On Friday April 19, 2024, the extended family of the Vilgalys Lab descended on the Spruce Pine Lodge in Bahama, NC, for Rytasfest. Over 100 former students, postdocs, and colleagues gathered in Bahama, North Carolina, to celebrate 40+ years of the Vilgalys Mycology Lab and the extraordinary science and culture of fungal biology that has proliferated at Duke and extended worldwide since Rytas arrived in 1986.
The event coincided with the return of the Middle Atlantic States Mycology Conference (MASMC 2024) to Durham and the French Family Science Center. This year’s MASMC was the largest ever, with over 120 participants and 50 talks and posters.
After the weekend’s scientific meetings, several members of the VLab continued to celebrate Rytasfest by attending “Lab Fishing Day” for 3 days on Harkers Island. LFD is another Vilgalys lab tradition that brings families and fishing together to enjoy the splendors of our NC coast.
Special thanks to the Rytasfest organizers and support team: Marc Cubeta, Tim James, Lotus Lofgren, Jessie Uehling, Jean-Marc Moncalvo, Khalid Hameed, Jake Nash, and Keaton Tremble.
