CDW25 Agenda

TENTATIVE – content subject to change as sessions are confirmed! Page updated March 31, 2025

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For more info, contact: 

SC INBRE:  Cyndy Buckhaults, Communications Manager and CDW Event Coordinator

8:30 am: Registrant Check-In and Networking
Walk-ins strongly discouraged. Limited take and go breakfast items available. Beverage Service (coffee, tea, water) available all day. 

Three sessions available: Student Sessions, Career Development Sessions (faculty/staff/postdoc focused) and Grant Writing (faculty/staff/postdoc focused). Sessions are open to anyone. To increase your Workshop experience, feel free to attend the sessions you think will serve your needs the best (you are not locked into any specific track).

Student Sessions, Lumpkin Auditorium

9 am

Gaining Experience
Job Shadowing, Internships, Co-op, Part-time Job

Presenters will speak to students about shadowing and part-time work, as well as about gaining industry experience (shadowing, internships and etc.).

Ashley Hubbard, Manager, Pre-Med/Health Advising, USC Office of Pre-Professional and Graduate Advising

Brie Penaherrera, Manager, Student Employment, USC Office of Pre-Professional and Graduate Advising

10 am

Dazzle ’Em With Style
The Art of Oral Scientific Presentation (Presentation Skills)

Dr. Robert Anholt, Clemson University
Distinguished Professor, Genetics and Biochemistry
Director of Faculty Excellence, College of Science
Author, Dazzle 'Em With Style: The Art of Oral Scientific Presentation

11 am

Career Fair
Reception space behind and around Lumpkin Auditorium

12 noon: Lunch at the Capstone House

Check your name tag for your table assigment. Tables 1-23 will be located in the Campus Room on the 1st Floor; Tables 24-?? will be located in the Carolina Room on the 17th Floor

1:30 pm

Grants and Fellowship Opportunities
How to find funding and fellowship opportunities for students

Dr. Matthew Klopfenstein, University of South Carolina
Director of Professional Development, USC Graduate School

2:30 pm

Getting the most out of your Research Experience
Summer, Fall, Spring - whenever you do research, make sure your experience is the best it can be!

Moderator/Presenter:
Dr. John Wheeler, Furman University
Associate Provost for Integrative Science
Professor, Chemistry
SC INBRE Institution Lead PI at Furman

Student Panelists:
Matt Harrington, Clemson University
Graduate student, Bioengineering

Candice Lawrence, Benedict College
Junior, Biology

 TBA

3:30 pm

Research Papers
I have my data/research – now what? A session on research paper parts, impact factors, etc.

Panelists:
Dr. Heather Dunn, Clemson University
Assistant Professor, Bioengineering

Dr. Nathan Hancock, USC Aiken
Associate Professor, Biological, Environmental and Earth Sciences

Dr. Jessica Larsen, Clemson University
Carol and John Cromer ’63 Family Endowed Associate Professor, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

4:30 pm: Adjourn

Career Development Sessions, Eastview Room

9 am

Mentoring
It's not just for students

Presenter:
Dr. Joshua Ruppel, USC Upsate
Director of Research
Professor, Chemistry
ER(Up)T Program Director
Sponsored Awards and Research Support

10 am

Lab Management 101
Tips and tricks for managing your lab

Panelists:
Dr. Heather Dunn, Clemson University
Assistant Professor, Bioengineering

Dr. Jessica Larsen, Clemson University
Carol and John Cromer ’63 Family Endowed Associate Professor, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

Dr. Anita Nag, USC Upstate
Assistant Professor, Chemistry

11 am

Cores and Collaborations Fair
Reception space behind and around Lumpkin Auditorium

12 noon: Lunch at the Capstone House

Check your name tag for your table assigment. Tables 1-23 will be located in the Campus Room on the 1st Floor; Tables 24-?? will be located in the Carolina Room on the 17th Floor

1:30 pm

Navigating Tenure and Promotion
Learn what to expect from the T&P process

Chair:
Dr. Holly LaVoie, USC School of Medicine Columbia
Professor, Cell Biology and Anatomy
SC INBRE Program Coordinator

Panelists:
(CRU) Dr. Martine LaBerge, Clemson University
Professor, Past Department Chair, Bioengineering
SC INBRE Institution Lead PI at Clemson

(PUI) Dr. William “Bill” Jackson, USC Aiken
Professor, Biology
Department Chair, Biological, Environmental and Earth Sciences
SC INBRE Institution Lead PI at USCA

(PUI) Dr. John Wheeler, Furman University
Associate Provost for Integrative Science
Professor, Chemistry
SC INBRE Institution Lead PI at Furman

2:30 pm

Using AI in Research and Education

Incorporating AI into your research program and classroom

Presenter:
April Heyward, Medical University of South Carolina
Assistant Professor, Academic Affairs Faculty
Director, Artificial Intelligence Integration and Creative Learning, CATL

3:30 pm

Thinking Outside the Box
A Town Hall-format focused on how to meet challenges...
– at a PUI (Eastview Room)
– at a CRU (Executive II) 

PUI Moderdator:
Dr. Austin Shull, Presbyterian College
Assistant Professor, Biology
Director, PC Center for Inquiry, Research and Scholarship

CRU Moderdator:
TBA

4:30 pm: Adjourn

Grant Writing Sessions, Westview Room

9 am

Diversifying your Funding Portfolio
NIH Funding Overview and how to find alternative funding opportunities

10 am

Staying Current with NIH
Reading NOFOs, Forms and Formats (i.e. FORMS-H/I, Biosketches, Just In Time).

11 am

Cores and Collaborations Fair
Reception space behind and around Lumpkin Auditorium

12 noon: Lunch at the Capstone House

Check your name tag for your table assigment. Tables 1-23 will be located in the Campus Room on the 1st Floor; Tables 24-?? will be located in the Carolina Room on the 17th Floor

1:30 pm

NIH-based Mock Study Section
What it is, how a study section work and functions – the mechanics of how a grant is reviewed

Moderator:
Dr. Hai Yao, Clemson University
Associate Vice President for Biomedical Innovation
Professor and Ernest R. Norville Endowed Chair, Bioengineering
Associate Chair for CU-MUSC Bioengineering Program
PI/Program Director, SC TRIMH COBRE

Panelists:
Dr. Angela Murphy, USC School of Medicine Columbia
Professor, Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology

Dr. Lorne Hofseth, University of South Carolina
Professor, Drug Discovery & Biomedical Sciences
Associate Dean for Research, College of Pharmacy

2:30 pm

Interpreting Reviews and How to get a grant review
What reviews/summaries look like and how to improve your reviews

Panelists:
Dr. Carole Oskeritzian, USC School of Medicine Columbia
Professor, Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology
President, South Carolina Academy of Science

More TBA

3:30 pm

Thinking Outside the Box
A Town Hall-format focused on how to meet challenges...
– at a PUI (Eastview Room)
– at a CRU (Executive II) 

PUI Moderdator:
Dr. Austin Shull, Presbyterian College
Assistant Professor, Biology
Director, PC Center for Inquiry, Research and Scholarship

CRU Moderdator:
TBA

4:30 pm: Adjourn