New blog post: Undergraduate to Best Poster Awardee: My experience at BITS2026 and BioHackathon by Francesco Maria Antonio Micocci

content/posts/2026-06-17-Francesco-Micocci-BITS2026-hackathon.md

@@ -0,0 +1,68 @@
+---
+author: "Francesco Maria Antonio Micocci"
+date: 2026-06-17 # format is YYYY-MM-DD
+draft: true
+category:
+ - community
+ - event-fellowship
+ - travel-fellowship
+cover:
+  image: /static/img/2026/2026-06-17-Micocci-Francesco-poster.jpg
+  alt: "Francesco Maria Antonio Micocci presenting the JupyDo poster at the BITS2026 conference"
+
+tag:
+ - community
+ - event-fellowship
+ - travel-fellowship
+
+title: "Undergraduate to Best Poster Awardee: My experience at BITS2026 and BioHackathon"
+url: /2026/06/17/2026-06-17-francesco-micocci-bits2026/
+---
+
+**_The_** [**_Open Bioinformatics Foundation (OBF) Event Fellowship program_**](/travel-awards) **_aims to promote diverse participation at events promoting open-source bioinformatics software development and open science practices in the biological research community. Francesco Maria Antonio Micocci,_** _**a Undergraduate Student at**_ _**University Of Turin**_, **_was awarded an OBF Event Fellowship to attend_** _**the**_ **_[BITS2026 Conference](https://bioinformatics.it/bits2026)_** _**and**_ **_[BioHackathon2026](https://younginfolife.github.io/events/2026-biohackathon)_**.
+
+
+
+Attending a conference for the first time and as an undergraduate student can be really intimidating. Finding yourself in rooms filled with affirmed researchers  and topics you’ve  not studied before.
+That was exactly the situation I found myself in at the recent Biohackathon and  BITS2026 in the beautiful city of Padova.
+
+I want to thank the Open Bioinformatics Foundation (OBF) for giving me the opportunity to participate in these events, without their support I wouldn't have been able to embark on this  experience.
+
+
+## The BioHackathon
+
+As soon as I arrived in the city and after a rapid lunch, I found myself catapulted right in the action. After the groups were formed by the organizers and got the GitHub, as an undergraduate looking at the tasks given to us was a mix of excitement and panic.
+Quickly I came to realize that most of what we had to do I had only little knowledge of.
+While I felt like I couldn't be of much help to the rest of the group, I got to learn a lot from the other members that didn’t leave me out even when I was clearly having difficulties.
+![A group photo of all the Biohackathon participants](/static/img/2026/2026-06-17-Micocci-Francesco-hackathon.jpg)
+
+## The Conference
+
+After the Hackathon, on the second day the conference finally started.
+To be really honest, the various talk sessions were packed with advanced topics that were lightyears ahead of my actual knowledge. But while the technical details went mostly over my head, listening to the speakers gave me an idea of where the field of bioinformatics is heading. Instead of feeling discouraged, it was actually motivating. Seeing how some of the knowledge I already possess is used in real life applications gave me a boost of motivation.
+![A group photo of all the BITS2026 participants](/static/img/2026/2026-06-17-Micocci-Francesco-conference.jpg)
+
+## The Poster Session: The turning point
+
+While I felt a bit out of place during the oral sessions, now it was time for the poster session.
+That was my chance to share our work and get feedback from the community.
+My initial feeling was to feel nervous, but soon people came to read our poster and had a chat about it, then all the nervousness faded away.
+It was amazing to explain our project and to receive feedback from experienced researchers.
+This fantastic experience ended then with wonderful news. We won the best poster award!
+Getting this recognition completed this experience in the best possible way. I couldn’t really believe it!
+For an undergraduate like me getting an award like this and seeing people actually appreciating my work felt unreal.
+![Presenting the JupyDo Poster](/static/img/2026/2026-06-17-Micocci-Francesco-poster.jpg)
+
+## Not only Science
+
+This experience was not only about science.
+The social moments have been one of the best sides of this conference. Whether it was discussing projects over a coffee during breaks, having a laugh during dinners, or enjoying a drink with people, I always felt welcomed in the community.
+![A Social Aperitif with all the Biohackathon participants](/static/img/2026/2026-06-17-Micocci-Francesco-social.jpg)
+
+## Conclusion: A message to other Undergraduate students
+
+Looking back at this whole experience, I think it taught me that you don’t need to know everything to be part of the bioinformatics and open source world. All you need is curiosity and the willingness to learn.
+
+Once again, I want to express my gratitude to OBF for making all of this possible.
+If you are an undergraduate student thinking about applying for an OBF travel grant to attend these events: don’t hesitate, do it.
+You could get an opportunity to learn, meet incredible people that you wouldn't experience otherwise, and you might also walk away with a win you didn’t expect coming!