March 29, 2023

Our meeting began with a leader profile by Ramya, who shared an inspiring story of Irene Bernasconi, the first Argentine woman to lead a marine biology expedition to Antarctica.  During the expedition, Bernasconi and her team collected over 2,000 echinoderm specimens and discovered an entirely new echinoderm family. 

Abhijeet hosted a workshop on how to craft an effective elevator pitch, where he highlighted the main facets of a pitch including its length, introductions, and a final call to action. During the workshop Abhijeet provided us with opportunities to ask questions, create mock situations for presenting elevator pitches and held a Q & A session. 

Patrice led us through a lively round of table topics on the theme of rainbows. Our speakers shared their delightful experiences and hopeful encounters with rainbows. We were encouraged to use the word of the day, “iridiscent”, throughout the meeting.   

Meeting summary by Preetha Menon