Annual Winter School: Gatineau, P.Q.

From January 25th to 27th 2007, over 60 members of the Highly Qualified Personnel Association (HQPA) took part in AFMNet"s first Winter School. The underlying theme of the event was Training and involved sessions pertinent to the future of all HQP. Taking place in the lovely city of Gatineau, Quebec, the HQP experienced an up front approach to career development, media relations, commercialization and writing strategies by day while sampling a taste of culture from our Nation"s capital by night.

The first two days of the 3-day event focused on Industry and Academia. Speakers from day 1 engaged HQP with an academic perspective on career opportunities. Presentations by Rickey Yada, David Castle, Gary Slater, Peter Jones and Richard Bazinet captivated the HQP and left them anxious for interaction during the speaker panel session later in the day. The day concluded with a trip to the National Museum of Civilizations where HQP explored the evolution of ancient civilizations, societies, sports and even postage.

Day 2 speakers examined the indispensable relationship industry shares with academia. The day began with a discussion of public relations with invited speaker Milly Ryan-Harshman who enlightened the HQP in what is actually meant by 'Off the record.' This led into the second and third sessions of the day focused on commercialization. Drawing on examples within the Network, Jeff Turner and Brett Poulis highlighted a successful AFMNet commercialization originating from the academic world. To close the presentations, Fred Nesrallah captivated the HQP with his "Get That Job" session where he examined common misconceptions associated with employment. Following the presentations, the floor opened up for the HQPA to voice their opinions on the effectiveness of the program. After a supportive brainstorming session, the HQP were left to explore the local attractions. Some ventured into the Ottawa Marketplace while others sought to beat the house at the local casino.

The final day of the meeting offered insight into AFMNet's Theme 3 research focused on Genetics, Ethics, Economics, Environment, Law and Society (GE3LS). Tim Caulfield started the day off with an explanation of the Ethics in Industry Funded Research. Using an interactive approach, Tim identified concepts previously foreign to the predominantly scientific group. Nola Ries offered further insight into the use of biotechnology in the food industry within Canada. The whole experience proved to be a resounding success, and AFMNet would like to extend its greatest thanks to all those who participated.