OITE

IRP Interns Shine at Summer Poster Day

NIH summer intern Ishu Sivakumar at Summer Poster Day

Upon entering the sunny foyer of the NIH’s Natcher Conference Center last Thursday, I was immediately struck by a burst of loud, excited chatter. As it always is on NIH’s annual Summer Poster Day, the building was filled with hundreds of high school and college students and the scientists, families, and friends who had turned out to see what these young men and women had spent the summer doing.

Postbac Poster Day Highlights Budding Researchers

NIH Postbac IRTA Sarah Ahmed posing with her poster at Postbac Poster Day

On Wednesday, May 2, hundreds of researchers gathered at NIH’s Natcher Conference Center to show off their recent discoveries. But unlike a typical scientific conference, the letters “M.D.” and “Ph.D.” were noticeably absent from these scientists’ credentials. Instead, the event — NIH’s annual Postbac Poster Day — celebrated the accomplishments of individuals participating in the NIH Postbaccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award (IRTA) Program.

Launchpad for Discovery: NIH’s Postbac IRTA Experience

With plans to travel to Swaziland and volunteer with the Baylor International Pediatric AIDS Initiative (BIPAI) and a desire to address issues related to health disparities in the treatment of HIV/AIDS, I began navigating the unfamiliar terrain of life after college.

Johnetta at George Mason graduation

Postbac Poster Day Triumphs

If 580 posters displaying scientific data from research across the intramural programs at 24 NIH Institutes and Centers sounds like a lot to take in, have a look at the size of the crowds coming to see them. Walking into the Natcher Conference Center on Postbac Poster Day is like walking into a maze abuzz with urgency. Bulletin board after bulletin board of postbac research posters summarize months of work, each one surrounded by fellow scientists, NIH staff, and visitors staff who are interested in the research and asking questions.