The 2018 International Student Research Forum (ISRF) was held at the Gold Coast campus of Griffith University from June 24 to 28, 2018. More than 70 PhD candidates and faculty attended the forum, including students from University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS), University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), Griffith University (GU), University of Southern Denmark (SDU), and Simon Fraser University (SFU).
The ISRF, started by UCAS and the University of Tokyo, was first held in 2004. It provides doctoral students in the life sciences and medical sciences a platform for exchanging research work and ideas. The forum has been successfully held over the past 13 years, attracting more than a thousand outstanding students and educators. The forum strengthens cooperation and cultural exchanges between the attendees.
ISRF 2018 was divided into several sessions with topics in molecular medicine and biology, epidemiology and public health, infectious disease and immunology, molecular medicine and biology & epidemiology and public health, neuroscience, biomedical imaging & natural science, nanocology, and carcinogenesis & natural science.
Wanying Qin gave a lecture entitled “WD40-1, A Multifaceted Protein, Plays a Crucial Role in Lipid/Glucose Metabolism.” She presented previous research from her lab based on in vitro studies as well as her own advanced results from animal experiments, and explained the possible mechanisms of WD40-1, a protein involved in energy metabolism. Many interesting questions were raised after her presentation for which she provided detailed answers.
Hairong Luo gave a presentation titled “A battle or balance between morphology and molecule in term of species diversity of flatfishes.,” which was enthusiastically received.
During the forum, the organizers arranged a visit to the Institute for Glycomics and Menzies Health, Griffith University. As students from different backgrounds, we shared our views not only on research but also on cultural differences, which widely broadened our horizons and offered us an opportunity to make new friends.