April 14, 2009: MBC held its seventh Annual Retreat today, again holding it at the Mount Washington Conference Center. Despite the cold and rainy weather, nearly 50 participants showed up to listen to updates on current MBC projects and to three guest speakers. This year's speakers were Dr. Thomas Blanpied from UMB, Dr. Michael Summers from UMBC and Dr. Silvia Muro from CBR.

The program did not come off without some minor glitches. MBC Director Dr. W. Jonathan Lederer was unable to open the retreat, but Associate Director Dr. Joseph Kao was an admirable replacement.

As in previous years, the newest members of the MBC research staff became acquainted with ongoing projects and their counterparts from other laboratories, and the older staff members get a chance to talk to them. It is also a great chance for postdoctoral fellows and young faculty members to hone their presentation skills.