Events — Conferences, Hakathons, and Seminars

We offer different events, Hakathons, and workships that are interesting for students.

Events That Inspire Discovery

At UTGEC, events are more than gatherings — they’re catalysts for growth. Each session blends science, creativity, and collaboration to help you explore new ideas, connect with mentors, and experience discovery firsthand.

From research symposia to coding workshops, every event is crafted to ignite curiosity and empower students to build the future of biology — one question at a time.

Event Types

A quick look at the kinds of sessions we run—hybrid when possible, beginner-friendly always.

Weekly

Hack Night (Bioinformatics)

Bring a dataset or jump into a shared notebook—pair up, ship small wins.

Hands-on

Wet-Lab Workshop

Pipetting, dilutions, cloning basics—bench skills with checklists & mentors.

5×5

Lightning Talks

Five speakers, five minutes each—share tools, tips, or results.

Read • Discuss

Journal Club

Figure deconstruction, methods critique, and 2-slide summaries.

Drop-in

Mentor Office Hours

Quick questions on projects, resumes, or course concepts.

Debate

Ethics & Policy

Structured pro/con with brief position papers and live rebuttals.

Weekend

Build Sprint

48-hour focused push on a shared repo or bench protocol.

Panel

Careers in Genomics

Grad students, faculty, and industry—Q&A and networking.

Demo

Tool Walkthrough

Live demo of IGV/BLAST/Benchling with mini datasets.

End-of-term

Project Showcase

Lightning posters & short demos—celebrate wins and lessons.

Co-write

Grant & Writing Jam

Draft micro-grants, blog posts, or abstracts together with feedback.

Visit

Lab Tour

Meet researchers, see instruments, and learn lab workflows.

Upcoming Events

All the upcoming events will be posted here

Bioinformatics Hackathon

🚀 Coming Soon

A new kind of challenge is coming to UTGEC — a 48-hour hackathon merging biology, data science, and innovation. Participants will design, analyze, and visualize real biological data to uncover insights hidden in genomes, proteins, and pathways.

Whether you’re a coder, a biologist, or simply curious, this event will test how far collaboration and creativity can push modern science. Get ready to decode life — one algorithm at a time.

Contact Us

Questions, collaborations, or membership? Send us a note and we’ll get back to you.

Connect

By contacting us, you agree to our community code of conduct and lab safety policies.

Frequently Asked Questions

How often does the club host events?

We host 2–3 events each semester, including academic talks, workshops, and social mixers. Special events may also be added throughout the year.

Do I need to register for events?

Yes — most events require free registration so we can manage capacity and materials. Registration links are always shared on Instagram and through our mailing list.

Are events free to attend?

All regular club events are free for members. Some workshops may require a small fee to cover lab supplies or materials, which will be noted in the event details.

Can non-members join events?

Absolutely! Many of our events are open to all UofT students. Some specialized sessions may be exclusive to club members.

Will events be in-person or online?

Most events are in-person at UTM, but we also host virtual talks and info sessions so students outside campus can join.

Where can I find event updates?

All updates are posted on our Instagram and sent through our mailing list. You can also check this website’s events page for the latest announcements.