In 2022 ISCBI was pleased to sponsor the European Summer School on Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine.
This is the 15th year that the summer school has run. It is the only European course on stem cell research aimed specifically at PhD students and post-docs. It offers a unique training and networking environment. In 2022 there were 65 students (54 PhD students, 11 post-docts) and 22 faculty. The tried and tested programme provides intensive theoretical training with emphasis on critical analysis of contemporary issues in stem cell biology and regenerative medicine plus sessions on ethics, public engagement and entrepreneurship.
Glyn Stacey attended the course on behalf of ISCBI and presented a poster about the ISCBI as well as a talk entitled "Stem Cell Banking: supporting the research community". Glyn also participated in discussion sessions, Q&A's and provided one-to-one advice for students throughout the week.
2022 was, again, extremely successful with participants providing feedback such as: “Definitely a life-changing experience…There is no better experience than learning from the best. This summer school gave me exposure to opportunity and ideas I never thought I would have. The people you meet, the conversations you have, the mind-blowing science, everything makes it a great meeting.”
A major priority for this course is to promote discussion and interaction between all participants. The course uses poster sessions, small group discussions with individual speakers, refreshment breaks and social events to promote maximum interaction. Feedback included: “Attending the summer school was one of the best decisions I made in my scientific career. The school provides the opportunity to meet faculty members and colleagues, all in a very non-hierarchical environment. This gave me courage to ask questions in talks, get feedback on my project and connect with people on a personal level”, and “The course enabled me with the opportunity to interact with my role models in a relaxed atmosphere, where I felt I could ask them any question I might have. I learned so much and got an opportunity to present and discuss my results. The feedback was so beneficial and I got so excited to go back to the lab and do the experiments”.
Overall the organisers were delighted with the feedback which is summed up by the following: “My experience was amazing. I had the opportunity to discuss my data with experts in the field and also to learn about a huge variety of topics related to stem cell biology. I have not only broadened my knowledge about stem cell but I also had the opportunity to reflect about some topics that I had never thought about before. I recommend this course to all PhD candidates that are keen on discovering new things and that are willing to expand their scientific network. Learning about so many amazing science stories that started with basic science and ended up in the clinic saving people’s lives made me remember why I started in science in the first place. I am going back to my project very motivated and full of ideas to apply to my research. The summer school is a wonderful experience for all young scientists.”
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