Since being elected in August, the new NetSI Graduate Student Association (GSA) Council wanted to build on the momentum from the NetSI Student Research Symposium in March 2025, and create an opportunity for students to come together, exchange knowledge, discuss emerging areas of network science, and get to know each other better. With over 60 NetSI PhD Students spread over three campuses (Boston, Portland-ME, London-UK) coordinating in-person interactions is no easy task. So the Council decided on something ambitious but feasible: bringing the New England nodes together. The result was a day-long visit from the Boston cohort to the Network Science Department at the Roux Institute in Portland, ME.
On November 14, 2025, students, postdocs, and faculty from Boston traveled to Portland, Maine, for CONNECTT —Collaboration Opportunity for Networking and Exchange among Campuses Through Trip. Hosted at the Roux Institute, CONNECTT wanted to strengthen ties between the two NetSI campuses and give Boston visitors a firsthand look at Roux’s growing research and innovation ecosystem. The hope was also that a full day of workshops and informal mixers at the Roux would trigger new collaborations.
The day kicked off with welcome remarks from institute leaders Mike Pollastri and Jim Strickland, followed by an overview of Roux’s research priorities, partnerships, and entrepreneurship initiatives, and a networking lunch with the Roux home team of PhD students and postdocs.
A Lightning-Talk Exchange with a twist
The afternoon’s main event was a round of Lightning Talk Exchanges, but not the usual kind. Instead of presenting their own work, students and postdocs were randomly paired and challenged to present each other’s research. With just an hour to meet a partner, get familiar with research they’d never seen, and present it back to the group, the exercise proved to be a fool proof antidote to any post-lunch sleepiness.
The result? Controlled chaos, in the best way.
It was an energetic, fast-paced sprint filled with laughter, creative interpretations, and the occasional wildly oversimplified explanation. The room voted on superlatives like “Most Engaging Research,” “Most Creative Presentation,” and “Best Overall.” Nearly everyone walked away with a recognition, but one clear standout was Hamish Gibbs, an urban science postdoc in the SUN Lab, whose enthusiastic presentation of Roux PhD student Griffin Scott's research in bioinformatics earned him top honors in multiple categories. The biggest surprise for the two of them was discovering how much overlap existed between their research interests, a perfect example of CONNECTT’s purpose.
Closing the day with community (and ice cream)
The visit wrapped up with informal discussions and free time to explore Portland, a city well known among food lovers. The Boston group wasted no time trying local ice cream and seafood before heading home.
The success of CONNECTT highlights NetSI’s commitment to building a collaborative, cross-campus research culture and strengthening the ties between Boston and Portland’s academic communities. The event also could not have been possible without the support of many people across the Institute. Special thanks go to Melissa Erlick and Megan Barrera for their close collaboration with GSA Council members Xiyu Yang, Zhouming (Zuno) Wu, and Lochan Chaudari, and for helping with event planning and execution. We also thank Prof. Esteban Moro, Prof. Matteo Chinazzi, and Prof. Guillaume St-Onge for their support along the way. As for what comes next, the GSA Council is already planning next year’s visit, with hopes of expanding the program to include a Collabathon and even greater involvement from Roux PhD students.
