Priyamedha Sengupta, Postdoctoral Researcher, Centre of Research on Agricultural Genomics (CRAG), Spain, and Junior Member IS-MPMI Board of Directors
Welcome to our new miniseries on science outreach and communication! Over the next three issues, Dr. Priyamedha Sengupta, postdoctoral researcher, will tell us about her journey into plant-microbe outreach and communication. Why is communicating our science so important? Because, as Priya says, "Given the rampant misinformation about sustainable crop improvement strategies, it is critical that scientists step forward and communicate the importance of their work to the general population."
I am Priyamedha Sengupta, postdoctoral researcher at the Centre of Research on Agricultural Genomics (CRAG), Spain, and junior member of the IS-MPMI Board of Directors. Coincidentally, I have been affiliated with institutions having the letter C in their names (University of Calcutta, India, M.S. degree in botany 2017; University of Cologne, Germany, Ph.D. degree in natural sciences 2023). My research primarily involves good and bad (but never ugly) microbes of Arabidopsis thaliana.
Breaking the First Wall
Having finished updating my lab journal on a Friday afternoon, I threw a quick glance at my inbox to find the university newsletter. Among the usual features on University of Cologne services and EU research funding opportunities, there was mention of an event called Falling Walls Lab. What captured my attention was that every participant was required to make a 3-min pitch (more popularly known as an elevator pitch). My instant thought was 'Oh fun! I am going to check it out.' So, I visited the portal and applied to participate in the Falling Walls Lab Rhineland 2019. After applying (yes, and not before), I went to find out more about the Falling Walls foundation. To my utter surprise, I saw a picture of former Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel seated in the front row of the previous year's Falling Walls Conference in Berlin. I came to know that the Falling Walls Conference is a renowned multidisciplinary gathering of individuals from science, industry, economics, politics, and nearly every topic of societal importance (https://falling-walls.com). Naturally, I berated myself for having wasted an hour in applying for such a high-profile event in which a first-year Ph.D. student stood little chance of qualifying. Setting up a PCR reaction might have been more beneficial, I thought to myself.
A few weeks later, I received an email from the organizing committee of Falling Walls Lab Rhineland that my application to present in the regional round was selected. They provided a guideline for preparing our pitch, which would consist of two PowerPoint slides—one highlighting the problem and another providing the solution. For the problem, I focused on how plant diseases caused by pathogenic microorganisms can lead to severe consequences, such as the Irish famine (1845–1852). For the solution, I prepared a comic with Tom and Jerry (and Spike, the bulldog) to explain microbial antagonism of pathogens—the topic of my Ph.D. project on yeast antagonizing oomycete in the Arabidopsis thaliana leaf surface. My supervisor, Prof. Gunther Doehlemann, provided some great feedback to ensure I stayed within the 2-min, 30-s time frame (the remaining 30 s was reserved for questions). The event took place on September 12, 2019, on the main campus of the University of Cologne, a mere 5-min walk from my institution. However, it was one of the more anxious and intimidating 5-min stroll of my life. Once I arrived, I felt a bit relaxed, having chatted with fellow participants and organizers. Big screens showcasing our presentations were set up at the Aula (auditorium) and a rather visible timer counting down from 3 min. It was surprising how quickly a total of 17 presentations went by. I made my pitch within 2 min, which allowed me to interact with the jury for another minute. Afterward, we all met for a short coffee break and gathered back in the auditorium for the announcement of the results. I am always going to cherish the moment when the organizer, Oliver Höing said, "I hope I pronounce the name of the winner correctly," which led me to wonder, "Could it be me with the complicated (even by Indian standards) name?"
I am ever so grateful to Falling Walls Lab Rhineland for the honor and for acknowledging the importance of plant-microbe interactions. The next step for me was the Falling Walls Conference in Berlin, which is held every year during the first weeks of November, coinciding with the dates of the actual fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989. I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Berlin, where the first two days included training activities for Falling Walls participants from all over the world, including visits to prominent universities and research institutions in Berlin. Incidentally, it was the 30th anniversary of the fall of Berlin Wall. Finally, I presented my pitch, "Breaking the Wall of Microbial Invasion in Plant Protection," on November 8, 2019, representing both India and Germany on a global stage. To this day it feels surreal, as to how a spontaneous decision on a summer afternoon gave me one of the biggest exposures in life. In case I have piqued your interest, the pitch is available on the Falling Walls Lab YouTube channel (https://youtu.be/At83ecjEf3U?si=cMMe6TMzXcIze3ts).
I need to mention David Spencer here, who qualified with me, from Lab Rhineland to present in Berlin on the importance of genetically modified crops (https://youtu.be/UQP2O2mZnk4?si=e1pOutwQB8UUDnGi). The final statement of David's pitch, "Give Genes a Chance," is in fact an initiative launched together with Svenja Augustin that has grown into a thriving community of over 370 early-career researchers, as well as advanced scientists (https://givegenesachance.eu).
In essence, preparing for the Falling Walls Lab made me remember the larger purpose of plant science research in achieving food security, amid all the inoculation assays under laminar flow hoods and protein extractions from bacterial cells. Breaking the first wall of outreach opened a whole new world for me.
Join Priyamedha again in the December 2024 issue of Interactions, when we'll learn about the new outreach and communication experiences that Falling Walls opened for Priyamedha.
Do you have a plant-microbe related outreach or communication story to share? Contact Interactions EIC Anjali Iyer-Pascuzzi.
