^[1]Thanks to everyone who took our 2011 poll, the results are IN! See the slideshare presentation below which summarizes the results. Check out the word cloud ^[1] based on the essay answers, with largest words representing those used the most frequently by respondents, helping you to understand the results as a whole visually. We had a fairly small sample size (37), and still welcome input, leave your response here or on the LinkedIn post.

We use the results to plan the 2011 schedule. Here is a summary of the results:

1. Top interest areas for science-focused events: Drug Development, Research Tools, and Diagnostics. The top results are similar to the results in the 2010 poll ^[5], however of note is that Drug Discovery dropped from the No. 1 interest to No. 5, with only 5% responding that they’d like to hear about it (respondents were asked for their top choice only). I’ll reiterate the small sample size, but I think this is indicative of the desire to learn about other areas due to the many layoffs in 2010.
2. We got a nice list of companies you’d like to hear from, with few companies getting more than one vote (which makes it difficult to decide, more reason to leave a comment below). Check out slide 8 for a full list.
3. Charities: Again this was a bit of a mixed bag, but people are interested in activities related to research or disease areas. in 2010 we did one charity event which fell out of this area (Mary was approached by I Love a Clean San Diego), and are willing to participate in research-themed events in 2011 if someone would like to step forward to coordinate.
4. Networking/Science Mix: almost identical to last year’s results–you’re happy for the most part with the mix of science and networking, with a slight bias towards more networking. The word cloud indicates this as well. We’ve had several people come to us with ideas for different types of events and venues which will help with us. Keep them coming!

We’ve got lots of great ideas for 2011 based on your feedback, and we’re beginning with our February 15th event featuring Althea Technologies ^[6], which is a company you requested. To help everyone plan, we’ll be doing most events on the third Tuesday of each month. Mark your calendars and contact us ^[7] if there’s an event you’d like to help plan or sponsor!