Now back at home in my native time zone, I have taken the time this week to reflect on my exciting experience while attending the multidisciplinary ISME19 conference that took place August 18th through 23rd in Cape Town, South Africa.
This year, ISME celebrated 47 years of symposia, with the first meeting in 1977 in Dunedin, New Zealand. Back then, I doubt that the organizers and the 380 attendees imagined how much the meeting would grow in the coming decades. Though smaller than in previous years, ISME19 welcomed 1,533 delegates from 70 different countries, with nearly 60% of these delegates being students or postdoctoral researchers. This was the first meeting in which a sizable portion of the delegates hailed from Africa, which was a welcome change.
Energizing Opening Ceremony
Having attended two ISME symposia in the past as a researcher, I understand that the ISME organizers aim to use part of the opening ceremony to highlight local arts and culture. In keeping with the tradition of celebrating the local peoples and creating an immersive experience, the local organizing committee did not disappoint. After gathering into the large auditorium for the opening ceremony, we begin to hear equally beautiful and rousing a cappella Zulu chants coming from a group behind us. As we turn around, the steady beat of an African drum finds its place among the voices that sing with enough power to fill the large room. The colorfully adorned Vibez Dancers and Drummers make their way to the stage, interacting with delegates along the way. As a fellow dancer, I could not help but smile from ear to ear and give supportive “whoops” during their stage performance. The dancers left it all on stage for us and challenged our sense of rhythm by asking us to clap along.
Vibez Dancers and Drummers entertain the crowd of microbial ecologists at ISME19.
Following this, motivational speaker, poet, and storyteller Dr. Gcina Mhlophe provided us a glimpse into the inclusive and harmonious attitude of the South African people. I recently came to learn that October 24th, her birthday, is recognized as National Storytelling Day in South Africa. Dr. Mhlophe led us in a song that included the inspiring lyrics, “We are one people.” As the meeting unfolded the rest of the week, I was reminded of this sentiment again and again.
A focus on global inclusivity and equitable opportunities
Chair of the local organizing committee, Dr. Thulani Makhalanyane, fought hard to keep Cape Town in the rotation for an ISME symposium after COVID-19 derailed the 2020 meeting. It was a refreshing change to see so many talks and posters by African researchers about their work on the African continent. Too many times in my current position I see articles that contain data from Africa without a single African author included.
A key “Why are we here” message was the importance of microbiome studies in Africa, as these studies directly impact human health at both the local and global scale. Microbiome studies are at the forefront of water treatment strategies in Sub-Saharan African countries. Researchers from Stellenbosch University and Durban University of Technology (both in South Africa) presented work showcasing potential evidence for antifungal resistance that threatens the efficacy of current treatment approaches. While molecular studies such as these are crucial to human health and development, my geobiology side was shown during the “Global Biogeochemical Cycling” session. PhD student Luthando Madonsela from Rhodes University of South Africa showed us gorgeous photos of South African peritidal microbialites and her work to understand their formation. I gushed while asking Luthando about her future plans for sequencing data, barely able to contain my excitement.
Dr. Thulani Makhalanyane (Stellenbosch University) details why it was important to hold the ISME19 in Cape Town, South Africa.
ECR initiative and giving credit to others
While at the meeting, I learned about a new early career researcher initiative open to students such as Luthando. I caught up with fellow International Geobiology Course alumna, Dr. Leslie Daille of Universidad Mayor, Chile. She serves on the Early Career Scientist Committee at ISME. She and the rest of the committee recognize that finding resources to navigate academia at different stages can be challenging. This is why they recently launched a Discord server for early career researchers in the field of microbial ecology (students, postdocs, and those around 10 years of their PhD) to connect with mentors and each other across the globe. The aim is to connect people in microbial ecology to grow together, build a network, organize regional meetings, and bring opportunities closer. “We are better together,” Leslie told me. I absolutely agree and, in my experience, I have found that the microbial ecology community, in particular, does a fantastic job of supporting each other with mutual respect and an inclusive attitude.
This attitude of lifting each other up and using personal platforms to give credit to others was one of my favorite parts of the conference—for example, the “Omics in Microbial Ecology” session co-chaired by Drs. Murat (Meren) Eren and Mihaela Pertea, kicked off with a talk from postdoctoral researcher Dr. Iva Veseli from Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity at Oldenburg. She highlighted the updated utility of the widely used open-source, community-driven bioinformatics platform, anvi’o, giving credit to the users who make anvi’o a better tool. She also took time in her talk to discuss the usefulness of tools from other researchers in other labs, which speaks to the open and inclusive culture that this research group fosters.
A new framework for analyzing “Digital Microbes” with anvi’o and other tools.
Thought-provoking round tables
As is the unfortunate case at any good meeting, too many exciting sessions were held simultaneously. In the case of round tables, I had to make a tough decision between one on microbial ecology and climate change, SeqCode (if you know, you know), and microbial “dark oxygen” production. Being someone who dwelled academically in the subsurface for many years, I chose the dark oxygen round table discussion chaired by Dr. Emil Ruff from the Marine Biological Laboratory. The discussion included outstanding questions at the microbe-mineral interface, what tools we need to address these questions, and some “wild ideas” on where to look for dark oxygen production, including impact crater sites. The most thought-provoking exchange centered around the question of whether true anoxia exists anywhere in nature or if anoxia is simply a matter of our detection limits with current instrumentation.
Dr. Jens Kallmeyer (GFZ Potsdam) contributes to the discussion about dark oxygen production during the round table organized by Dr. Emil Ruff (Marine Biological Laboratory), crouching here.
Art and Environmental Activism in Cape Town
Throughout the week, the V&A Waterfront was a frequent stop for meals, after-conference get-togethers, and of course, shopping. After purchasing a glam pink bomber jacket with an absurdly glorious print of lipsticked cheetahs wearing sunglasses made by a local designer, I stumbled upstairs at The Watershed market to find an art collection dedicated to conservationism curated by Dr. Dylan McGarry from Kalk Bay, South Africa. Taken from the placard on the wall, the exhibition “confronts controversies surrounding conservation and its impact on land, access, and inclusion/exclusion in South Africa and beyond.” The exhibition shed light on the class struggle component of climate change that is too often overlooked. A life-sized crocheted coral reef named “Abundance” sprawled from the floor and climbed up a column. Created through the Woodstock Art Reef project and crafted by hundreds of citizens across South Africa, it serves as a reminder that community engagement is a powerful tool to help restore ecosystems.
“Abundance” created by the Woodstock Art Reef project on display at the Waterfront.
Looking forward to ISME20
The next ISME symposium will come full circle geographically. To be held once again in New Zealand (Auckland this time), the meeting will undoubtedly bring together a diverse group of researchers with shared goals of using microbial ecology to help shape a better future.
Find live Tweets of the conference on my personal Twitter profile: https://x.com/DrJoyBuongiorno