I’ve never heard of Eastern Michigan University. Tell me more about it.

Eastern Michigan University is a regional public university located in Ypsilanti, MI. EMU serves students from all over the world, but most EMU students come from Michigan and nearby states. EMU gained its first C. elegans lab when Hannah Seidel joined the Biology Department in 2016. The Biology Department now uses C. elegans in one of its core labs for biology majors.

How big should my poster be?

Posters should be no larger than 60” wide by 42” high.

Posters will be mounted to foam boards, ~60” x 42” in size. The boards can be rotated in either direction (i.e. long-direction vertical or long-direction horizontal). For those of you who have posters slightly larger than 42” in the short dimension, it is acceptable for the poster to hang off the board by a few inches.

How long should my talk be?

We will determine the length of oral presentations once we know the number of requests for talks. For now, we estimate that talks will be ~15 min each.

Each presenter will have a total 14 minutes (11-12 min for the presentation + 2-3 min for questions).

Do you have any tips for giving a good talk?

1) Craft your talk for a broad audience. Keep in mind that your audience will include many people who are unfamiliar with your area of research. Make sure that your talk will be able to reach everyone in the audience.

2) Don’t try to fit too much information onto each slide. Don’t try to fit too many slides into your talk. Teach less and the audience will learn more.

3) Practice! Practice your talk for your lab before the meeting and make any changes they suggest.

What is the history of the Midwest C. elegans meeting?

The Midwest C. elegans meeting started in 2013 at Hope College in Holland, MI. The meeting later moved to the Van Andel Research Institute in Grand Rapids, MI. This year the meeting will be held at Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, MI. In future years, the meeting might stay at Eastern Michigan University or it might move to a new location. If you are interested in hosting the meeting at your institution, please contact Hannah Seidel (hseidel at emich.edu) or Erika Sorensen (sorensee at wabash.edu)

Why do I have to pay a registration fee? Last time the meeting was free.

We sincerely wish we could offer the meeting for free. Unfortunately, EMU does not have funds to cover the cost of the meeting.

How do you pronounce “Ypsilanti”?

Ypsilanti is pronounced ip-si-LAN-tee. Locals call it Ypsi (IP-see) for short.

Will I see any nationally ranked, historic landmarks at the meeting?

Yes! The meeting is located across the street from the Ypsilanti Water Tower, a historic landmark that won this award.

I’d like to stay in Ypsilanti for dinner. Where should I eat?

Locals recommend Sidetrack Bar & Grill, especially for its sweet potato fries. Other recommendations are The Wurst Bar and ABC Microbrewery.

I need a hotel. Where should I stay?

The closest hotels in order of proximity to the meeting are the following:

Parish House Inn, 103 South Huron Street Ypsilanti, Michigan 48197, (734) 480-4800

Ann Arbor Marriott Ypsilanti at Eagle Crest, 1275 S Huron Street, Ypsilanti, Michigan 48197, (734) 487-2000

Ann Arbor Regent Hotel and Suites, 2455 Carpenter Rd, Ann Arbor, MI 48108, (734) 973-6100

Comfort Inn & Suites, 2376 Carpenter Rd, Ann Arbor, MI 48108, (734) 477-9977

Days Inn Ann Arbor, 2380 Carpenter Rd, Ann Arbor, MI 48108, (734) 971-0700