the First Annual CREATE-IGERT Symposium and Distinguished Lecture at UC Davis. The Distinguished Lecture was given by Dr. Chris Somerville, director of the Energy Biosciences Institute (EBI) and expert on cellulosic biofuels. The Symposium offered an excellent opportunity for trainees to hone their presentation and professional networking skills, bringing together for the first time a large group of UC Davis and Tuskegee University faculty trainers, student trainees and administrative personnel. Talks were given by all 2008 UC Davis trainees, a visiting TU trainee (LaKisha Odom) and faculty member (CS Prakash), and members of industry (Arcadia Biosciences, Planet Biotechnology). Participants also presented research and programmatic posters. In April 2009, UC Davis and TU CREATE-IGERT faculty and trainees met again at the 18th Annual Biotechnology Training Retreat held in Napa, CA, which included a bioethics workshop.