Prior to attending the 32^nd Fungal Genetics Conference in Asilomar, Dr Neriman Yilmaz and Prof. Brenda Wingfield had the privilege of touring Prof. Anne Pringle’s laboratory at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. This visit was facilitated by Prof. Pringle's previous sabbatical at FABI. During the visit, Dr Yilmaz delivered a seminar titled “Unveiling mycotoxins: The intersection of food safety and animal health with a South African perspective” while Prof. Wingfield contributed a seminar titled “A forty-year journey towards understanding the genetics and biology of a poorly understood but increasingly important pine pathogen”.  In addition she taught a mycology class with Prof. Pringle - “African Mycology”.  The visit proved to be highly productive, fostering collaboration with researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, including Prof. Nancy Keller and Dr Emile Gluck-Thaler, and enhancing engagement within the scientific community.