Journey through two lenses: SDB meeting 2026

The first time I went to an SDB meeting as a new PhD student was in 2016. This year at the annual meeting in Las Vegas, I couldn’t believe that it had been 10 years since I first went. I can still remember my first meeting, I knew very little about developmental biology (having never even taken a developmental biology course), and I definitely didn’t know many people either. I just knew my mentor Robb and a few folks from Stowers. There was one familiar face from there, who I really tried to just follow and have coffee with, who I know thought, gosh, why can’t this person leave me alone? We became friends over time and now this is something we just laugh about.

As a first-timer, I was in awe of all the science that is being done and being done on all the different organisms. Even more fascinating was how people just seem to know each other. I also kept hearing “embryo such-and-such-year” and had absolutely no clue what that was. What I particularly remember from my first year though is the feeling of being welcomed into a group. Everyone seemed busy (and now I know that it is because they are catching up with friends), but if you reached out and spoke to them you could see the nice human behind the great scientist. That first meeting, I got pictures with people who write developmental biology textbooks, I got invited to a dinner and met some amazing folks. I don’t think they even remember, but they introduced me to a whole new world. I saw how passionate these developmental biologists were, how much history and depth this field had, and I saw how happy everyone was in just being at the meeting.

Since then, the venue of the conference has constantly changed, and I have liked some places more than others, but the joy of being a part of this Society for Developmental Biology has never faded. I have over the years, on instances felt more people can be included for giving talks because, honestly, sometimes it has felt like the same folks are giving talks every time. This SDB meeting though, I was particularly excited to see the variety in the different types of talks and in the great number of different labs that were represented. Also, to me personally, it is usually amazing watching trajectories for how some organisms become great research systems and in hearing career stories about different scientific paths, especially through award lectures. This year, it was especially delightful listening to the presidential and award lecture talks, each one having you hooked and wanting to know more. My new favorite plant now is the flowering Arabidopsis in a little eppendorf tube. I also got to learn about a new species, work on which started when the pandemic shutdown hit, showing me signs of both scientific resilience and human curiosity at its finest.

I heard a lot of short talks. Some from established scientists with their beautiful stories that motivate me to get to that point someday. Some talks from trainees, and I could see the proud mentors, mentors who just a few years ago were giving their own faculty talks as they went on the job market. Throughout the meeting, I was inspired by the art and science merger in so many different forms; the art show with its variety of pieces, the collection of organism chips (and the subsequent drawing on your own chip), and even in the the becoming of art yourself (the sheer living ephemeral beauty of such a venture). I saw graduate students shyly reaching out to people for potential future postdocs (I would encourage trainees to reach out to people during or before even to show your poster. I saw postdocs networking as they begin job searches. I witnessed the happy adventure story sharing of everyone who has been to the MBL (Marine Biological laboratory). This for folks who don’t know is also where the echo of “embryo” comes from, which year you took the embryology course is you being embryo of that year. Having been at MBL for a year and getting to meeting so many friends was already special, but I got to capture everyone present at the gathering through the vantage point of a spiral staircase. I also captured, through my camera lens, the SDB presidents past, present, and future, and got to interact with such a neat group of people that brings the community such a beautiful meeting and continues to bring such amazing resources for trainees at all levels. I have seen, and also through firsthand experience gained from, the many neat programs the society brings to the community. At the annual SDB meeting, all the cohorts from these different programs get to have get-togethers and experience the joy of being in one space, in the happy bubble of development et al. There are the little ones who are just starting out (Choose Development Fellows), the postdocs needing to venture on their own (GetHired), the new faculty trying not get lost (New Faculty Bootcamp), and all the folks who want to learn from experts on making scientific exchange accessible to more (Science communication internship).

Being in Robb’s lab introduced me to this fascinating world of developmental biology and I wouldn’t have it any other way. The SDB meeting over the years has taught me so much as I continue this journey. I have attended a session with expert panelists talking about publishing, seen theatrical enactments of current issues in the field, and also had a chance once to give a chalk talk after doing the GetHired program. I still have the encouraging post-it notes from that time, and watching others give their chalk talks was something I really missed this year. Then there is the beauty that tops it all, in all the amazing science that one gets to hear. I tell myself every year that I will just sit in one session and listen to all the talks there. In an ideal world I’d like to listen to all the talks, but that clearly doesn’t happen. The night before, as I look through the schedule, I always realize there are some “I must attend” talks, some “I really would like to attend” talks, and some “ahh if there were three of me, I would just go to each concurrent session” talks. This conundrum, then inadvertently has me always bouncing between sessions, and as I migrate from session to session, I see that I am not alone. A lot of us become geeky birds flocking to one neat session after another, rushing to make sure we don’t miss a talk, jotting notes and questions, scanning the schedule to make sure we have the correct room for the next one, and smiling in the hallways as we pass or follow each other.

This year was special for me in multiple ways, but particularly in two ways. One was my eye lens watching the scientific beauty on screen, listening, learning new concepts and advancements in science, and jotting down all my questions. Some that I got to ask, and some that I think I might just email to ask. The other personal joy in the meeting was through another lens – my camera lens which had me pausing to appreciate the buzz going on around me. I went around taking pictures of friends, previous years it has been with selfies and this year it was through capturing some friendships in time. At some points, I felt I was being paparazzi to some science gurus. Some other of my lens captures were the little exchanges of “I loved your talk and I have a question”, of snapping the different physical memoirs of model organism that people showcased through t-shirts, earrings, necklaces, bracelets, bag tags, etc, and then some captures were of the adorable “this is my first time and I am camera shy” or “let me grab a friend” and then we are game for a picture. For all who allowed my camera lens, I wanted to say that it was an honor to see and be a part of your beautiful smiles and scientific exchanges.

Taking pictures at the meeting taught me that I am maybe sometimes a little impatient (sorry if anyone felt annoyed at my picture-taking interruption), that I can be very quick at capturing and recognizing moments (hoping this also translates into my science lab adventures), and that there is just so much beauty in how we scientifically inclined humans interact. We continue to nurture, share, and guide each other, and I really hope that this always stays at the core of the community that SDB has built. I am so thankful to Richard and Marsha for allowing me this opportunity to be the official photographer at the meeting, and so thankful to all the many folks for the coffee, lunch, and dinner happy times during the meeting. You all made my meeting a constant happy buzz that my brain enjoyed and will gleefully remember. The bright flashing lights of Vegas definitely are pale in comparison to the bright happy exchanges I had with you all at the meeting. I got to enjoy the meeting through two lenses this year and it couldn’t have become more special.
Thank you thank you!!

Signed
Developing developmental biologist
and SDB 2026’s official photographer

To browse through some of the meeting fun, here are some pictures: SDB 2026 pictures