The latest news on ABRF Events & Activities

September 8, 2023

• President’s Column
• September Town Hall: Focus on Genomics
• Chapters’ Corner
• ABRF in 2024 Membership Renewal Information
• ABRF 2023 Rewind
• Coming Soon: a new ABRF.org

I’m looking forward to working with Soma as President-Elect. My time on the board with Soma has shown him to be thoughtful and humble in his opinions, and enthusiastic about growing and maturing ABRF as an organization. He brings a wealth of experience to the position, both at the ABRF chapter level as previous member of the SEASR organizational committee and with external boards. Soma is very member focused and is passionate about engaging and incorporating our new members, being an open and transparent communicator of our ABRF goals and working to build consensus about where ABRF should be working strategically in the future. As we work together to transition to his presidency, I can’t wait to hear his ideas, and look forward to watching him as president in 2024-25. 

Soma on his new role: ABRF has greatly benefited my career in shared facility management by offering programs, networking opportunities, and leadership training. These benefits in addition to my previous service to SEASR have motivated me to run for the position of ABRF president. In this role, I will strive to grow and sustain the ABRF membership base, assist in the career and leadership development of its members, and strengthen the partnership between ABRF and the Chapters so that the transformational benefit I received is extended to the next generation. 

Congratulations, and thank you to Soma for agreeing to lead ABRF into the future. 

Marie Adams

ABRF President 

Working with our User Base and Problem Solving in a Genomics Core Operation:

September 20 – 12:00 pm ET

Please join us for a technology focused Town Hall on Wednesday, September 20, at Noon ET. This Town Hall will focus on Core/User discussions that need to take place when a user plans to use a specific genomics service. The discussion would include, but not limited to, experimental design considerations, sample collection/preparation, and submission requirements for a given genomics technology or service. 

The discussion will also include addressing technical (instrumentation, kits, sample prep and processing, etc.) considerations/questions you may have. Topics include:

1.     What’s working and not working using the various short-read platforms

2.     Spatial Omics

3.     Single-cell/nuclei Omics

4.     Long-read sequencing

5.     Epigenetics

Attendees will be able to choose from a set of breakout rooms to engage with other participants and then reconvene as a full group to learn more about what was discussed in the other rooms. 

We hope that this new format will add value to the ABRF Member Town Halls. If you have suggestions for future topics (beginning in November), please let us know.   Register here for each of the monthly Town Hall programs.

Click here for the full description and to register today.

Set Your Sights on ABRF Chapter Meetings from Coast-to-Coast Next Month

From Portland to Ann Arbor and on to Burlington, the ABRF October calendar is filled with valuable opportunities to connect with your peers and share ideas on best practices for your Core facilities. Follow the links below to register for your regional ABRF Chapter meeting:

For the full schedule of Chapter events, and to register for upcoming meetings, visit the ABRF Chapters’ landing page.

Next month, each ABRF member will receive their 2024 membership renewal notice, including individual, group and institutional members. After holding dues constant for three years, ABRF membership dues will be updated for 2024 to these rates:

ABRF membership continues to be a great value by providing access to a growing community of Core professionals along with an expanding set of resources and references. All ABRF members renew at the end of the year, so plan now to ensure that you don’t risk losing access to all that ABRF has to offer.

Review this timely session from the 2023 ABRF Annual Meeting on the unique challenges and requirements for operating a solo, or small staff, Core facility.  Led by ABRF members working in biobanks, genomics, and imaging Core facilities, this program highlights how to provide effective service while maintaining your work-life balance.

The Communications Committee is continuing work to update the structure, design, and content for the ABRF web site and welcomes your input on new content or resources that would help you. If there are other sites or online resources that you would like to see linked to the ABRF web site, or if there is specific content (short courses; white papers; tutorials; model procedures) that would be valuable for you, please let the Committee know. Each ABRF Research Group and Committee will be asked to review and refresh the content of their pages to help members learn more about the important work they are doing and how to get involved.