Join us for the 2025 BI Research Week
One day of science was not enough for us, so our annual BI Research Day has been upgraded to an entire WEEK of science!
We will kick the week off with our traditional Research Day. Throughout the day, you will hear about the innovative and interdisciplinary research taking place at BI. Prizes will be awarded to recognize the outstanding work of our research community.


Tentative Schedule

08:30 – 09:00 a.m. Refreshments
09:00 – 09:05 a.m. Welcome
09:05 – 10:00 a.m. Scientific NanoTalks Session I
10:00 – 10:05 a.m. Refreshment Break
10:05 – 11:15 a.m. Scientific NanoTalks Session II
11:15 – 12:45 p.m. Poster Session + Poster Judging Session
Lunch will be served at Noon
12:45 - 01:45 p.m. Keynote Speaker
Dr. Sunitha Nagrath, Dwight F Benton Professor of Chemical Engineering, Professor of Chemical Engineering and Professor of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering
Presentation Title: "Translational Technologies: Advancing Precision Medicine from Bench to Bedside"
01:45 – 02:00 p.m. Refreshment Break
02:00 – 03:00 p.m. Industry Speaker
Dr. Samuel Chuang, Senior Director, Scientific Advisory Services, Charles River
Presentation Title: "Leveraging Your Regulatory Strategy for Critical Biotechnology Success and Future Directions of Drug Development"
03:00 – 03:15 p.m. Refreshment Break
03:15 – 04:25 p.m. BI Innovator Awardees Talks
04:15 – 05:00 p.m. Closing Session & Award Ceremony

Ways to Present for the Research Showcase

NanoTalk:

Selected researchers will present a talk on their research. The nanotalks will be evaluated based on presentation structure, content, and visual aids. The mean scores from all judges will determine the top three winners.

NanoTalk Requirements:
Presentations will be 10 minutes. (Six minutes for the talk and four minutes for questions)
PowerPoint required.
Nanotalks are reserved for post-doctoral fellows and graduate students
Prize for Nanotalk:
First Prize: $200 Gift Card
Second Prize: $150 Gift Card
Third Prize: $100 Gift Card

Poster:

The Poster is a short summary of your research (published or unpublished) on a 4 x 6 feet poster board. Posters should be no larger than 55 inches wide by 45 inches high. Posters are visual abstracts meant to give the audience a snapshot of your research. The posters will be placed in the BI hallway for the entire week and will be judged during that week. Posters will be prejudged throughout the week by visual judging only, so these posters must convey the research story without a verbal component. The top 10 posters will be judged during the poster session scheduled 10:05 - 11:15 am, Monday, October 13, 2025. Everyone who is approved for a poster must attend this session. There are only 30 poster spots available, so sign up quickly.

Full Poster Size Requirements:
Figure title or research question
Author names and simplified affiliation as necessary
Descriptive figure/visual abstract
Background, goals, and figure description
Prize for Full Poster Competition:
First Prize: $200 Gift Card
Second Prize: $150 Gift Card
Third Prize: $100 Gift Card

On Tuesday, discover new ways to extend your research beyond the lab by attending our Day Two events focused on innovation and creative thinking.

03:00 – 04:00 p.m.
Industry Collaboration for Research and Career Success
This session covers the benefits and common challenges of bridging academia and industry. It will explore how to seek out and utilize industry research to enhance and inform a basic research portfolio. Additionally, it will discuss career paths for PhDs and PostDocs seeking positions in industry. The session will provide a broad overview, share first-hand experiences, and offer some actionable first steps.

04:00 – 05:00 p.m. Dr. Daniela Koniczek
Discover the Great Lakes I-Corps Hub Programs: Fostering Innovation from Research to Market
Join us for an introduction to the Great Lakes I-Corps Hub, where we empower scientists and researchers to become innovators. Learn how our programs help translate scientific research into real-world impact by teaching the innovation mindset essential for entrepreneurial success. Gain insights into the Customer Discovery methodology - covering customer ecosystems, stakeholder mapping, value proposition development, and effective discovery strategies. Get an overview of our programming, guiding you to the right opportunity to accelerate your innovation journey.

We’ll wrap up the week with equipment seminars and tours. You’ll be invited to tour our BI facilities and explore new equipment provided by our vendors.

Wednesday, October 15, 2025

10:00 – 10:30 a.m. Nanotechnicum Equipment Tour
Join our Senior Research Laboratory Specialist, Dr. Sarah Spanninga, on a tour of the Nanotechnicum, home to BI's state-of-the-art equipment available for use on recharge.

02:00 – 03:00 p.m. Nanolive Equipment
A representative from Nanolive will present information about the 3D Cell Explorer Fluoro Holotomography and their analytical software.

Thursday, October 16, 2025

10:00 – 10:00 a.m. Shared Equipment Tour
Join our Senior Research Laboratory Specialist, Dr. Sarah Spanninga, on a tour of BI's state-of-the-art shared equipment available for use by all BI members.

01:00 – 02:00 p.m. TA Instruments Equipment
A representative from TA Instruments will present information about the microcalorimetry with thermal characterization.