On September 5th, 2019 over forty parasitologists converged upon the beautiful Cedar Point Biological Field Station in Ogallala, NE to participate in the 50th annual meeting of the Rocky Mountain Conference of Parasitologists. The festive occasion began with a delicious Welcome Reception that featured a variety of hors d'oeuvres, delectable desserts and many fine adult beverages.
On the following morning, President John Shea welcomed everyone and called the meeting to order. We then enjoyed eleven excellent talks, one of which included a sing-along to the tune of "Yellow Submarine." The day concluded with a poster session, a sumptuous dinner and two engaging lectures. John Hawdon delivered the Newton Kingston Memorial lecture on Hookworm Larval Activation and Armand Kuris delivered the Gerald D. Schmidt Memorial lecture on Infectious Disease in a Changing World. Both speakers engaged the audience and elicited thought-provoking questions.
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The final day began with two more talks. Kirsten Jensen presented on The Phyllobothriidea Decluttered while John Shea gave "The Other" talk, which described his journey to becoming a Jesuit priest. The morning concluded with the business meeting and awards. Olivia Pletcher, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, earned the William C. Marquardt Award for Best Undergraduate Student Oral Presentation, Emily Sarvis, University of New Mexico, earned the Datus M. Hammond Award for Best Graduate Student Oral Presentation and Jasmine Nejad, Colorado State University, earned the Datus M. Hammond Award for Best Graduate Student Poster. Winners received an engraved plaque, a one year ASP membership and a $100 check. President Shea passed the gavel to incoming President Kirsten Jensen who thanked everyone and adjourned the meeting. Our next meeting will occur on September 10-12 in the same great location. Please consider attending, especially if you haven't experienced a RMCP meeting before.
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