Conference

Well, it's Monday afternoon (actually, by the time I am finishing this, it's Wednesday night...).  I had a really busy weekend, and I thought I would tell some of it here.  I won't tell all of it here because, honestly, it was really boring (just ask Kate- I made her listen to a play-by-play).  This weekend was the Midwest Microbial Pathogenesis Conference.  Or as Kate called it, the Germ Convention.  Friday after work we got a talk about a bacterial transport system.  It was kind of slow, but the dinner was delicious.

At dinner I talked to Jose Martinez, a young professor from the University of Chicago (I think).  When he heard I was a member of the Church, he pointed to another professor and said "Dr. X over there" (no his name wasn't really Dr. X.  What do you think this is, a comic book?  I just forgot his name) "Dr. X over there is a Latter Day Saint and he's a really good man."

I wasn't sure how to respond to that.  "Good for him?"  "Yeah, me too!"  I think I ended up saying something like "huh. that's neat."  Not the best answer, but regardless, it got me thinking a bit.  I hope that people who know me say that to Mormons they meet.  "That David Payne is a Latter Day Saint, and he's a really good man."

Saturday morning we went to lots of talks.  LOTS of talks.  In the afternoon I presented at a poster session.  It was my first presentation of my research to the broader scientific community.  I got lots of interest and lots of questions, and mostly very positive feedback.  It felt good to be so well received.  Blaise wasn't around much at the conference because his wife, Suzie, started having contractions (contractions have since stopped and no baby yet).  But he did give a talk that blew some minds.  Our lab is doing some important work in the field of pathogens.

So, there were lots more talks, and lots more science.  But like I said, I don't want to bore people.  Take home message: I presented and I rocked the house.