Connecting Microbiome Communities (CMiC)

Connecting Microbiome Communities (CMiC) is organized by Society for Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology (SIMB) and will be held from Nov 03 - 06, 2024 at Wyndham San Diego Bayside, San Diego, California, United States of America.

Description:
A new microbiome conference aimed at Connecting Microbiome Communities (CMiC), the microbes and those that study them. Looking to integrate across ecosystems (human, environment, laboratory) and sectors (academia, government, industry), CMiC is a place to explore common challenges, create shared solutions, and establish new collaborations.

The goal of this meeting is to bring together microbiome researchers from across the spectrum of ecosystems and sectors, in an open and inclusive environment so we can explore shared challenges and learn tips and tricks from each other to tackle them. Even better if we make new friends and collaborators!

For this inaugural meeting, we have assembled a diverse Program Committee, with an effort to represent the array of career stages, geographic locations, sectors, and demographics. And although this is a SIMB meeting, we also have representation from 3 other societies: American Society for Microbiology, Applied Microbiology International, and the Korean Society for Microbiology and Biotechnology!

The program kicks off with science sessions covering Biodiversity and Ecology and Structure and Function, then moves into Bioinformatics and Machine Learning, and finally an applied session on Engineering Microbiomes for Health, Ag, and Industry. We will also review Opportunities and Challenges towards a Sustainable Bioecology and a session on Policy, Advocacy, and Regulation.

Interspersed among the sessions will be several Townhalls and Birds of a Feathers forums, with the goal of encouraging more engagement and a deeper conversation around key topics that may create barriers to cross-microbiome/sector collaborations. When you register, please identify which topics you would most like to explore!

We also tried to design CMiC to be welcome and encouraging for students and early career researchers to have a broader exposure to options and opportunities. We will have a classical poster session, with the ability for several poster presenters to have a chance to present a flash talk during the presentation sessions. I have found that this really raises interest and engagement during the poster sessions.