FABI students and staff shine at Bio2022 Conference 2022-05-13
The South African Society for Bioinformatics (SASBi) and the South African Genetics Society (SAGS) held their first joint hybrid conference at the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (STIAS) from 24-27 April 2022. The theme of the Bio2022 conference was ‘Bioscience, Big Data and The Fourth Industrial Revolution’. FABI was well-represented, with seven staff members and ten postgraduate students in attendance. As executive council members of SAGS, Prof. Sanushka Naidoo (President), Prof. Irene Barnes (Vice-President) and Prof. Steven Hussey (Secretary) played prominent roles leading up to and during the meeting. The conference provided an excellent opportunity for researchers to present their work to their peers. The quality and impact of the research being conducted at FABI was evident during presentations by, amongst others, Prof. Dave Berger, Dr Nanette Christie, Leandri Klynsmith, Carla Buitendag, Hannes Strydom and Tanya Welgemoed. Staff members and students from FABI were honoured with medals and awards at the gala dinner on 27 April. Professor Hussey won the SAGS silver medal and Mary Ranketse was awarded with the prize for the best poster. The Fourth Industrial Revolution creates exciting opportunities in the field of Biosciences, and FABI is well equipped to spearhead research during this important era.