In March, the team visited the quaint city of Durham and attended the AFM & SPM Meeting 2024.
We started the exciting week off with a graduate school where we gained hands on experience on AFMs from various companies, a brilliant way to gain insight on the capabilities and advancements in AFM technology, in addition to lectures on the statistics for data analysis. The main conference revolved around AFM and SPM, covering a wide range of topics in Life and Biological Sciences, Materials Sciences and Energy, and Hardware, Software and Data Analysis.
During the session on Life and Biological Sciences, Tom gave his talk titled “Determining DNA Damage by Atomic Force Microscopy”, providing insight on how powerful combining AFM with TopoStats, our program for automated tracing of biomolecules from AFM images, can be for advancing DNA topology research. His talk generated lots of interest from the audience!
Tom speaking at the Life and Biological Sciences session on “Determining DNA Damage by Atomic Force Microscopy”
Along with Tom’s talk, we had the privilege of attending numerous talks that captivated our attention with their thought-provoking content. We found ourselves deeply engaged and inspired by the diverse range of topics that were covered, leaving each of us with new ideas and perspectives to ponder. Amongst the speakers was Wei Feng Xue who performed structural analysis of helical filaments using three-dimensional contact point reconstruction AFM and Paolo Actis who demonstrated how AFM can be used for single molecule delivery into living cells.
We finished the days off with a poster session that bridged researchers from various fields, enabling us all to engage in in-depth discussions and broaden our knowledge on the potential of AFM in a plethora of research fields. During these sessions, Libby, Sylvia, Tobi and Laura were able to present their research to the community, allowing them to exchange insight with other researchers and provoke fruitful discussions on their respective research projects.
It came as no surprise during the conference dinner when Sylvia and Libby were awarded the 1st and 3rd prize, respectively, for their outstanding poster presentations, a well-deserved recognition from their peers and the judging panel.
Sylvia (left) and Libby (right) awarded with the 1st and 3rd poster prizes, respectively.
The conference was both enjoyable and enlightening. Engaging with cutting-edge research, networking with fellow researchers and participating in thought-provoking conversations have enriched our understanding and inspired our research moving forward.
