Svanninge Bjerge Research Station and the beautiful surroundings near Faaborg provided the framework for the first annual meeting in ATLAS, which took place June 18-19, 2018. The meeting served several purposes: not only did the retreat provide optimal basis for scientific discussions, it was at the same time an important social event, where many of our center members met each other for the first time. During two days each group presented the current status and research plans, and four members of our International Scientific Advisory Board (see below) provided their input and suggestions to our projects. The outcome of the annual meeting was a sharpened focus and excellent ideas for ATLAS.
During the retreat, science was mixed with other activities, such as walk'n'talk and a set of team building activities that forced the center members to draw on other skills than strictly scientific ones to solve a set of problems, such as building the tallest tower using only plastic straws and adhesive tape (see photo).
The participating four members of our International Scientific Advisory Board were Ormond MacDougald (University of Michigan, USA), James Granneman (Wayne State University, Detroit, USA), M. Madan Babu (MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK), and Torben Hansen (University of Copenhagen, DK). They generously shared their knowledge and expertise, and their affiliation with ATLAS opens up for exciting collaborations and exchanges of researchers.
We look very much forward to the next ATLAS Annual Meeting in 2019!