How quickly we’ve reached the last day of BIO 2009 and I have to wonder where the time has gone. The last two days have been packed solid starting with a great view of the Canadian pavilion opening on Tuesday. As we were right next door, foot traffic by the booth was high for quite a while and again I had excellent discussions with people interested in science that Genome Alberta is funding (many on the pine beetle project, a personal favorite of mine). I liken the booth to a scientific oasis in a sales desert where people can relax for a few minutes from the high powered trade show floor. Also, these projects seem to bring out a personal connection with people as they reminisce about past experiences.

For example, one person stopped to look at the MPB poster. It caught his eye, he said, as it reminded him of a hunting trip he was on many years ago in the southern US. While leaning against a tree he felt a rain of wood shavings hit his shoulder. He looked and found a small hole in the bark and when he rapped on the tree, heard a distinct buzzing sound. It’s definitely not the first time I’ve heard stories like this.

It doesn’t seem to matter where people work (pharma, industry, government, or sales), those that stop by the booth always seem to leave with a smile on their faces. Who knows if it’s the really cool images from the Digital Art contest or something new they’ve learned, but the experience for them (and us) definitely appears worthwhile.