Taking a trip to St. Francis Xavier University for the endMS Sprint Face-to-Face meeting

Sorry for the delay with an update on my trip to St. Francis Xavier University, but here it is! Being a part of the endMS SPRINT program has allowed me the opportunity to travel to Antigonish, Nova Scotia.

Meeting up with my Sprint team allowed us the opportunity to determine exactly what we wanted our review paper to be about. We also had the opportunity to explore Antigonish while tackling the reference screening of 8016 papers without the constant reminder of lab work!

Days consisted of morning walks to the coffee shop from our cozy AirBnB, followed by a full day spent in the Schwartz School McKenna Center sorting through the references we acquired. Antigonish was a wonderful, quaint town and Dr. Lindsay Berrigan was a wonderful host!

p.s. Pacha Mama was an amazing place to eat, which sits right next to the Waffle Bus Stop (another delicious place to eat).

KerfootLab at the 2016 MS Bike Ride

Originally posted 2016/07/29

team Microbiology and Immunology, including members of the department and friends

The entire KerfootLab participated in the 2016 MS Bike Ride to raise funds for MS research – a cause that is obviously important to us. This event is the largest cycling series in North America with the Grand Bend to London tour covering 150km in two days.

victorious cyclists at the finish line (image via Instagram, including mandatory filter)

Steve, Heather, and Yodit, along with other members and friends of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Western University took up the challenge and got on their bikes. Both days were in the high 30˚Cs, but despite the heat, it was a great ride for a great cause.

sweaty cyclists invading Kate and Ravi's previously sweet-smelling station

Kate and Rajiv volunteered their time on the Saturday at the Western University finish line where they directed the exhausted, but triumphant, cyclists to the complimentary ice-cream, massages and toward their long-awaited shower!

(almost) the whole team at the end of the ride

Our team raised more than $3000, contributing to the grand total of $1.3 million for the whole Grand Bend to London ride. Donations are still being accepted on the Western Microbiology and Immunology team page if you’d like to add a contribution of your own.