Gordon Research Conference provides an exceptional opportunity to bring people together

By Chuck Carlson

Michigan State University Associate Professor Dr. Kari Sant has attended the biennial Gordon Research Conference (GRC) since 2011, when she was a first-year doctoral student.

For her, it has always been an opportunity to learn something new, and in the research realm, that is valuable currency.

"I've made so many professional connections," she said. "I've really learned about a lot of novel ideas and new methods within the field. Every time I go, I see a lot of returning faces, including those who have been a big part of mentoring for me and my career development. Plus, we get a healthy mix of new faces and science."

The GRC is a relatively low-key and informal affair, hosted in the shadow of the White Mountains in New Hampshire and open to no more than 200 researchers, scientists, post-doctoral, and doctoral students.

Calling it an event with a "small, science summer camp vibe," Dr. Sant has a particular interest in this gathering, as she not only has been studying environmental toxicology for years, she is also the Chair for this year's meeting on Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of Toxicity, set for August 10-15 at the Proctor Academy in Andover.

"This is meant to be more of an intimate conference, really connecting with people, discussing cutting-edge science, and presenting only unpublished data," Dr. Sant said. "That way, everything is new and novel and, hopefully, pushes the field forward."

The conference features pre-defined sessions that are conducted in the morning and evening. The topics discussed in these sessions are suggested by members who will be attending the conference.

For example, the conference chaired by Dr. Sant will include sessions titled "Xenobiotic Exposures and Impaired Immune Responses," "High Throughput Imaging and Spatial Analysis in Toxicology," and Environmental Toxicology: Innovative Approaches to Emergent Toxicological Landscapes," among others.

"' The dose makes the poison' is sort of the running theme in toxicology," Dr. Sant said. "We’re going to be looking at mechanistic toxicology and what happens to cells in the body that can lead to adverse health effects.”

One of the key sessions will feature MSU Associate Professor Dr. Sudin Bhattacharya who conducts research at the interface of computational science and biology in the departments of Pharmacology & Toxicology and Biomedical Engineering, as well as in MSU’s Institute for Quantitative Health Science and Engineering.

He will chair the keynote session on the use of artificial intelligence in toxicological research titled, “AI-Driven Insights in Mechanistic Toxicology.” The session will feature two leaders in the field: Dr. Kamel Mansouri of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and Dr. Joseph Romano, Assistant Professor of Informatics and Pharmacology at the University of Pennsylvania.

This is Dr. Bhattacharya’s second GRC event, and he has also found it a valuable opportunity.

“You can talk about toxicology and new science, and you can talk about collaborations,” he said. “It’s a pretty rich experience.”

Dr. Sant said the conference is also a time for informal get-togethers, where participants can discuss their work, experiences, and challenges.

“It brings people together,” she said. “Think of it as sitting in a rocking chair in the middle of New England and discussing ‘stuff.’ It feels like what science is meant to be, and it provides for a lot of creative thought and unique problem solving.”

However, Dr. Sant, who was elected Chair of this meeting in 2023 and will relinquish the position after this session, has faced challenges she did not anticipate when she took on the role.

These conferences are unique because they are not only held throughout the year in various locations around the country, but also in Europe. They have also long been open to researchers in academia, industry, and the federal government—in the U.S. and internationally.

But with the current political climate and the uncertainty about research funding (including travel budgets and visas), Dr. Sant said the number of participants is down from past years.

“The number of colleagues coming from abroad has significantly declined,” she said. “And even people (in the U.S.) have lost funding and lost the ability to travel.”

But these turbulent times are another reason she believes the conference is so important.

“We anticipate we’re all going to want to help each other,” she said. “It’s good we can be there for each other, potentially building collaborations and providing critical and supportive feedback for each other’s science.”

Dr. Sant admits to the challenges but says she’s “honored” to be chairperson of a conference that has been so important in her career and which, she’s certain, can benefit generations of researchers to come.

“We all get so busy doing our tasks, but a little creativity is needed to spark new ideas,” she said. “It’s nice to have dedicated time in a room with other people who are from similar backgrounds to be able to do that.”

Registration is open until mid-July.