Lilian Jenny Babette Schneider / Personal archive photo
From June 2 to 5, 2024, Lilian Jenny Babette Schneider, a fourth-year medical student at the VU Faculty of Medicine, participated in the 7th Joint Microbiology & Infection Conference of the German Society for Hygiene and Microbiology (DGHM) and the Association of General and Applied Microbiology (VAAM) in Würzburg, Germany. At the conference, Ms. Schneider presented a poster titled “Comparison of Prevalence of the Panton-Valentine Leukocidin Gene among Clinical and Community-Acquired Staphylococcus aureus Strains.”
"It was fascinating to learn about the many aspects and innovations in microbiology, to engage with scientists about their projects, and to gain new insights from these enriching conversations," Ms. Schneider reflected. According to her, such conferences are invaluable for universities as they provide a platform for exchanging ideas and creating possibilities for future projects. "Presenting my poster was particularly significant as it led to engaging discussions about our research, generating new insights that will benefit our future work. It was encouraging to see substantial interest in our topic, especially given the conference's breadth and scale," the student said.
Ms. Schneider noted that she learned extensively about presenting research and networking with other scientists. “Young scientists had the opportunity to grasp the fundamentals of scientific communication and work during the conference. I remain deeply impressed by the broad field of microbiology and the new perspectives gained from conversations with other scientists. These discussions led to new ideas for expanding the research topic and enhancing its value in the future," she said.
She emphasized the importance of attending scientific conferences for young scientists to engage in dialogue with peers, participate in scientific discussions, and gain new insights into both the field at large and their own research. "I am deeply grateful to my supervisor, Assoc. Prof. Agnė Kirkliauskienė, for enabling me to engage in this research project and attend this conference," Ms. Schneider expressed her gratitude.
Ms. Schneider's research was partially funded by the Vilnius University Faculty of Medicine Student Research Network (SRN).