Celebrating Euro-BioImaging’s Scientific Ambassadors
December 17, 2024
EVOLVE
Scientific Ambassadors
In March 2024, Euro-BioImaging onboarded the first pilot cohort of Scientific Ambassadors, a group of 12 highly motivated individuals whose dedication and passion for imaging really set them apart. Chosen to help spread the word about Euro-BioImaging and open access to imaging, our Scientific Ambassadors have gone above and beyond our expectations in only six months. With 20+ outreach activities in 10 countries, here are some highlights from the activities our scientific ambassadors engaged in. Join us in a huge round of applause for the Ambassadors, and many thanks to those at our Nodes who supported their work.
Alice Abbondanza, Institute of Physiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences
As Scientific Ambassador for Euro-BioImaging based in Prague, Alice met with Ales Benda and Daniela Klimesova of the Prague Node early in her Ambassador experience. They invited her to attend the Photons, Electrons and Sausages event organised by IMG Prague/Czech BioImaging in July 2024. Alice had a Euro-BioImaging booth at this event, where she shared goodies and spoke with the user community about Euro-BioImaging. While she was there, she recorded an interview with a Euro-BioImaging user, Chaturanga D. Bandara, producing a video that is on the Euro-BioImaging YouTube channel. In addition, she presented a poster at the ECNP Congress in Milan, which brings together psychiatrists, neuroscientists, neurologists, and psychologists from around the world. There, she talked about Euro-BioImaging! Thank you so much, Alice, for all of your efforts!
Interview with Chaturanga D. Bandara, video by Alice:
Christian Dullin, University Medical Center Göttingen
As Euro-BioImaging Scientific Ambassador, Christian Dullin attended EMIM 2024 and spread the word about open access to imaging expertise at Euro-BioImaging Nodes in his talk and also during the coffee breaks. In addition, Christian Dullin ensured that new developments at Euro-BioImaging’s Phase Contrast Node to push the resolution of phase contrast CT imaging will be available to all users in open access via the Euro-BioImaging web portal. He also contributed to a review panel to select Euro-BioImaging Node staff who would benefit from the EVOLVE-funded job shadowing programme. These are fantastic initiatives and we thank Christian for his contributions!
Read about these exciting technology advancements.
Nikita Kaydanov, EMBL Heidelberg
Nikita Kaydanov gave a science outreach talk on behalf of Euro-BioImaging at the ArtScience Symposium in Brussels. This involved explaining bioimaging tools to a general audience, including those used in Euro-BioImaging’s Inner Cosmos video, which was part of the exhibit area at the symposium. In addition, Nikita helped Euro-BioImaging with the evaluation of Job Shadowing applications from the Euro-BioImaging Node community.
Elina Mäntylä, Tampere University
As Scientific Ambassador, Elina did a lot to raise the visibility of Euro-BioImaging with the scientific community and industry in Finland. She took advantage of her role as Editor of the Finnish Journal for Cell Biology (Finnish Society for Cell Biology, Suomen Solubiologit - SSB) to publish an article entitled “Euro-BioImaging: Rajoja Rikkovaa Biokuvantamista” (in Finnish) to raise the visibility of Euro-BioImaging with the local Finnish cell biology community.
She then presented Euro-BioImaging at the SSB Life Science Business & Innovation Seminar in October 2024 (see photo above, photo courtesy of SBB) and organised a seminar between the life sciences community and local businesses that took place in Tampere in November 2024 with ~200 registered participants (learn more), where she presented Euro-BioImaging and its services for students, industry users and life science entrepreneurs. In addition, she attended the “From Imaging Nobel to AI Future” in Turku, Finland, where she met in person with colleagues from the Euro-BioImaging Seat, who organised the event with Stefan Hell. We appreciate all of her efforts!
