Meet Luke Blakeway of the Institute for Glycomics in Griffith University (Australia). The PhD student is a member of Kate Seib’s lab and is on campus to attend our Advanced Bacterial Genetics course. Read on for what the CSHL first-timer has to say about the annual course and his experience so far.

What are your research interests? What are you working on?
I work on bacteria that causes ear infections in young children called Moraxella catarrhalis, and how epigenetic regulation affects its ability to cause disease.

Was there something specific about the Advanced Bacterial Genetics course that drew you to apply?
There are a number of overlaps between my PhD project and the work of the course’s guest lecturers so having the opportunity to sit down and talk science with them really excited me! The course also provides next generation genome sequencing training, and where better to learn that than the home of molecular genetics?

What is your key takeaway from the Course?
Laboratories around the world do things very differently and I’ve had the opportunity to learn a range of techniques that I would never have been exposed to if I didn’t come to CSHL.

How many CSHL courses have you attended?
I’ve only attended my current course; Advanced Bacterial Genetics. I don’t have any plans yet to attend a future CSHL course or meeting, but I’d come back to CSHL in a heartbeat!

If someone curious in attending your course asked you for feedback or advice on it, what would you tell him/her?
I’d tell them to apply straight away. The course is a lot of fun, the techniques you learn are at the forefront of the field and have wide applications, and the instructors and attendees are some of the most amazing, insightful people you’ll ever met.

What do you like most about your time at CSHL?
I’ve truly made some lifelong friends from all over the world at CSHL. Everyone is so diverse but everyone is also on the same wavelength and we’re all here for the same learning experience, which makes for a great social atmosphere.

Luke received a stipend from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) to cover a portion of his course tuition. On behalf of Luke, thank you to HHMI for supporting and enabling our young scientists to attend a CSHL course where they expand their skills, knowledge, and network.

Thank you to Luke 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.