Meet Saleh Tamim of the University of Delaware. The bioinformatics and systems biology PhD student is a member of Blake Meyer's lab in the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center. Saleh is on campus for the Frontiers and Techniques in Plant Science 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?
My research interests generally involve the application of bioinformatics and computational techniques to address biological problems. I am currently investigating a class of small RNAs (phasiRNAs) that are highly abundant in grass reproductive tissues.  

Was there something specific about the Frontiers and Techniques in Plant Science course that drew you to apply? 
Coming from a computational background, I applied for this course to learn more about different plant research work and respective techniques used to answer biological questions.

What is your key takeaway form the Course? 
My key takeaway from the course is that plant biology is diverse, and that there are still a lot of unanswered questions. I learned that it is important to focus and specialize on a particular area of interest, and to embrace collaboration when a research problem requires skills outside your main area of research. 

If someone curious in attending your course asked you for feedback or advice on it, what would you tell him/her? 
I will definitely encourage him/her to apply. I think the acquired knowledge as well as interaction (with both speakers and fellow participants) throughout the course is unique and very valuable to someone interested in plant biology.  

What do you like most about your time at CSHL?
I love the campus, it is beautiful. I also enjoyed meeting different people from different parts of the world.

Saleh received financial aid from the Helmsley Charitable Trust. On behalf of Saleh, thank you to the Helmsley Charitable Trust for supporting and enabling our young scientists to attend a CSHL course where they expand their skills, knowledge, and network. 

Thank you to Saleh 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.