Muriel Mari, Aarhus University
Muriel had two clear objectives she wanted to achieve as Euro-BioImaging Scientific Ambassador - one, to raise the awareness of researchers at her home institute (Aarhus University) about Euro-BIoImaging and Danish BioImaging, and two, to raise awareness of Euro-BioImaging with global contacts. So, she met with Clara Prats, the Danish BioImaging Director and organised several events internally to talk about Euro-BioImaging. Together with Danish BioImaging colleagues, she is planning a bigger in-person event to highlight Euro-BioImaging at Aarhus University in 2025. She also presented Euro-BioImaging and Global BioImaging to the UNAM and NUST (Namibia Universities) and will represent Euro-BioImaging and Global BioImaging at the COMULIS Globe Conference at Stellenbosch University in January 2025. She also presented Euro-BioImaging with the autophagy community at the SEFAGIA Conference in Spain in 2024. She then visited Euro-BioImaging’s Dutch CLEM Node and has planned an interview with Erin Tranfield, part of Euro-BioImaging’s Flemish BioImaging Node (FlaBI) to raise awareness of the Tech EM group she animates with experts from the Electron Microscopy community.
Andrada Q. Marran, self-employed
As Scientific Ambassador, Andrada attended the Open Days - Digital Pathology event organised by the Institut Pasteur, where she met with members of the Image Data Analysis team at Euro-BioImaging’s France-BioImaging Node. She also wrote the text for Euro-BioImaging’s future Wikipedia article and is currently becoming a Wikipedia editor so she can implement the text. We really appreciate her efforts to create and implement this page!
Taissa Ricciardi-Jorge, Pirbright Institute
Taissa actively represented Euro-BioImaging at a number of events this year, including during her scientific talk at the Microbiology Society meeting in Edinburgh, Scotland. She also explained her role as Scientific Ambassador during an internal seminar at the Pirbright Institute. Taissa printed Euro-BioImaging posters, and brochures and talked about Euro-BioImaging at the “Imaging Viruses in Cells” event that was hosted by the Pirbright Institute in November 2024. Thank you, Taissa, for raising the visibility of Euro-BioImaging with your scientific community and home institute!
Magdalena Schindler, EMBL Heidelberg
A native of Vienna, Magdalena (Lena) Schindler visited the Austrian BioImaging/CMI Node of Euro-BioImaging as a Scientific Ambassador. Accompanied by Austrian BioImaging/CMI Director, Baubak Bajoghli, Lena undertook a scientific sightseeing tour of her hometown, visiting seven facilities of the Node and undertaking a number of interviews with core facility staff and researchers there. Her interviews resulted in a series of articles published on the Euro-BioImaging and Austrian BioImaging/CMI websites - and a beautiful magazine that was printed and distributed at all of the hosting institutions of the Austrian BioImaging/CMI Node. Great job, Lena, and many thanks to Baubak for the time and energy invested in this project!
Read the article "Touring Austrian BioImaging"
Read the Austrian BioImaging/CMI magazine
Beata Siemiątkowska, The Nencki Institute
As Scientific Ambassador for Euro-BioImaging, Beata undertook a number of projects. First, she oversaw a video series featuring the Laboratory of Imaging Tissue Structure and Function at the Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology PAS in Warsaw, Poland, which is part of Euro-BioImaging’s Advanced Light Microscopy Node Poland. This series includes interviews with Natalia Nowak and Artur Wolny - Technicians at the facility - as well as her own introductory video. In addition, she attended the FEBS Congress in Milan, where she presented a poster highlighting Euro-BioImaging and met with Euro-BioImaging Hub team member, Daniela Aviles Huerta. Thank you, Beata, for all you have done to raise awareness of the Polish Node of Euro-BioImaging and our infrastructure as a whole.
Alexandros Sofias Marias, RWTH Aachen University Hospital
As chair of the Image Guided Drug Delivery (IGDD) ESMI Study Groups, Alexandros Sofias Marias had many opportunities to spread the word about Euro-BioImaging. He attended EMIM 2024 and represented Euro-BioImaging at the event. In 2025, he is organising a special session about Euro-BioImaging at EMIM in collaboration with the Euro-BioImaging Med-Hub team. We look forward to this event and thank Alexandros for all he has done so far to raise the visibility of Euro-BioImaging ERIC.
Judith Weber, Charité Berlin
Judith Weber made time in her busy teaching schedule to talk about Euro-BioImaging whenever possible. She will continue working as an ambassador until 2025 and hopes to be involved in writing user interview articles, to highlight the work of users at Euro-BioImaging Med Nodes.
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