Not just the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Last weekend, a group of midwestern RNA scientists gathered for the annual Rustbelt RNA Meeting in Cleveland. (There’s a clever pun hidden in the name, one that may fall by the wayside in the next year or so.)
Here is a link to the abstracts. So readers can take a peek into just what excites RNA scientists. Enjoy.
PS – just out of curiosity, does the name “Rustbelt” carry negative connotations for readers here? Just wondering.
The RNA Underworld 
I’m impressed by the lineup. They (you?) have been having that meeting for many years and I sent a student at least once. I’m wondering if it’s getting bigger. I’m also wondering if I’ve been missing a pun.
Is “rustbelt” negative? Sure, in an obvious way, but I always thought that this name points to biotech and other alternative economies in a positive way.
Hi Steve,
The Rustbelt connotation stuff was a topic of discussion amongst the PI’s at the meeting. I am not as convinced as others that it carries strong negative connotations. But I don’t actually live in the Rustbelt.
At the moment, I’m green with envy that my kids are at the big rally in DC today. Were it not for my real life, I would be there, and probably could have found time to catch up with you.
More about the pun later. After others have had a chance to think about it. (It’s pretty obscure, though, so I won’t wait too long.)
The Comedy Central rally(rallies??) in DC? Was RNA biology discussed? Then what was missed? 🙂
To most here in Ohio “Rustbelt” would be considered a negative. The strength of the negative may well depend upon where one’s bread is (was?) buttered. Unemployed industry workers would have the strongest negative. That particular economy doesn’t impact me directly so I have a less negative opinion of the term. “Fly-over-state” grates my cheese.
While we’re discussing regional monikers – does Appalachia include Lexington, and if so does that stir a negative a connotation?
Only guesses at the pun – is iron involved in some fashion?
I got the pun; a clue appears on the Rustbelt RNA Meeting page. Is there a prize?
About that pun: Rustbelt RNA Meeting = RRM (shorthand for a very common RNA-binding protein fold).
One of the challenges is to come up with a new meeting name that preserves this acronym (or perhaps replaces it with an equally appropriate one).
Prizes? I’ll have to get back to you, Eric.
Hi Clem,
Thanks for the insight. Not being an Ohio (or Pennsylvania) native, I must admit that I have never given this much thought.
What was missed at the Stewart/Colbert rally? Well, certainly not RNA. But it was, by most accounts, a good time.
Appalachia generally doesn’t include Lexington. I suppose it does come with a somewhat negative connotation, like Rustbelt. But this can vary greatly, and many Kentuckians are rather proud (rightly so) of their Appalachian heritage. I guess one’s reaction may stem as much from what you believe others think of the terms, and whether or not you care.