During my summer of research on C. elgans, our lab attended the 16th International C. elegans Meeting held on the campus of UCLA.  I know it may be hard to believe, but 1,600 people came to this conference to share their research and observations about one tiny nematode.  Let me tell you, these people were serious about worms.  No matter where you went, there was always a group of people engaged in a conversation about C. elegans. 

Whether walking down the sidewalk, eating in the cafeteria (which was AMAZING!), or just sitting around, the discussion would always find its way back to the subject of worms.  There was even a Worm Comedy Show and a Worm Dance.  I’ll admit that I was a little skeptical of the Worm Comedy show because throughout the week, I’d heard about every worm joke ever created, but it ended up being hilarious.  On a serious note, it was amazing to hear everything the professors, researchers, and grad students had to say.  They were all so passionate about their specific area of research, and it was interesting to hear them share ideas and theories with others.

So when people say “A worm conference? You went to a worm conference??”, I just smile and remind them that those “worms” are actually a specific type of nematodes, called C. elegans, and are an important component in research that’s done all over the world.  I’m sure that probably makes me sound like a nerd….but I guess I can handle that ;)