Written by Daniel Fritz and Judith Hollander.
On July 21st, members of each graduate program, eager for a day out of the lab, piled onto buses and traveled to the mysterious Medford campus for hours of friendly competition and socializing for the 22nd Annual Sackler Relays.
Wisely, the competitive running events were up first so as to beat the midsummer heat. Runners braved the July sun to compete in a 100 m dash, a 4 x 200 m relay, and a 1 mile race. The women’s 100 m dash was a photo finish with Neuroscience’s Rachel Jarvis pulling out a narrow victory over CMDB’s Joslyn Mills. Immunogenetics took the women’s mile with an impressive 5:25 mile time by Maiwenn Le Corre! Participants and guests enjoyed food and drink as a break before the rest of the contests began.
Cooperative weather this year allowed for the return of the full event list, including the volleyball bracket and the obstacle course, with Neuroscience claiming a decisive volleyball victory. Unfortunately, dodgeball was cancelled partway through the games due to exuberant and strong throws prematurely deflating the dodgeballs. The day ended in a show of great teamwork, when CMDB stole victory from the MD/PhDs in the final matchup of the tug-of-war tournament.
The final placements saw Neuroscience on top yet again this year with the full standings below:
1st: Neuroscience
2nd: Immunogenetics
3rd: Microbiology/PPET
4th: MD/PhD
5th: CMDB
Following the sporting events, Rebecca Silver, our new Graduate Student Council president, announced the raffle winners of various prizes, which included day passes for the Rock Spot climbing gym, Paint Bar coupons, and Tufts swag, among other rewards. Our new Dean, Dr. Dan Jay (or, D(e)an Jay, as he quipped), introduced himself to the group and gave a rousing speech regarding some of his aspirations and goals in his new position, including new initiatives towards career development and preparing Sackler students for life beyond graduation. We enthusiastically wish Dean Jay the best of luck and look forward to his leadership!
Generous support from the Provost’s Office and the President’s Office were instrumental in making this year’s Relays a success, along with help from the Dean’s Office. The Graduate Student Council, with assistance from Sackler Faculty, held a successful relay day that will only raise the bar for next year! Thank you to Microbiology’s Claudette Gardel for team and event photos, and thank you and congratulations to all who participated!