The Rutgers Conference for Rising Stars in Graduate Research, a scientific training platform designed to empower graduate students in research-based fields, has secured a donation from PTC Therapeutics. PTC Therapeutics is a global biopharmaceutical company that discovers, developments and commercializes clinically differentiated medicines that provide benefits to children and adults living with rare disorders. This marks the conference's first industry sponsorship, a major milestone for the event, which held its second annual gathering on March 3.
This successful fundraising effort was spearheaded by Barbara Gruszka, a neuroscience PhD student in the Oldenburg Lab and next years’ conference committee leader. Following a one-year internship with PTC’s Talent Pipeline Program, Barbara worked as a Research Associate for PTC’s Pharmacology and Biomarkers Team before starting her PhD at Rutgers.
The Rutgers University Conference for Rising Stars in Graduate Research provides an accessible and authentic scientific presentation platform for graduate students who may have limited or no prior conference experience. This unique opportunity allows them to showcase their research and build valuable presentation skills in a supportive environment. This year, the conference drew more than 125 attendees, featured 28 poster presentations, 2 plenary speakers, and 6 student talks.
The conference was founded by Dr. Shawn Rumrill (Arnold Lab) and Dr. Liisa Veerus (Blaser Lab), who were awarded the RBHS-IDEA Innovation Grant ($2,000) for their proposal in 2023. In addition to PTC Therapeutics' contribution, the conference is also supported by the Rutgers Health IDEA Innovation Grant, the Graduate Student Association, the Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine, and numerous vendor sponsorships, showcasing a broad commitment to fostering the next generation of scientific leaders.
Learn more about the Rising Stars Conference and how you can support future events by reaching out to rising_stars@cabm.rutgers.edu.