Einstein Program in RNA Biology Awarded RNA Society Sponsorship
In November 2022, Robert Singer, Ph.D., director of Einstein’s Program in RNA Biology, teamed with colleagues Weihan Li, Ph.D., Dong-Woo Hwang, Ph.D., and Sulagna Das, Ph.D. to establish the Einstein RNA Club. Their objective was to offer fellow College of Medicine researchers and others working with RNA a platform for discussing and presenting on RNA biology.
Founders of Einstein’s RNA Club (from left) Drs. Sulagna Das, Weihan Li, Dong-woo Hwang, and Robert Singer
In recognition of their efforts, the RNA Society, whose aim is to foster research and education in the field of RNA science, awarded the club $1,500. These funds will support recurring local and/or regional RNA science-based gatherings offered by the club and held at the College of Medicine. The society also provided Einstein’s RNA Club with three, one-year RNA Society memberships. (More on that later.)
It all began when Rob—who is professor of cell biology and of neuroscience, as well as emeritus co-chair of Einstein’s former department of anatomy and structural biology—established Einstein’s RNA Program. “Our objective was to offer fellow College of Medicine researchers and others in the New York area working with RNA a platform for discussing and presenting on RNA biology,” he said. “A longer term goal is to obtain grant funding and philanthropy for a Center for RNA Biology and Therapeutics.”
From there, he and Singer lab members Weihan, Dong-Woo, and Sulagna founded the Einstein RNA Club.
“With our club’s sponsorship from the RNA Society, we plan to organize three RNA seminars and a one-day symposium during 2023,” noted Weihan. The seminars will feature the work of junior scientists at Einstein, as well as researchers from other institutions. They will be offered both in-person, in the Forchheimer fifth-floor lecture hall, or virtually via Zoom.
The Einstein RNA Symposium will be an annual, in-person event held in the College of Medicine’s Robbins Auditorium. Open to RNA biologists from throughout the greater New York City area, it will feature two keynote speakers along with research presentations by 20 trainee-level scientists whose work will be selected from submitted abstracts. The event will also offer a poster session, through which researchers can present their work. As a bonus—here’s the “more later” promised earlier—those selected for best poster awards, of which there will be three, will each receive one of the memberships generously provided by the RNA Society.
The RNA Society is an international scientific society, established in 1993 with more than 1,800 members. Its peer-reviewed journal RNA highlights experimental results and emerging concepts in ribonucleic acid research. The society website notes, “Mostly, we are a community of scientists who are passionate about better understanding the fascinating world of RNA biology.”
Now, thanks to the society’s award to the Einstein RNA Club, members of the Einstein community can benefit from broader discussions on RNA biology, through the seminars, symposium, and other internal activities planned by the club. If you’re interested in knowing more about the club or in taking part in club activities, email Weihan at weihan.li@einsteinmed.edu.
Posted on: Tuesday, February 28, 2023