Traveling – Yung Lab

The 14th Asian Symposium of Microbial Ecology, Taipei

The 14th Asian Symposium of Microbial Ecology (ASME) convened from September 18-20, 2024, at the prestigious Environmental Research Building of National Taiwan University in Taipei. This event brought together leading researchers and experts in the field of microbial ecology from across Asia and beyond. One of the standout sessions of the symposium was the Eukaryotic Microbiome session, which featured cutting-edge research on eukaryotic microbes and their ecological roles. Charmaine shared her groundbreaking work on niche partitioning in the cosmopolitan eukaryotic picophytoplankton genus Bathycoccus.

Invited talk at NUS, Singapore

Charmaine delivered an insightful presentation titled ‘Unraveling Virus-Phytoplankton Interactions Using Integrated Cultivation and Multi-omics Approaches’ at the School of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore. The invitation came from Prof. Steve Pointing, Charmaine’s former MPhil advisor from her time at the University of Hong Kong (HKU).

The visit provided a valuable opportunity to reconnect with Steve and meet his talented team members, Christaline and Thirumaran. Charmaine appreciated the chance to engage with these bright minds and explore their current research endeavors. Beyond the presentation, the visit facilitated discussions on potential collaborations with NUS scientists, opening doors for future joint research projects.

The day concluded with a delightful dinner hosted by Prof. Pointing. Charmaine expressed her gratitude for both the invitation and the delicious meal, which provided a fitting end to a productive and inspiring visit.

GRC Marine Microbes 2024, Les Diablerets

Charmaine attended the Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on Marine Microbes again in Les Diablerets, Switzerland. This year, she brought along four graduate students: Yangbing, Wenqian, Ruixian, and Shara. The conference emphasized the importance of cross-disciplinary approaches in understanding the relationships between genetic composition, microbial identity, and functionality. It also explored how to scale microbial processes to the global ocean level.

In addition to networking with numerous talented scientists, Charmaine had the opportunity to reunite with her PhD advisor, Dana Hunt from Duke University. As a memorable highlight of their trip, the Yung lab embarked on an excursion to Glacier 3000, a stunning alpine attraction in the nearby Bernese Alps.

Confect Symposium: 2023 Marine Microbial Virus Ecology and Evolution

Yangbing recently participated in the Confect Symposium held in Bergen, Norway. This prestigious event brought together leading experts in marine virology from around the world. During the symposium, Yangbing presented a poster titled “Unraveling virus-phytoplankton interactions using integrated cultivation and multi-omics.” His presentation showcased our lab’s innovative approach to understanding the complex relationships between viruses and phytoplankton in marine ecosystems. The event provided an excellent opportunity for Yangbing to engage with fellow researchers and discuss cutting-edge developments in the field. He had the chance to meet in person with our collaborator, Sheree Yau, further strengthening this valuable research partnership.

Viruses of Microbes conference in Tbilisi, Georgia

In July 2023, Elvira and Charmaine attended the Viruses of Microbes (VoM) conference in Tbilisi, Georgia. This international event brought together researchers specializing in microbial virology. Elvira presented her research through a poster presentation, while Charmaine delivered an oral presentation in the main conference hall. Her talk highlighted our team’s cutting-edge work on green algal viruses and contributed to the broader scientific discourse. Both presentations were well-received. During their stay, the team also had the opportunity to briefly explore Tbilisi, gaining some insight into Georgia’s geography and culture.

Jun-Aug 2012: Meeting the GENOPHY group

Charmaine recently visited the Observatoire Océanologique de Banyuls-sur-Mer, meeting her collaborator Gwenael in person for the first time since their partnership began in 2020. This collaboration, supported by the Hong Kong Branch of the Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), focuses on prasinovirus diversity.

During her visit, Charmaine engaged in productive discussions with Gwenael, Sheree, and Julie about their joint project. Unexpectedly, Charmaine’s brief visit turned into an extended summer stay in France, allowing for deeper research collaboration and cultural exploration.

Charmaine expressed gratitude for her colleagues’ hospitality, which made this unplanned extension both possible and enriching. This experience highlights the value of in-person interactions in fostering scientific partnerships and the unexpected opportunities that can arise from international collaborations.

Research cruise in Northeast Pacific

Charmaine returned to Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Insitute (MBARI) to join the Worden lab’s DVM 2019 research cruise. She performed diel sampling to explore the diversity and temporal dynamics of viral assemblages in relationship to their hosts in the mesotrophic ocean. She also helped other scientists on board, i.e. collecting DOC and click-iT samples for Dr. Kristin Bergauer (GEOMAR) and dissecting deep-sea invertebrates with UCSC PhD student Charlotte Eckmann.