Meet Shaima Akhlaq of the UAE University (United Arab Emirates). The graduate student, who defends her thesis this upcoming fall semester, works with Farah Mustafa in the Department of Biochemistry in close collaboration with Tahir Rizvi's research group within the Department of Microbiology and Immunology. She is on campus for the Retroviruses meeting where she presented a poster and a short talk. Read on for more on the CSHL first-timer's experience at the annual meeting.

What are you working on?
We are studying viral gRNA export from nucleus to cytoplasm, stability, translation and their interplay during retroviral replication. My current research interest lies in answering some of the basic aspects about the life cycle of Mouse Mammary Tumor Virus.

What is your key takeaway from the Meeting?
The immense learning and connections I have developed are my key takeaways from this meeting.

How many CSHL meetings and/or courses have you attended? 
This is my first visit to CSHL and my first CSHL meeting; though my poster was selected for last year’s Retroviruses meeting. Also, I would be very eager to participate in the annual Retroviruses meeting in the upcoming years.

Was there something specific about the Mechanisms in Metabolic Signaling meeting that drew you to attend? 
My first and foremost attraction was to meet the field specialists and catch up with the latest advancements. I was also excited to share my results with other colleagues in my scheduled talk and poster. And I intend to find a competitive PhD position with an established group participating in this meeting.

If someone curious in attending this meeting asked you for feedback or advice on it, what would you tell him/her? 
I would extend my words about this exceptional opportunity of meeting with all field specialists under one roof.

What do you like most about your time at CSHL? 
The scenic view of this campus is one thing which took my breath away in first sight because flying from a desert to this lush green island is nothing less than a scientific vacation.  

Thank you to Shaima for being this week's featured visitor. To meet other featured scientists - and discover the wide range of science that takes part in a CSHL meeting or course – go here.